Last Updated on June 24, 2019 by Ellen Christian
One of the best ways to make the most of your personal health care plan is to stay healthy. I know that it’s not that simple though. Years ago, my husband went from having a good paying full-time job with benefits to being disabled and not able to work. People with complex medical needs, hereditary illnesses or immune disorders must see doctors regularly as well.
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Personal Health Care Plan
Whether you have a personal health care plan you purchase on your own, receive it through your state or have benefits from your job, navigating medical insurance can be a challenge. There are all sorts of things that you need to understand like deductibles, co-pays, qualifying events, and coinsurance.
Individual health insurance
Because I am self-employed I needed to purchase a personal health care plan for myself. My husband is covered under Medicare, and the kids are now adults and in charge of their own insurance. In Vermont, up until a few months ago, you were required to have health insurance or be fined so even if I wanted to, I could not opt out of insurance.
Purchasing personal health insurance
Depending on the rules in your state, purchasing a personal health care plan may be limited to specific times called qualifying events. This may include things like job loss, the birth of a new child, or a divorce. It’s important that you know what your rights are so you can make changes to your personal health care plan that are most beneficial.
Affordable health insurance
For most Americans, finding affordable health insurance is a challenge. When our income changed, our health insurance costs skyrocketed. With only two options in my state, we were very limited when it came to choices. Understanding the differences between the two plans and the different levels of each plan was overwhelming. We often got different answers depending on who we spoke to when we called the insurance companies.
Family health insurance plans
As health care costs continue to rise, it really makes sense to know how to get the most for your family out of the coverage you do have. Make sure that you budget for upcoming expenses you do know about. We generally know when it’s time to get new glasses or when the kids are going to need to have braces. Planning ahead for those expenses can make them easier to handle.
Emergency health care costs
Know where the closest after hours or convenient healthcare facility is. Know what their hours are and know when you’ll need to see urgent care instead. Check on the closest drug store to your doctor’s office so you can have the prescription ready to pick up when you leave the doctor’s office. Check on pharmacies that deliver at no charge in your area.
Free health care services
Check to see what types of free services your health insurance plan offers. Some plans offer a free nurse hotline where you can have simple questions answered if you’re not sure whether or not you need to go to the doctor. When my daughter was born, I had tons of questions and was never positive whether or not I needed to see a doctor for certain symptoms. They may even offer consultations about how to achieve health goals you’re working toward.
Telehealth services
Have you ever consulted with your doctor by using an app or through your computer? Telehealth services can save both time and money when they are allowed by your insurance company. Not all insurance companies offer this type of consulting so it’s important to see if yours will cover it.
Fairos is a brand-new startup looking to change what’s broken about medical insurance. Their team has been working with large companies to help their employees get the cheapest rates and the highest quality care for years. In that process, they realized that no one is paying more for insurance than individuals like us. They believe that is wrong, and plan to do something about it.
I had the opportunity to participate in a conference call with representatives from Fairos and wanted to share a few thoughts with you about how they are trying to help. Scroll down to take the survey so you can have some input into the type of services Fairos will offer.
Fairos plans to offer the following services:
Bill Negotiation
Their team will negotiate with the insurance company on your behalf to determine what savings are possible, and where there are opportunities to reduce your overall costs.
TeleHealth
This product our service would allow you to complete non-acute appointments with a doctor via email, phone, or video call.
Care-Coordination
They can help establish the right schedule for your journey, follow up appointments with your doctor, physical/occupational therapist post-hospitalization.
“Big medical” has created a maze of complexity for the patient experience, including high premiums and medical bills that are intentionally confusing. Fairos plans to fight against that and hopes to see millions of people receiving the medical care they need without the crippling and confusing effects of high medical costs.
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Ellen is a busy mom of a 24-year-old son and 29-year-old daughter. She owns six blogs and is addicted to social media. She believes that it doesn’t have to be difficult to lead a healthy life. She shares simple healthy living tips to show busy women how to lead fulfilling lives. If you’d like to work together, email info@confessionsofanover-workedmom.com to chat.
