How to shop for catastrophic health insurance
So maybe you have decided that you fit into the right kind of group that catastrophic health insurance will benefit best. You’ve considered your options and also considered the high amount of financial responsibility that catastrophic health insurance requires, and you have also considered the limits of its coverage. After understanding all of that, and making sure that you could have enough money to cover higher deductibles in the incidence of a medical emergency, you’re ready to start shopping for catastrophic health insurance. Here’s what to do.
- Ask how much your medical health insurance premium will cost you, both on a monthly and yearly basis. This is very important to know, because obviously the low monthly premium payment is the main draw that catastrophic health insurance holds.
- Ask how much the deductible will be.This is one of the most important things to ask about, because you need to know if you can afford the deductible if you get catastrophic health insurance,. because otherwise there isn’t a point.
- Do you want a lot of coverage or a little coverage? If you need more extensive medical health insurance coverage, then catastrophic health insurance coverage might not be the best for you, and you should definitely consider what your wants and needs are.
- Do you take any prescriptions? If you do need to pay for a lot of prescription drugs, you might do better with a different health insurance plan, because catastrophic health insurance does not cover drugs, and prescriptions cost quite a bit and the amount can add up if you are paying it all by yourself.
- Do you have enough money to pay for things like check ups on your own? If you don’t, then you need a different type of coverage. Doctor’s visits often cost a lot, and I know that when I was pregnant my doctor charged almost two hundred dollars per fifteen minute check up–which came every one to two weeks. That can add up if you’re paying out of pocket.
- Any pre-existing conditions? If you have one of these, you’re out. Catastrophic health insurance plans don’t take on the risk of people who already have a condition.
- Is it easy to get sick for you? Not every sickness can be covered by an emergency room visit, so you’ll probably need coverage that covers a regular doctor.
- How high up does the lifetime maximum go?
Cheers,
Fashun Guadarrama.
Health insurance in Houston, TX made easier by patient protection laws
Reader question:
I need to get a good health insurance plan in Houston, Texas. Can you tell me about health insurance in that area?
Glen
Sure.
Health insurance in Houston, Texas is a lot like medical health insurance anywhere else in the country. The main difference is that the state of Texas has special patient protection laws that make getting medical health insurance in Houston a different experience from everywhere else.
- Patient protection laws.
This is one of the things that makes health insurance in Houston special. Texas puts a lot of support behind its patient protection laws, so being a patient in that state is a lot safer than in most. These laws were put in place to protect Texas patients from having Houston health insurance companies take advantage of them by weaseling out of providing coverage and over charging. The laws protect a Texan’s ability to get cheap health insurance.
For things like HMOs, the patient protection laws really kick in. They provide Houston patients with the ability to access specialized prescription drugs as well as other things that health insurance are less willing to cover, such as check ups (at least annual) by the doctor when you aren’t sick, special treatments, and preventive medicine. Patient protection laws in Texas prevent corruption in the industry as well. They keep HMOs from healing prevent patients from receiving the help they need by giving doctors rewards for refusing to provide certain care to their patients.
Just because they have these patient protection laws, though, doesn’t mean HMOs and other health insurance in Houston, Texas are always on the straight and narrow path. HMOs are more guilty than most. According to a report by the Office of Public Insurance Counsel in Texas, despite all of the efforts to set them straight, health insurance in Houston and the rest of Texas provided by companies and HMOs don’t live up to the standards set by the National Committee for Quality Assurance.
Cheers,
Fashun Guadarrama.