Health Care Plans

Key Considerations When Comparing Health Care Plans

1. Your Doctor: Some health care plans require you to use their network of doctors. If you currently have a physician that you would like to keep seeing, then check first to see if your doctor is included in the health care plan you are considering

2. Specialists: If you have specific medical conditions or believe you may need to use specialists in the future you will want to find out how you will be able to use a specialist

3. Pre-Existing Conditions: This seems like a no-brainer but sometimes in the confusion of choosing health care plans many forget to confirm that their pre-existing condition will be covered or one just assumes it is. Pre-existing conditions can vary between plans from being excluded to being covered fully and sometimes somewhere in-between like being covered after a specific amount of time.

4. Emergency and Hospital Care: You will want to find out what emergency rooms and hospitals are covered on your plan.

5. Regular Physicals and Health Screenings: If you like getting regular physicals and health screenings you will want to make sure they are covered. Most managed care plans cover these types of screenings yearly, but some independent insurance plans do not cover them at all.

6. Prescription Drug Coverage: If you currently use prescription drugs on a regular basis or think you may need to in the future, you will want to consider a plan that has a good prescription drug coverage.

7. OB-GYN: If you regularly see a Obstetrician or Gynecologist, find out if your doctor is covered in the plan you are considering and make sure you review all the same conditions as in point 1.

8. Additional Services: Consider what additional services are covered when comparing health plans. Some examples of additional services that may be important to you include: Drug and Alcohol Rehabilitation, Mental Health Care, Counseling, Home Health Care, Nursing Home Care, Hospice, Experimental Treatments, Alternative Treatments, Chiropractic Care.

9. Costs: Now that you know what you want in your health care plan it is time to compare costs. Find out what deductibles you will need to pay first before the health care dollars will kick in.

10. Exclusions: The last consideration is the exclusions list. You will want to review each plan’s exclusions list to find out what is not covered and to see if any condition you currently have or expect to have in the future, is included on that list.