Answering These Two Questions Will Help You Plan Your Health Care Future (1501 hits)
Confused about health care reform? You are not alone – across America, millions of people just like you are wondering what Obamacare will mean for them and their families.
You don’t need to be confused. There are two basic questions you should ask yourself so that you can plan your health care future.
#1: What Are The Health Care Needs of You and Your Family?
Do you have a medical condition that requires frequent trips to the doctor or hospital, or do you have a family member that requires frequent medical attention? If so, you should consider a comprehensive health insurance policy. Beginning in 2014, insurers cannot deny you this kind of coverage even if you have a pre-existing condition such as diabetes or cancer. If you and your household members are fairly healthy, but you want to have coverage for occasional doctors visits and other health care costs, consider an indemnity policy. An indemnity policy reimburses you for certain health care costs at pre-determined amounts. For example, an indemnity policy might reimburse you for half the cost of visit to the doctor’s office – and you would be responsible for making up the difference. Coverage under an indemnity policy is not as robust as comprehensive insurance, but on the other hand indemnity policies don’t require you to pay a deductible. Comprehensive policies often have deductibles of $1,000 or more.
#2: What’s Is Your Household’s Budget For Health Coverage?
Obamacare makes a lot of big changes to health insurance, but the law does not offer anyone “free” health care. Americans will continue to make their own decisions about their health care coverage, and almost everyone will still have to make monthly premium payments for health care. Remember, comprehensive policies also require that you pay a deductible before the policy covers many services.
Obamacare attempts to make some assumptions about what is “affordable” and what is “unaffordable” for Americans. But at the end of the day, only YOU can make that determination. Some people, based upon their health care needs, may decide that they need to spend more to have comprehensive health insurance to protect them. Others may decide that they can’t afford to spend much at all on health care coverage – but want some type of help in paying for medical bills as they arise.
Looking at your household’s health care needs, and then determining how much you can afford to spend on health insurance, will make it easier to plan your health care future. By answering those two basic questions you can determine your route forward. Here at iCan, our licensed insurance agents can help you understand the options available to you. From comprehensive health insurance to fixed benefit indemnity policies, we have products that can meet your health care needs AND your budget.
