FAQ
Health insurance can sometimes sound like a different language. These answers help.
Why do I need health insurance?
Life is unpredictable. No one plans a serious illness or accident, but a trip to the emergency room can cost you thousands. Even if you’re young and healthy, without health insurance, a broken bone can leave you with an empty wallet—or even worse, years of debt.
Having health insurance can protect you from the unexpected, so you can live life doing what you enjoy and not worrying about what might happen.
back to topWhat are preferred and non-preferred providers?
Health Alliance partners with certain doctors and hospitals to provide services to our members, and these are called preferred providers. We negotiate with these providers to get lower pricing on their services. When you see these doctors, we pass the savings on to you, and your out-of-pocket cost is less than if you use a provider who is non-preferred.
back to topWhat are copayments and coinsurance?
A copayment is a set fee you pay each time you receive a covered service. For example, if your copayment for office visits is $25, you’ll pay $25 each time you visit your doctor. We pay for the rest.
Coinsurance is a percentage of the cost you pay for a medical service. If your coinsurance for office visits is 10 percent, you’ll pay 10 percent of the cost for that visit, and My Health Alliance pays the rest.
back to topWhat’s a deductible?
A deductible is the amount you must pay before we begin paying for your medical services. Having a $250 deductible means you must pay $250 for services before we begin paying. With no deductible, we begin paying for covered services right away. (With a My Health Alliance plan, deductibles don’t apply for office visits and wellness services. We cover these essentials immediately.)
back to topWhat are out-of-pocket costs and maximums?
Out-of-pocket costs are what you pay for your medical care. Once your total out-of-pocket costs reach a certain amount (this is your out-of-pocket maximum) most copayments and coinsurance amounts are waived.
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