Have you ever opened up your mailbox one day to find a huge bill for some medical procedure you had months ago? You probably thought your insurance covered the cost, yet here you are with a payment due.
According to a report by Consumers Union, almost one-third of Americans with private insurance received a surprise medical bill within the last couple years. To avoid this unpleasant surprise, make sure you are fully aware of how your health care expenses work under your insurance plan and whether you need a Medicare Supplement Insurance policy to cover some of the extra medical costs. Here are some important things to keep in mind before going in for surgery or another medical procedure.
Know exactly what is covered.
Sometimes a surprise bill is only a surprise because of your lack of knowledge. To avoid this hiccup, carefully read through the details of your insurance policy — paying special attention to the parts related to health care expenses — when you sign up and again before having a procedure. If you are unsure whether or not your surgery or procedure is covered, call your insurer to clarify. If you are among the two in five Americans under 65 who have health insurance through their employer, you can also talk about your policy with an HR representative from your company.
Find out the names of all care providers ahead of time.
Before going in for any type of procedure, surgery, or treatment, you must have a solid understanding of what is involved and who will be providing your care. Make sure you write down the names of every single healthcare professional who will be working with you and verify that they are in-network. This is important when you are undergoing a surgery or delivering a baby at an in-network hospital, because the anesthesiologist who works with you may not be compliant with your specific health insurance policy. In situations like this, you may receive a surprise bill because one of your care providers was not covered by your insurance policy.
Talk to your insurer.
Sometimes health insurance policies and provider networks change. Make sure to call your insurer to verify that the healthcare providers you plan to see are still in-network. Getting some extra coverage like a Medicare Supplement Insurance policy could also be a solution in certain cases.
Request an estimate in advance.
It is not unreasonable to ask for an estimate of the total cost of your procedure in advance. While the hospital may not be able to give you a perfectly accurate estimate, it is good to know a price range so that if the bill comes back and it’s totally off the mark, you have a number to refer to.
Know your state’s regulations.
While federal law does not protect you from surprise billing, some states do. Look for specific state healthcare policies that can help you out in this kind of sticky situation.
Managing health care expenses can be confusing. The last thing you want while recovering from a major surgery is to be slapped with a big, unexpected bill. Ultimately, the better informed you are going into a procedure, the less likely a surprise will be.
