If
you or your loved ones have been burdened by the horrific news of cancer, it’s
best to take some time to step back, and don’t lose hope. Don’t let the fear of
financial hardships bring you down -- that’s what your insurance is for. It’s
going to be a challenging journey ahead, so it’s best to equip yourself with
knowledge: here are a few things cancer patients should knowabout their medical insurance.
Appeal
When
your insurance claim is denied or dropped, worry not—you can make an appeal.
You need not suffer in silence and deal with the consequences on your own. To
increase your chances of being heard, you can ask your doctor to help you.
Furthermore, your doctor and hospital should know that they can’t bill you at
least until after you’ve fixed things with your insurance company.
Annual
Deductible
This
is basically the first thing you have to check in your insurance because this
will determine how much the insurance company needs you to spend first before
they start paying for your medical expenses.
Annual
Limit
It’s
important to know the total amount of coverage your insurance will give you in
a year, so be fully aware if you can make the most out of your benefits.
Extra
Billing
If
you haven’t heard of balance billing yet, it’s when the insurance company pays
only a part of your bill because they think that you’re able to pay for the
rest.
Coinsurance versus
Copayment
Coinsurance is simply
the percentage of your payment in the health care service. For example, your
care states that your coinsurance payment is 30%, then you pay for that and the
plan pays for the rest. Copayments are payments made for services preset by the
insurance policy, and is billed to you every time you avail of these services.
Stop Loss or Out of
Pocket Feature
This is a definite
must-have feature in your insurance policy. The stop loss or out of pocket
feature ensures that after you have personally paid for a specific limit your
insurance providers have set, they will cover the rest of your expenses, 100%.
Insured payables include annual deductibles, coinsurance, and copayment.
Always Look for a Plan B
If your current health
insurance drops you and your appeal is denied a second time, it’s best to ask
for help—you can ask for government aid or ask professionals who know the right
people or insurance companies to talk to during for such situations. These
people will help you understand policies better and offer you other options.
As a final reminder,
make sure that you, your friends and family keep a good record of all
transactions and visits both to the hospital and your insurance provider. Of
course, it is also vital to be fully aware of your policy’s coverage. Read it
over and over again to make sure you are not missing out on any specific help
you could still be getting. Your insurance policy is supposed to make things
better for you, not make things worse, so keep hoping for the best and you will
definitely see things through.
Photo sources:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/63390691@N07/8094685523/in/photolist-dkinZv-dsdFDy-dsdFtd-dsdEWS-dsdEFd-dkhZkK-gutAep-guudRR-guudLv-aAyWZp-9VwmxJ-9VwmpL-9VtvUc-9VwmtS-9VtvQa-bqgJ3f-bqgJ2G-bqgJ3E-bqgJ2U-bqgJ3u-bqgJ37-86mPvR-gQU55p-dvSXEq-cyWF6h-dvMWag-9Ddmg1-9Darvk-9Dassa-9Ddkgw-9DdkLN-9DaqZ8-9DaqNF-9Ddnr3-dvAiLG-cuDrxj-aBxrKm-bpRvhj-bpRves-bCLhYn-bpRvg5-bCLhXt-bCLhXa-bCLhZa-bpRvgU-bpRvgA-bpRvfu-bTAddc-95yaEf-awjppJ-95yaVS
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kbrookes/6739641349/sizes/m/in/photolist-bgyqyV-95yat1-95v83R-95v82c-7zbJbx-8jy6cU-8juTXD-8juRzz-8jy77b-88VCkf-cRZCeC-hDMuGx-idcNYL-idd2EL-idcDRC-h1cCAS-gn3Nai-7zjxbH-9mRBCd-9Nu1iL-ewu6cQ-c63i1J-dMsBCp-afwgWz-dABSdh-hoiDq2-gHKpww-gKUktn-gKVjtc-gKUkY9-9nmfGv-8Zye4N-ae62nV-aeUttK-8WJ3qf-abZYAn-adc5eY-acaAVw-acaAHA-aUxcsk-addHto-8YytWp-h8HFx8-8CQecF-9vXN9M-8LCqab/
Disclaimer: The above article is for education purposes and raising awareness for cancer and medical insurance and is provided by Compare Hero.
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