Monday, 6 February 2006
Avoid Health Insurance Errors
Having health insurance alone won’t protect you from outrageous medical bills, Consumer Reports stated recently. In fact, you could be making common errors that could lead to serious debt, or even bankruptcy.
What are some of the most common blunders that are costing consumers?
Here’s just a few listed by Consumer Reports:
Overlooking the rules. Pre-authorizations…referrals…limitations…deductibles. Getting your health insurance company to pay for your medical treatments is not cut and dry. There are several administrative hurdles to jump if you want to get your insurer to pay. Simply neglecting to get a treatment pre-authorized could make all the difference from full coverage under your benefits to absolutely zero. Read your statement of benefits carefully and have anything you don’t understand explained to you. Don’t rely on hospital or clinic staff to handle the details of your insurance plan for you.
Choosing the wrong doctor. Some plans have a network of approved doctors, and if you step outside that circle you could be responsible for the majority or all of the bill, depending on the situation.
Bad billing. Medical billing is complicated and open to major mistakes. Your mistake? Not going over your bill with a fine-tooth comb. Sometimes the error could be the result of a typo, or sometimes you can uncover charges for treatments you never received.
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