📕Demystify health insurance jargon. Learn what common health insurance terms like "CHIP," "cost-sharing" and "deductible" mean. It can empower you to better understand what signing on to a plan might mean for your budget and your health. Read our handy glossary of terms here.
⚕️Get a sense of your medical needs from a doctor you trust. That can dictate what kind of health insurance you might need in the coming year. "Having someone who's been following you, ideally for years, is extremely valuable in helping you to make decisions" about your health care — and therefore your coverage plan, says pediatrician Dr. Nicole Rochester.
And make sure your preferred primary care doctor and prescription medications are still covered by your insurance, says Aaron DeLaO, formerly the director of health initiatives at the nonprofit group Foundation Communities. Otherwise, he says, you should it "eliminate it" and "find a plan that's going to cover those."
💵Don’t pay the sticker price for your medical bills. Having health insurance, unfortunately, doesn’t guarantee that all your medical bills will be covered – so if you’re planning on any big procedures, make sure to look closely at your deductible rates so you know how much you’ll need to cover on your own.
Experts from our episode on medical debt say hospitals sometimes bill patients “chargemaster” rates, inflated sticker prices that are used to negotiate with insurance companies. Don’t just accept that rate, says attorney Jennifer Bosco of the National Consumer Law Center. Call your hospital and tell them you can’t afford the sticker price, then ask them what lower rates might be available.
💸Take advantage of freebies. Even if you have a bare-bones plan with high deductibles, screenings and other preventive care should be included in your coverage, says Carter, the insurance consumer advocate. That includes screenings for diabetes, cholesterol and blood pressure. To get a handle on what you might need in the coming months, check out this list of recommended screenings by age compiled by the American Academy of Family Physicians.
Here’s to less tricks and more treats this enrollment season, friends. You got this!
–Andee Tagle, Life Kit reporter
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