Health insurance is complicated. Here we show you how to choose the appropriate plan, advocate for yourself and reduce the cost of your health insurance.
“Deny defend leave. “ Those were the words recorded through the bullet housings in the murder of the CEO of United Brian Thompson, and have been recited innumerable times when our country dealt with the consequences of such an act.
Those words were inspired by the work of Jay Feinman, author of the 2010 book entitled Delay, deny, defend: why insurance companies do not pay claims and what can you do about it. Jay joined Jean Chatzky in the podcast Hermoney to talk about why he was surprised (but not surprised) for our collective response to murder, why the cost of health insurance has become so out of control in this country, and What you can do about it.
The cost of health insurance: How do we get here?
Jean Chatzky: I know that there are probably 10,000 things to which they can point out that they are wrong with this system, a system that seems to consistently put the needs of the shareholders before the needs of the patients, before the needs of the owners, but can you spend things For us? What do you think is really happening and how do we get here?
Jay Feinman: We need to do the system Buy and sell insurance better. People generally do not understand the details of what they are buying. They focus too much on the price and need a stronger regulation. It is difficult to understand insurance. People do not want to think about bad things that will happen and, therefore, insurance companies decided that they will try to sell the price and sometimes in the service. But they are not going to tell people exactly what type of coverage they are selling and, therefore, (people) will sometimes be surprised when they have claims.
Jay Feinman: In the field of health insurance, the system is much more complicated because it is not just the consumer and the insurance company. It is the insurance company, the medical care provider, the pharmacy benefits managers and all others in the process. The low -price health care law improved things, but we still need to improve the way people buy insurance.
Why health insurance forces us to focus on incorrect costs
Jean Chatzky: When we talk specifically about health insurance, people often tend to focus on the initial cost instead of the general cost. How would you encourage people to look at that purchase?
Jay Feinman: Health insurance is a bit different from most because many people incur some medical care costs every year. You go to a doctor for an annual check, you can be sick once or twice. The owner’s insurance, if you are lucky, will never use it. You will never recover your money. But, as a general issue, people should think about insurance how to protect them against really large financial expenses.
Jay Feinman: If you go to health.gov Or state markets, the federal government now requires relatively clear descriptions and relatively clear price calculations for common conditions. For example, PEG is having a baby. And if you compare plans A, B and C, this is what it will cost. Or Joe has type 2 diabetes, this is what will cost. Therefore, it can make a more rational decision, but a decision based on the possible major consequences, not relatively small costs.
Advocating yourself in the doctor’s office
Jean Chatzky: As a consumer, what should I do? What questions are supposed to do to protect myself as a buyer of medical services?
Jay Feinman: It is very difficult and one thing that I tell people over and over again, either in advance or in the claims process, they often think it is their fault. They have done something wrong. The first thing you understand is that it is not your fault. You haven’t done anything wrong. This is the way the system is configured. So I encourage people to try to obtain information in advance.
Jay Feinman: (Tell your doctor) “I have gone to you because it is on the network or because my medical plan says that this will be covered at a certain amount with a certain deductible or copayment. Is that true for all the services I will receive here? Is there anything else for what to pay? Consumers should be a bit patient, a bit assertive and very polite because the people with whom they are talking are never the people in charge. Try to obtain that information in advance and ask the questions in a general way.
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(Tagstotranslate) Purchase of Insurance (T) Choose the Health Insurance (T) Choice of a health plan (T) Cost of Medical Care (T) Cost of Medical Care (T) Obtaining Health Insurance (T) Health Insurance (T) MSN
