Health Insurance Articles
What To Expect During Your First Year Of Health Insurance Coverage
2011-06-13
The fact is that most people obtain their health insurance policies from their place of work. Many employers today, despite the tough economy and rising costs of healthcare, still provide health insurance to their employees. The great thing about having insurance through your work place is that there are no pre-existing clauses to worry about beforehand. Additionally, employers tend to offer employees cheaper plans than if they were to get health insurance on their own through an independent company or big insurance company. Insurance coverage coming from employer-related policies is also fairly good since it has to cover most of the employees and the company gets a group discount. But even for those who don't get insurance from their work place, finding insurance isn't hard, though the policies may be a bit expensive. In either case, there are certain things you can expect from your insurance coverage in the first year.
During the first year of your policy, it's likely that you'll go and see a doctor for your yearly checkup. Whether or not you go is up to you, but the results of going can differ. If you go for your checkup and the doctor finds you have some type of health issue or issues, then they'll most likely send you to specialists. Referrals may or may not be needed by your primary physician to specialists depending on your policy, but you will most likely have to pay for that visit. Even if it's something minor, going to see a specialist can add up depending on what type of specialist it is and what procedures need to be performed.
On the other hand, if you go to your checkup and you appear to be healthier than expected, this can be a great thing. In the first case, after the first year of your coverage is over, the premium amounts might rise. The reason this happens is to compensate for the added risk you now carry because of your health illness or disability. Additionally, you may have to add extra coverage to your policy in order to be able to get covered by the insurance. However, there is a chance that the insurance company will throw the pre-existing clause at you if you get the coverage after seeing the doctor.
With the latter - where you are perfectly fine - you may be able to get a reduction in your premiums. The reason you are eligible for a rate reduction is because you may have gotten healthier than when you initially signed up for the policy. That, combined with your year of loyalty to your carrier, may help you obtain certain savings in the long run.
