Saturday, December 8, 2007

Tips For Choosing The Right Health Insurance Plan For You

There are several factors that need to be taken into consideration when choosing a health insurance plan. Taking time to explore the different benefits offered by the different health insurance plans is well worth the time and effort and will enable you to choose one that is best suited to your requirements.

Even though all health insurance plans differ from each other in detail, a basic premium is a standard feature of all of them. This is the amount you or your employee will need to pay to purchase that particular health insurance coverage. Most of the other fees are calculated as a percentage of this amount, so it is vital that you determine the basic premium of whichever health insurance plan you are considering. This is especially important if you or anybody in your family is suffering from any serious or chronic health condition.

Health insurance plans are either Indemnity or managed care, both of which are rather different in their fundamental approach.

Managed care plans typically have pacts with certain doctors, health care providers and hospitals who agree to provide a host of services to plan members at lower costs. Some of the benefits of managed care plans are less paperwork and reduced out-of-pocket expenses. The disadvantage of choosing managed care plans is the restricted choice of health care providers available to you.

Indemnity insurance plans, also called fee-for-service plans, offer a wider choice of health care services, doctors and hospitals. If you choose an indemnity insurance plan you would have to bear the costs upfront, and the insurance company will then reimburse you at a later date.

With different plans being tailored differently, there are bound to be some plans that suit your needs better. Here are some suggestions on what to look for when choosing a health insurance plan:

Is the coverage offered by the health insurance plan as extensive as you would like it to be?

Is the choice of doctors and hospitals too restricted or does the plan offer you a fairly wide choice?

Compare the cost of service of different health insurance plans that offer the same benefits.

Compare the extra expenditure you will have to make on premiums and other health care costs

Look into the policies regarding any chronic health conditions or disabilities that you or your family members may have

Check out the policy coverage for you and your family members if you travel a lot or spend time at two homes

Please visit BCBSNC Blue Cross North Carolina / Blue Cross and Blue Shield North Carolina for your insurance needs: http://ibdinsurance.com

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