Health Insurance Articles
How Emergency Visits Can Affect Health Insurance Rates
2011-12-27
Health insurance rates are always of concern to Americans -- if they are paying a reasonable monthly amount they want it to stay that way and if they are seeing increased costs from their provider they will seek out ways to find a better deal. Health insurance coverage can be one of the most expensive investments that clients make in the long term as the amount paid each month can stack up quite high over the course of years or decades. There are a number of things that influence the cost of health insurance rates for families and individuals, including the number of emergency room visits that a patient has during the course of a year.
Any time a health service covered by a health care plan is used, it can be submitted to the provider for payment. In some cases, the service will be fully covered and a check will be sent to the patient or doctor, and in some clients will be required to make a copayment before the company will supply any money. Once any service has been used to cover the cost, however, an insurance company makes record of the service and when its use occurred. In the case of ER visits, approval from an insurance company is often automatic, and the company is typically billed without consultation with a patient first. Multiple visits to the ER of the course of a year can lead an insurance company to the conclusion that a patient has a recurring or serious condition and may lead to a higher health insurance rate.
While it is not possible for a company to arbitrarily increase rates, they are permitted to do so after certain amounts of time have elapsed or when a policy comes up for renewal. Most providers are prevented from simply dropping a client if many ER visits pile up or a recurring condition is discovered, but they are not prevented from charging more for services over the long term. This can leave a patient in a difficult position -- either accept a higher rate or switch to a new company.
Fortunately, the rise of health insurance coverage options on the Internet provides patient with multiple choices for their care. Even if health care rates are increased because of multiple ER visits, it is now possible to find viable alternatives or convince a current provider that being more reasonable is in their best interests. The amount of insurers now available nationwide helps to not only encourage better rates across the board but gives patients greater leverage when it comes to negotiating their own rates and ensuring they receive a fair deal in the long term.
