subject: Health Insurance Benefits For Your Family [print this page] Most people realize that life without health insurance is not the way to go, so they pick up a plan either through their employer or the purchase an individual or family health insurance plan. Unfortunately, even those who have health insurance may not be taking full advantage of the benefits that their insurance plan offers. This may sound ridiculous, however, most people do not fully read and understand their health insurance benefits and this can cost big money over the long term.
Many health insurance plans are PPO which essentially means that the benefits you receive for going to plan doctors are much higher than those for using doctors that are not in your plan. They get their insurance plan then return to their "regular" health care providers and feel let down by the fact that their health insurance only covers a small percentage of the bill. It is very important to check with your health insurance company to find out if the cost of care would be less if you go to a specific doctor or hospital.
Some health insurance plans include prescription plans as well. Many times with these plans there are similar restrictions and discounts in place for using certain brands of medications, getting the generic version of a medication, or even using a specific pharmacy. This can really help reduce the cost of your prescriptions. Also, be sure to see if your health insurance prefers generic medications or those that are name brand. A lot of insurance companies will pay more or less of a benefit depending on their preference.
Vision and dental benefits tend to be about the same, where certain providers and certain services will be paid at a higher benefit. Many times if you get eyeglasses from a company that is associated with the health insurance group then you pay very minimally for them, however if you go to your own optometrist then you will pay a lot more.
There are many benefits that you may be missing if you have not fully read and understood your health insurance plan and this could be costing you unnecessarily. Some health insurance plans even include things such as eating well, exercising, and sports membership as reimbursable items on their plan. Be sure to refer to your health insurance handbook for more information about ways you can be saving more money.
by: Ethan Kalvin
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