Health Insurance Coverage: What Can You Expect?

Healthcare coverage is different depending on the type of program you have chosen. There are some costs that will cover all and other aspects that are either optional or are extra cost. For the specific areas that are covered by your insurance it is important to check your policy.

When you are looking for a policy for the first time or changing policies it is important you can be sure that they cover. Generally most policies will cover the following:

Doctor visits -- most insurance policies will cover doctor visits in some way. Usually there is a co-pay of $10-20 which is required when you go to the office. This is the part that you will pay for each visit and the insurance policy will pay the rest.

Hospital stays -- in the event that you have to stay in the hospital the insurance policy will tell you how much they will pay. Sometimes you will have to pay a deductible that may include your hospital stays so you want to check your policy.

Treatment of certain medical conditions -- most plans will spell out the types of treatment they will cover and how it should be handled. Many will give you acute care and if you need a specialist your policy may need a referral from your primary care doctor.

In-patient tests and other procedures -- they usually will specify what tests are covered and how much they will pay.

Prescription drugs -- most policies will cover prescription drugs usually through the generic brands. They will have a co-pay of $10 - $25 (sometimes more) and you will be limited to these drugs that are in their formulary (list of drugs). Generic drugs will always be less costly than the name brands.

Outpatient treatments -- most policies will cover treatment that you receive for injuries or other medical conditions where you do not have to stay overnight in the hospital. This can include things like regular screening processes for blood work, pap tests or cancer screenings to name just a few.

Mental health -- some will cover mental health challenges and usually this means that there will be a certain amount of visits that will be covered by the policy. This is usually very short term coverage.

Disability -- usually you will have to add a codicil to your health insurance in order to get disability coverage. This will help if you lose your job or have an injury that prevents you from going back to work.

What Healthcare Insurance Doesn't Cover

In all cases new healthcare insurance will not cover "pre-existing conditions" at the start of the policy. This means medical conditions like asthma or heart disease if they happened before the policy began. There usually is a waiting period before they will allow this coverage.

Some policies don't cover dental or vision so it is important that if you need these services you check you policy because you may need an alternative plan to cover these needs.

Get Free Health Insurance Quotes Now