Health Insurance Benefits

One thing that's important to understand when researching health insurance benefits is that each policy includes its own set. It's easy to make the mistake of assuming that features or health coverage exists when they don't. However, these types of assumptions not only are wrong, but they could one day leave you facing insurmountable medical bills.

The ideal personal or family health plan would pay for every health issue that may arise—pregnancy, blood transfusions, sick and well care, minor and major surgery, hospital stays, etc. But the truth is health insurance benefits typically are limited and they seldom will cover 100% of the costs, which is why it's so important to read the policy's fine print. You've got to know exactly what is and is not actually covered.

While health insurance benefits do vary from policy to policy, one thing that most health insurance companies are offering in their policies nowadays is something called preventative or 'well' care. Administrators realize that their overall medical costs can decrease significantly when those they cover seek routine medical treatment. Staying healthy by getting annual check-ups and regular immunization oftentimes helps prevent illnesses from developing in the first place. And identifying potential health issues early on, before they become difficult and expensive to treat is saving insurers money and saving lives.

Generally, the types of health insurance benefits that most policies cover in full or partially include: annual physical examinations, emergency/urgent care, laboratory work including blood testing and x-rays, prenatal care, well baby visits, an annual routine eye exam, and most care required while admitted into a hospital. Some plans even offer discounts on health club facilities and programs that help individuals stop smoking.

While health insurance benefits are sometimes difficult to determine, those responsible for putting policies together often do a great job delineating the types of medical treatments and services that are not covered. This is typically an alphabetical, detailed listing of everything that is not covered under a policy, from acupuncture to vision correction treatments such as Lasik and radial keratoplasty. When selecting a health plan, don't forget to carefully review this section.

Dental care and vision/eye care beyond an annual eye examination are usually not included in health care plans in the USA. Coverage for these types of services is instead typically offered as separate plans with separate benefits, separate premiums and separate deductibles. They'll typically have different forms to use and different procedures to follow.  Because of the soaring costs associated with prescription drugs, many insurers have eliminated this type of coverage from their health insurance benefits package. More and more, prescription drug plans are being offered separately in the same manner as dental and vision plans.

Finally, several states have developed unique state-mandated health insurance requirements for their residents. These are usually designed to be consumer-oriented to protect consumers from predatory practices. The requirements are not transferable from one state to another so when a person moves out of state, they lose them (or they gain them). That's why it's important to use your correct residential address to ensure that you receive the health insurance benefits you're entitled to.