The majority of health insurance companies have a contract with a network of hospitals and other providers. In this contract, there are negotiated rates for different services. This negotiated rate is generally lower and sometimes significantly lower than what a provider would charge someone who is paying out of pocket.
Your health insurance company’s formulary is a list of all the different drugs that their plans cover. Within the formulary, there are drug tiers. These tiers determine the level of coverage your prescription drug plan offers for a specific type of medication.
Whether you’ve had the same health insurance company for years or switched to a new health insurance company, the variance in cost is directly related to whether a healthcare provider is within your health insurance company’s network (if you have a PPO), if you have a deductible to satisfy first, or if you have a co-pay.
If you have recently signed up for dental insurance, you may notice that your plan has a waiting period. Understanding what services are covered right away and what services you must pay for entirely out of pocket can help you make informed decisions about getting necessary work done.
A drug formulary is a list of the prescription drugs that your health insurance company has agreed to cover so that when you fill your prescription, you don’t pay the full price of the medication. In most cases, formularies are comprised of drugs that are the safest, most effective, and most affordable.
A deductible is an amount you pay before the Insurance Company starts paying. Health insurance plans will have different deductibles. You’ll be expected to pay the whole medical bill out of your own pocket until you’ve paid your deductible.
Your out-of-pocket maximum is the most you’ll have to pay for covered services in a policy period (one year), each January 1st it starts over again, and that includes cost of medications too. After you reach this amount, your health insurance plan will pay 100%.
Generally speaking, the intended parents are responsible for covering pregnancy-related expenses, including complications that may arise over the course of the pregnancy and delivery. The standard way to control health care costs is to purchase health insurance for the woman acting as the gestational surrogate.
A prescription deductible is different and separate from the medical deductible, unless otherwise stated. One deductible is for medical, ie: hospitalization, doctors, etc., and the other deductible is for filling your prescriptions.
While MRIs are generally covered by health insurance, it is left to the discretion of your health insurance company to decide whether the test is medically necessary. If your provider determines that it is not, then you may pay for the procedure out-of-pocket.