Before buying health insurance, take time to calculate all of the potential costs involved. It can be difficult to estimate the total cost of an insurance plan over a year, so careful analyze the premium itself, as well as any deductibles and co-pays.
There are many options for the college graduate when it comes to choosing health insurance coverage. If you are employed, you can get health insurance through your job. You can also consider your parents’ insurance if you are below 26 years of age. If nothing else works, there are a ton of personal plans available through insurance companies, too.
Vision insurance makess sense for you and your family, especially if anyone already has issues with vision, or eye problems run in your family. The insurance will cover a percentage of your check-ups and your glasses or contact purchases. You are not required to carry vision insurance, and it may be cheaper in the long run to not have this coverage.
Don’t give out unsolicited information when an health insurance provider calls you during the application process. Answer only questions which are directly asked. Anytime that you provide the insurance company with information, they can use it to increase your overall bill, and in some cases they could even deny you coverage.
Regardless of how comprehensive your health insurance policy is, making the decision to use generic drugs will always be more cost effective. There are only a few drugs that you can not get in a generic form, and there have been many studies that have shown there is not any difference between these and a name brand pill.
Understand that private insurance is regulated on a state-by-state basis and cannot be purchased across state lines due to interstate commerce laws. This means that if you go to a hospital that is out of your state, your policy may not cover it. Insurance companies set their own rules, so be sure to find out their policies ahead of time.
Choose the type of health insurance plan that best suits your needs. Decide if you prefer an HMO, POS or PPO. Consider all the options offered by each health insurance plan before deciding which one to purchase. If it is a concern, check if you are going to be able to keep your current doctors.
If you want to get pregnant in the future, ensure your insurance covers the pregnancy costs. You should be aware that not all health insurance plans will take care of all costs that are associated with having a baby.
You can be charged an additional fee if any of the people covered under your health insurance policy is entitled to insurance through their employer. Sometimes, it is less expensive for you and your spouse to have individual insurance through your own employers. Do the math on both scenarios to be sure.
Pay close attention to the bills. Though you may believe your insurance plan is a fixed rate that you pay in premiums, you will be surprised by the charges that will pop up from time to time. Some of these surprise charges can really add up, such as those for prescribed medications. Make sure your doctor understands your limitations and is willing to write prescriptions for generic alternatives when the costs are simply too high to maintain. Also make sure that you shop around. Some generic medications cost less at different pharmacies.
Catastrophic coverage is a viable option for those who cannot afford the premium payments for a more comprehensive health insurance policy, but who want some coverage in the event that there is a sudden major illness or accident. It may also be a good add-on to your overall health care coverage in cases of extreme emergency.
