Health insurance companies should care about your health, but they are still a business dependent upon money to survive. It seems that the money part of the business is consuming health insurance companies, and slowly replacing morals and responsibility. These companies are quickly becoming so obsessed with making as much money as possible that they are ripping people off left and right.
The most common way that health insurance companies rip you off is by not covering what they call pre-conditions. These pre-conditions include any illness or health concerns that you had prior to the time you were covered. A great example is fibromyalgia, or even cancer. Since these conditions are long term and usually were diagnosed prior to coverage, any appointments made in connection with these conditions are not covered. Only new conditions that arise during the time of coverage are paid for by the plan.
Health insurance companies also rip you off by not covering prescription medications. Many of these companies cover everything at first, and then change your plan during the renewal process. They try to push you into the change by reminding you that plans that do not cover prescription medications are often cheaper than plans that do.
Premiums and deductibles have been steadily increasing, and many insurance companies don’t tell their clients that this will be happening when they originally sign. Once again, the time for renewal is when you really get ripped off.
Another way that they scam you is by claiming that they have reduced their rates and discount doctor visits, dental exams, and prescription drugs. After all these claims, the companies rarely back them up when it come time to do so.
Some insurance companies insist that several doctors and healthcare professionals accept their policies. When it comes down to it, they are actually accepted only by a few healthcare providers. It is important to get a list of doctors that accept the insurance before buying.
There are a few steps that you can take to ensure that health insurance companies don’t rip you off. One way is to speak to someone who is already insured by the company, and another is to research online. It is also important to get everything in writing, and read all contracts carefully. The fine print is usually where they can really get you. There are usually agencies and lawyers that will do free consultations to go over the contract with you. Also, be careful when it comes to renewal time. When a plan is renewed it can be changed and manipulated.