All About Buying Private Health Insurance in the United States
If you are unemployed or your employer does not offer you medical insurance coverage, you can always purchase your own health care coverage through a private provider.
A premium is a sum that you will be paying to the insurance agency for medical coverage. These premiums are usually paid on monthly basis. There are various price options available based on the level of medical coverage you require.
Unfortunately, when buying your own private health coverage, the process is somewhat more complicated than just selecting a coverage plan given by the employer. So here are some tips to help advise you about the process of buying private medical coverage.
Remember if you are 26 years of age or older, you may need your own health insurance. This is because until the age of 26, young adults can be covered as dependents by their parent’s medical insurance. If you are unemployed, self-employed, retired, or a business owner you would need to buy private health insurance for medical treatment.
On a separate note, it is worth mentioning that private medical practitioners usually outsource medical billing services. They partner up with companies that provide medical billing services in their city and these companies bill patients and submit claims to insurance companies on behalf of doctors. For instance, a medical practitioner in Dallas will partner up with a company that offers medical billing services in Dallas.
There are different types of insurance coverage plans and each one of these has some unique features. We have briefly illustrated health insurance plans below.
Preferred Provider Organization (PPO)
In this plan, medical care is provided at reduced rates. Although subscribers of the PPO plan can see the physicians out of this network, however the rates of seeing them are more expensive.
Health Maintenance Organization (HMO)
HMO provides insurance coverage through a specific network of healthcare providers. Premiums are lower because and a subscriber can pay for coverage on a monthly or annual basis.
High-Deductible Health Plan (HDHP)
HDHP is ideal for young or generally healthy people. These plans have lower monthly premiums, however the annual deductible is higher than other insurance plans.
Exclusive Provider Organization (EPO)
If you have this plan, you can see physicians within a particular network, however some exceptions can also be made in case of an emergency. If you choose the EPO plan, you may need to select a PCP (primary care physician). This primary care physician will treat you for minor illnesses.
Short-Term Insurance Policy
As the name suggests, this insurance plan is for the short term and you can cover any gap you might experience in coverage with this policy. Although the term lengths of this plan vary from one US state to another, it typically lasts for three months. Moreover, in some states, you may be eligible for plans of up to 12 months.
Catastrophic health insurance
Catastrophic Coverage is only available to adults up to 30 years of age. This health insurance has lower premiums and in order to qualify one must receive a hardship exemption from the United States government.
Insurance companies often need access to medical records. EMR is an efficient way to electronically store medical records and patients’ data. Medical billing experts can help the clinics and physicians properly integrate Electronic Medical Records(EMRs).
Medical Billing Companies
Certain organizations provide medical billing services to small, medium, and large medical practices, and these organizations are referred to as medical billing companies in dallas. Billing companies will submit claims to insurance companies to get reimbursements for the services of physicians. There are a large number of companies that provide medical billing services in Dallas and other US cities. So it is crucial for healthcare providers to choose one of the top medical billing companies in dallas.
