{"id":1272,"date":"2020-04-04T00:25:53","date_gmt":"2020-04-04T00:25:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/recipesmomy.com\/?p=1272"},"modified":"2020-04-04T00:29:42","modified_gmt":"2020-04-04T00:29:42","slug":"what-you-should-do-before-signing-up-for-a-health-plan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/recipesmomy.com\/?p=1272","title":{"rendered":"WHAT YOU SHOULD DO BEFORE SIGNING UP FOR A HEALTH PLAN ?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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he best way to keep the doctor and hospital you like is to become a diligent Health Care Detective:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Start by Asking Detailed Questions About the Health Plan\u2019s Provider Network.<\/strong> Don\u2019t rely on the plan\u2019s fine-print summary; figure it was written by company lawyers to protect the insurer, not the customers. Read it, of course. But also call the insurance company and get an informed staffer on the line; if the call center staffer you reach is fumbling for scripts and reading them word for word, hang up, and phone again\u2014or politely insist on speaking to a supervisor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Look Ahead.<\/strong> Once you\u2019re talking to a smart-sounding staffer, ask that person to walk you through exactly which doctors, specialists, and hospitals are included in the plan network for the coming year.<\/em>Are your favorite doctors and hospital in your plan\u2019s network? Even if they are, ask whether there will be limits on approved-doctor visits, as well as rehab treatments, or other therapies. And make sure each of your prescriptions is on the plan\u2019s approved list, called the formulary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t Take a Staffer\u2019s Word for It. Get It in Writing.<\/strong> Ask for the important details in writing, either through the mail or online. Unfortunately, talk is cheap. Misinformation is expensive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But as I learned, getting quotes in writing can be difficult. When I first tried to find out what my $571-a-day Revlimid would cost me, a young staffer at CVS\/Caremark named Rebecca finally assured me that my cost would be a manageable $60 a month. She said she and her supervisor were \u201cabsolutely sure.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then I asked the key question, though I suspected that what I was about to request was against company policy. I asked her whether she would put the quote in writing. To my surprise, she immediately said yes. Minutes later, she sent me an email confirming the $60 quote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A couple of weeks later, I started worrying that CVS\/Caremark might have fired Rebecca for putting the quote in writing, despite the fact that it was the correct price. I called Rebecca\u2019s number repeatedly but couldn\u2019t reach her. Finally, she answered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I said, \u201cAre you okay? I was afraid you might have been fired for putting the sixty-dollar quote in writing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And, as I suspected, she confirmed that she had indeed made a mistake and been reprimanded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOh, everything is fine,\u201d she said. \u201cIt was a mistake on my part to put anything in writing. My supervisor told me it was a learning experience for me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In other words, if you want to continue to work for CVS\/Caremark, don\u2019t ever again put a quote in writing for a customer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, remember, I got the quote and got it in writing by asking for it. And you should be able to do that, too. Be insistent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, If You Insist on Focusing on Low Premiums, Watch Out for What You Are Surrendering.<\/strong>\u00a0Be particularly careful if you\u2019re getting an incredibly low premium. If you\u2019re not giving the insurer much money each month, the company needs to withhold something from you to reduce its costs and make\u00a0its target profit of 5 percent or more. What the company is excluding, such as limiting substance abuse support sessions, might not be important to you. No harm, no foul. On the other hand, the company might be taking away your doctor or hospital. Could you live without him or her? Or the esteemed teaching hospital fifteen minutes away? You might have to decide if that\u2019s worth a low monthly premium.<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

he best way to keep the doctor and hospital you like is to become a diligent Health Care Detective: Start by Asking Detailed Questions About the Health Plan\u2019s Provider Network. Don\u2019t rely on the plan\u2019s fine-print summary; figure it was written by company lawyers to protect the insurer, not the customers. Read it, of course. But […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1274,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[19],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/recipesmomy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1272"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/recipesmomy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/recipesmomy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/recipesmomy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/recipesmomy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1272"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/recipesmomy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1272\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1276,"href":"https:\/\/recipesmomy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1272\/revisions\/1276"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/recipesmomy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1274"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/recipesmomy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1272"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/recipesmomy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1272"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/recipesmomy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1272"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}