Health insurance policies give me a headache. As my husband prepares to embark upon a new venture that means switching to a new insurance plan and dealing with all that fun stuff. I mean, didn’t we just go over health insurance plans at the beginning of the year when it was time to renew through his company already? Why do all the best days of the year (my birthday) take forever to arrive but the day you have to go over any changes to the annual health insurance policy happen every time you turn around? I’ll never know the answer to that.
I’ll be honest; I don’t understand half pretty much anything that my husband’s health insurance policy says. I mean, it’s boring and trivial and I always just hope for the best when we take one of the kids or ourselves to the doctor throughout the year when it’s time to find out if we owe anything. So far it’s worked out quite well for us. However, there are always surprises in any health insurance policy. It’s not fun to find them when it’s already too late, but sometimes you find out that things you didn’t know are covered are actually part of your policy.
Before you get too excited, understand that every insurance plan is different based on an expansive number of factors. I don’t know if your insurance covers any of this, covers more than this or covers less than this. This is just a guideline of things that your insurance might cover; check it out and then check out your policy to find out for certain. You can only benefit from this.
Alternative Payment Methods
This is not something that I know much about, to be quite honest. However, it appears that you can use your Flexible Spending Account (FSA) for things you might not necessarily believe are medically related, but they actually are. If your doctor recommends that you try something, take something, go somewhere or do something that he or she deems medically necessary, it might be something you can pay for from this account. It’s a nice benefit for anyone who uses an account of this nature. One thing you should understand, however, is that you might have to pay for services upfront when you do this and then submit a claim with your provider for reimbursement of the amount you paid for the service. Fortunately, these reimbursements are usually pretty quick and straightforward, and they are helpful in a number of different ways.
A Gym Membership
The gym is for good health, and good health is what your health insurance provider would like for you to have. The healthier you are, the less money they have to pay on your behalf. If you look closely, your health insurance plan might just cover the cost of your gym membership. Some health insurance policies reimburse their members for gym memberships while others just go free of charge no matter what. It is a nice addition to any health care plan, and we appreciate it.
A Personal Trainer
This is something that not everyone can have, but it does happen to be a part of some health insurance policies. If it’s part of yours, you might reap the benefits of paying for a personal trainer to help get you into shape so that you can be as healthy as possible for the rest of your life. Your health insurance provider wants you to be in shape. When you are in shape and working out, it means you are happier, healthier and you are less expensive to insure. Check with your provider to find out if you are one of the many people who do qualify for this type of health insurance benefit.
Massages
Who doesn’t love a great massage? I know that I do and if I can find that my health insurance policy covers massage therapy, you better believe it will make my day. There are many different stipulations and charges on this one, though. You can’t just call a spa day a medical necessity – as much as it really needs to be one – and get reimbursed from your health insurer. You have to meet certain requirements, have a certain plan and handle things accordingly. Your policy provider can tell you more about what is covered under your particular health insurance policy.
Acupuncture
If you have a condition that has been medically proven to benefit from acupuncture, your health insurance play might just cover that. Nausea related to pregnancy, vomiting from chemotherapy and even migraines all benefit from acupuncture and might just provide you with health care coverage for this particular medical practice if you look at your plan. Sometimes this requires a doctor’s referral, and sometimes you can just ask for it and it’s covered.
Photo by Getty Images
Comments
Loading…