Options for Health Insurance | Pennsylvania
Health insurance isn’t cheap, but going without it can cost you even more. In fact, premiums have risen slightly every year for the past six years, according to a 2017 Employer Health Benefits Survey by Kaiser Family Foundation/Health Research & Educational Trust. If you’re in good health and don’t have anyone depending on you like a spouse or children, you may be tempted to forgo the cost of buying health insurance. But not having health insurance can cost you far more in the long run than the cost of paying premiums. Without health insurance, you likely would be responsible for paying all costs if you get sick or injured.
What health insurance typically covers
Whether you’re relatively healthy or chronically ill, health insurance can provide the financial protection you need for both routine and unexpected healthcare needs. Here are just a few benefits to consider:
- Health insurance typically covers preventive health services to keep you healthy and screen for potential health issues that could cause problems later on.
- Health insurance typically covers other essential health benefits like emergency services, prescription drugs and diagnostic testing.
What are your health insurance options
- Major Medical Insurance - The Affordable Care Act established the Healthcare Marketplace, where all plans cover the 10 essential health benefits. The cost of these plans depends principally on your income. And, these plans come with deductibles and fixed copays.
- Short Term Medical Plans - Outside of open enrollment, Major Medical Insurance is only available to people with a qualifying life event. For everyone else outside of open enrollment, insurance companies offer Short Term Medical (STM) plans. STM plans may not cover pre-existing conditions or pregnancy, but they are more affordable than Major Medical, and satisfy many non-government requirements for insurance. Read here for a longer comparison between STM and Major Medical Plans.
- Fixed Indemnity Insurance - Fixed indemnity plans provide fixed cash benefits for covered medical care. They are labeled as Supplemental Health Insurance because they help cover out-of-pocket costs for medical expenses they expect to incur during the year while you are paying the deductible on your Major Medical Plan. When used alone, they can cover the cost of doctor visits, routine care, and prescriptions, and they are less expensive than Major Medical and STM plans.
- Critical Illness Insurance - Critical Illness plans provide large lump-sum cash benefits for individuals if they become diagnosed with a heart attack, stroke, or cancer. The benefits can offset the expensive medical care for those covered illnesses.
- Accident Insurance - For healthy individuals, the primary threat of sudden high medical bills comes from a massive injury or accident. Accident insurance protects specifically against that, with lump-sum cash benefits for qualifying injuries, including loss of a limb or physical mobility.
We Can Help with All Off-Marketplace Options
We offer affordable health insurance in Reading, and elsewhere, on America's largest PPO network - the Multiplan PPO Network, a network that has led the way in:
- Extending network access for its highly mobile membership
- Containing out-of-network medical cost
- Preserving its relationships and reputation with the local provider community
Multiplan has strengthened its bill review and network services by:
- Using analytics tuned to find wasteful or abusive medical billing practices not identifiable by more automated bill review programs
- Implementing resolution strategies appropriate for the severity of issues and nature of the provider relationships
