1. There are many kinds of private health insurance policies. Different kinds of policies can offer very different kinds of benefits, and some can limit which doctors, hospitals, or other providers you can use.
2. You may have to pay coinsurance or a co-payment as your share of the cost when you get a medical service, like a doctor’s visit, hospital outpatient visit, or a prescription. Coinsurance is usually a percentage amount (for example, 20% of the total cost). A co-payment is usually a set dollar amount (for example, you might pay $10 or $20 for a prescription or doctor’s visit).
3. You may have to pay a deductible each plan year before your insurance starts to pay. For example, let’s say you have a $200 deductible. You go to the doctor and the total cost is $250. You pay the first $200 to cover the deductible, and then your insurance starts to pay its share.
4. Health insurance plans contract with networks of hospitals, doctors, pharmacies, and health care providers to take care of people in the plan. Depending on the type of policy you buy, your plan may only pay for your care when you get it from a provider in the plan’s network, or you may have to pay a bigger share of the bill.
5. You may see products that look and sound like health insurance, but don’t give you the same protection as full health insurance. Some examples are policies that only cover in an accident, or plans that offer you discounts on health services. Don’t mistake insurance-like products for full comprehensive insurance protection. Full health insurance usually covers most medical problems.
Get more information about how insurance works at www.HealthCare.gov
