I recently found myself in the position where I needed to apply for health insurance. I’d come to terms with the idea that in the past, whatever health insurance I chose, it always sort of… sucked. It was never that great, and at best it was “good enough”. I am not big into politics, but I was very excited about the idea behind healthcare reform. Though the ‘how’ of the reform was the topic of much debate, I think it’s safe to say that we all unanimously agree that some type of reform was necessary.
So, I went to Get Covered Illinois and began this little journey of finding the right coverage. I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised. I’ve purchased individual health insurance in the past, and this was incomparably better. It was akin to shopping for the right cell-phone plan. While it was easy to compare the products, the challenge was to identify my own personal needs.
I managed to narrow it down to three options, but then I felt sort of stuck. There were very small differences amongst them, but those differences were in the exact wellness services that I use the most. Then I surprised myself with my next move. I called my chiropractor. After a 5 minute talk with him, the choice became obvious. I always debate between HMO and PPO, primarily because of price. The thing I now know about HMO is that there’s basically a middle man (physician) in there that must refer you for any sort of care you would need and the care has to reside within that specific network. So for me, HMO is completely out. It’s hard enough to find a care provider I like and feel comfortable with, the last thing I want to do is pigeon-hole myself and let that privilege be completely removed. Then the other major factor was the deductible. I seem to always get screwed on my deductibles. I’ll be honest, I flat out doing understand the logic behind them. Either cover everything or let me negotiate payments on my own. But that’s my two cents… Moving on.
Now, I am happy to report for the first time ever, I’m not only happy with the coverage I chose, but I’m actually excited that it covers the services that I need most. When I was in my 20s, I chose based on what was or was not likely to happen. This resulted in being covered for things I didn’t need and paying more out-of-pocket than I ever needed to.
To summarize how I came about my choice of insurance I:
- Chose a name that I know is taken by my healthcare providers
- Looked at the PPO product options
- Of the PPOs I checked their in-network/out-of-network chiropractic coverage
- Looked at the mental health coverage that would give me affordable therapy options
- Selected the deductible that would fit my budget and give me peace of mind
In light of having scoliosis with one fused and one non-fused curve, there still is the desire to be covered for the unexpected, and I feel that the plan I chose gives me that flexibility. If I am ever in search of a specialist, I want the option to go to the best of the best. I believe we all deserve that.
