Health Insurance Articles
How To Modify Medical Insurance Coverage For Rehabilitation Programs
2011-09-05
Well-rounded medical insurance coverage should include protection from the costs of rehabilitation programs. Although most policy holders never anticipate the need for rehabilitation, it's a frequent and expensive health insurance claim. Planning for the potential costs of rehab makes sound fiscal sense, and under most health insurance policies, it's fairly easy to modify medical insurance coverage to get the right type of protection. However, it's important to have a clear understanding of how different types of medical insurance work and how rehab is covered.
It's important not to confuse rehabilitation programs with long term care services. At-home nursing and other types of LTC will rarely fall under a patient's standard medical insurance coverage. There's also an obvious difference between physical rehabilitation and drug rehab, both of which can be covered under many medical insurance policies (although drug rehab coverage might be opt-in), but physical rehabilitation tends to be extremely expensive owing to the associated costs of equipment and specialized care. Inpatient physical rehabilitation is usually covered under standard medical insurance coverage, although under a managed care plan like an HMO or a PPO, the policy holder will have to get documentation from his or her primary care physician that explains why the rehabilitation is necessary. In an HMO, physical rehabilitation choices may be limited to those provided by the health maintenance organization, and in a preferred provider organization, physical rehab services will cost much more from out-of-network health care providers than from in-network healthcare providers.
The appropriate medical insurance coverage needs to be purchased before a condition develops that could necessitate rehab. The best way to do this is to read the schedule of benefits included with each health insurance quote before purchasing a policy. An ideal policy should have clear language in its schedule of benefits explaining whether or not rehabilitation services will be covered, but some policies aren't so straightforward. Policyholders should call their insurance agents if there's any question at all as to whether or not rehab coverage or coverage for other important medical treatments is included in a policy.
Regardless of whether a buyer is considering indemnity plans or managed care plans, it's helpful to read a few insurance policies before making a purchase in order to find medical insurance coverage that properly covers all potential costs. Rehabilitation is usually covered in some manner, but the terms of coverage can dictate where rehab takes place and whether or not the other costs of a disability will be paid. Buyers who read a few insurance quotes will get the best sense of their policies and will be able to manage their costs effectively.
