Having medical insurance coverage - What should you do now?

• What can you do?

Free prophylactic is part of your coverage. The new law was written exactly with preliminary care in mind.

• Where to do it?

In your insurance’s provider network for less out of pocket expense. Register on the insurance company’s web site> Search for medical providers>Call the insurance company to verify>Call to schedule appointment for first doctor’s visit>When at appointment, inform them why you are there: Free prophylactic exams

• What if it appears that I have medical issues and need more medical tests and care?

 Discuss your situation with the insurance agent, following with insurance company; involve your doctor and hospital. You should comprehend the information given to you and make informed decisions. Many factors will play role.

• What else I can do?

While still healthy, purchase disability insurance, life insurance and supplemental insurance if you don’t have a large amount of cash $$$. These policies have a great potential to add cash to your pocket when you are on medical leave, or in a critical medical situation.

• Doesn’t it cost a lot?

When planned and done on time, it doesn’t.

When approached at time of need, it may be unavailable.

Data Brief: 2016 Median Marketplace Deductible $850, with Seven Health Services Covered Before the Deductible on Average

In the more than six years since the enactment of the Affordable Care Act, our country has made tremendous progress in improving access to health coverage and health care. The data show this: 20 million people have health coverage thanks to the Affordable Care Act, and for the first time in our nation’s history, the uninsured rate last year fell below 10 percent.

Part of this success is thanks to the Health Insurance Marketplace, where 11.1 million individuals had coverage as of March 2016. This issue brief provides new information about the coverage selected by Marketplace consumers in states using the HealthCare.gov platform for the 2016 coverage year. Specifically, the data show:

• The median individual deductible for HealthCare.gov Marketplace policies in 2016 is $850, down from $900 in 2015. Importantly, these figures account for the fact that many consumers qualify for financial assistance that lowers their deductibles based on their income. As with Marketplace premiums, many consumers’ deductibles are well below the deductible that would apply without financial assistance, so ignoring financial assistance gives a misleading picture of what consumers actually pay.¹

• On average, Healthcare.gov Marketplace policies cover seven common health care services (most often generic drugs and primary care visits), in addition to preventive services, with no or low cost-sharing before consumers meet their deductibles. This means that even accurately-measured deductibles present an incomplete picture of consumers’ actual cost-sharing obligations, since deductibles do not apply to most consumers’ most frequent  health care needs.

•  Click on the graph to go to the direct source.