With the cost of health care constantly on the rise, it is becoming more and more important to have good health care coverage. Even though emergency rooms at hospitals are required to treat you regardless of ability to pay, your quality of care can decrease greatly if you do not have insurance. This is even more critical if you have a chronic or serious health condition. The right kind of health care insurance can make a huge difference in the treatment options that are available to you.
Identification
In general, supplemental health insurance is extra insurance that you purchase to cover what your primary health insurance policy does not cover. This can include copays, deductibles, certain types of treatments, and prescription coverage. So you need to have a basic health insurance policy first. The first step is to really examine your existing plan to see what types of cancer treatment it covers. Before buying supplemental cancer health insurance, make sure that your plan does not already cover everything you need. In addition, check to see if there is the option of adding on to your existing policy, which may be less expensive then buying supplemental insurance. There are supplemental plans that are specific to the private company where you have your basic insurance, and there are some that work specifically with Medicare.
Significance
With your basic health insurance plan, the insurance company makes payments directly to your health care provider and they determine what services are covered and how much they will pay for that service. This often can dictate the type and quality of the care you receive. Even if your doctor may want certain tests and treatments options, she may be limited beacuse the insurance company denies payment. With supplemental insurance the company makes payments directly to you, and that money can be used for any part of your care. However, many policies allow you to choose to have payments made directly to the health care provider as well. This gives you more control over how you spend the money given your unique situation.
Features
Being diagnosed with cancer can be devastating physically, emotionally and financially. Since your basic health insurance policy may have gaps in coverage, having that supplemental policy could make a big difference in your financial situation. In addition, your basic health insurance policy may only cover some types of cancer and not others. You need to do a lot of reasearch before purchsing supplemental insurace. The cost of supplemental cancer health insurance is determined on an individual basis. You can buy individual or family plans. You can also decide how much coverage you want to carry. Take the time to get quotes and information from many different companies to ensure you are getting the best plan for your needs.
Benefits
Supplemental cancer health insurance can pick up the tab for hospital stays, radiation, doctors visits and other common treatments costs. However, an additional benefit is that it will also cover costs that are not usually covered by traditional health insurance policies. This includes home health care, modifications to your car or home to accommodate physical limitations, everyday living expenses and bills, transportation expenses to and from appointments, treatment options that would normally be denied by a traditional health care policy, as well as various other services specifically helpful to those living with cancer.
Considerations
First of all, most insurance companies will only sell a cancer supplemental policy to someone who has not yet been diagnosed. This means that, before purchasing a supplemental cancer health insurance policy, you must decide how necessary it really is. If you are fortunate enough to never get cancer, then you have spent money on a policy you will never use. You must weigh out the cost of the insurance with your risk of getting the disease. If you have a strong family history of cancer or you have several risk factors due to your occupation or lifestyle choices, then purchasing supplemental insurance may be a good idea.
Tags: health insurance, health care, health insurance policy, insurance policy, basic health