10 Important Questions That You Have To Ask If Your Are Purchasing Health Insurance

If you are considering buying a health insurance plan the specific details of your plan are critical and there various questions which you should always ask. Merely looking at the premium you will have to pay is not enough and you need to look at various different things including any limitations, exclusions, additional fees and payment requirements, restrictions on where treatment can be done and several other things.Here are a few important questions which you should always ask whenever you are buying health insurance:1. What out-of-pocket expenses and deductibles will I need to pay? Your premiums are merely a starting point and most plans will require you to cover your bills up to a certain amount before your plan kicks in. Thereafter, you will normally also be required to make a payment towards the cost of each medical bill.2. Does the plan cover medical exams and health screenings? Look carefully to see whether your plan covers you for routine medical exams including things like mammograms, breast exams and pap smears for women.3. How are specialist care treatments and referrals dealt with? Examine the procedures to be followed if you need to be referred for specialist treatment and whether there are any special rules for meeting the cost of special care treatment.4. What level of cover is provided for emergency care and hospitalization? {Take a good look to see if you will need prior approval for emergency or hospital treatment. It may seem strange but a lot of policies will not permit you to ask for emergency treatment without the prior approval of a specified physician.5. What cover is provided for prescription medicines? A lot of plans will limit the medications which can be prescribed often specifying that a list of generic drugs rather than brand name drugs must be prescribed. You also need to look very carefully at the percentage of any cost which you will be required to meet for medicines.6. Is cover for vision and dental care provided? Many plans do not provide cover for vision and dental care at all while some limit treatment to only routine annual dental and eye checkups.7. Is psychiatry, psychotherapy and other mental health care cover provided? Not all plans will cover these areas and where cover is provided you need to look very carefully at exactly what level of cover is being offered.8. Is hospital, home and nursing home care covered? It is very important to look at the extent to which cover is provided for care in a nursing home, hospital or at home and whether there is a limit on any cover.9. Is rehabilitation and physiotherapy covered? Illness or accident often results in a need for physiotherapy or rehabilitation and so it is important to see the extent to which such treatment is covered.10. Is alternative care covered? As a growing number of people are choosing alternative treatments such as the use of acupuncture or holistic treatments you should check to see if these are covered if this is something which you wish to make use of.The premium which you will be paying for your health insurance plan is of course very important but you should remember that it is only one small element of the total package which you are buying.