New York Health Insurance
The threat of serious illness or injury has become potentially devastating
for thousands of New York residents who have no health or medical insurance.
If you are desperately searching for affordable New York health insurance as
prices continue to climb, you have come to the right place! With just a little
information, InsureMe can match you up with local agents who are ready to
compete for your business.
Act today and let InsureMe come to your rescue. Your health and
welfare depend on it!
Finding New York Health Insurance
There are two ways to get New York health and medical insurance: by
purchasing a group plan or an individual plan. Group plans
typically offer health insurance through your employer, whereas individual plans
are purchased on your own from an independent agent or company.
Understanding Your Options
Your choice of New York health insurance policies typically include:
- Fee-for-service plans: often called traditional or
indemnity health insurance
- Managed-care plans: include Health Maintenance
Organizations (HMOs), Preferred Provider Organizations (PPOs), and
Point-of-Service plans (POS)
Differences
If you buy a fee-for-service plan, you and your New York
health insurance company each pay for part of your health care costs. You pay
only your deductible when visiting your doctor, and later pay either a copayment
or coinsurance in the amount of 20-30 percent of your total medical costs. Your
insurance company reimburses you a predetermined, allowable amount for each
health care service. Your choice of doctors and hospitals is unlimited, and no
referrals are necessary.
In contrast, if you buy a managed-care plan, no deductible
is usually required—but you must use a doctor or hospital within a predetermined
network of providers. You must enroll in this type of plan in order to
participate, and you are responsible for a periodic, fixed fee. Health care
services are billed at negotiated rates in this type of plan. If you choose to
go outside the contracted network of New York health insurance providers,
services may not be covered, or may be covered at reduced rates.
Choosing a Health Insurer
If you decide to purchase your own New York health insurance plan, follow
this process to weed through your options and choose the best company or
agent:
Step 1: Determine the type of health coverage that best fits your
needs and budget. Analyze your lifestyle, present health insurance
needs and ability to pay.
Step 2: Compare costs. Examine necessary monthly premiums,
deductibles, coinsurance amounts and copayments.
Step 3: Look for the benefits you need. Investigate to see
which health insurance provider offers the medical services you deem most
necessary.
Step 4: Check to see if the doctors you prefer are listed as
in-network health insurance providers (if considering a managed-care
plan).
Step 5: Consult an independent rating firm (such as A.M. Best or
Weiss Ratings, Inc) to see which New York health insurance companies
have the best customer satisfaction and performance ratings.
Step 6: Eliminate health insurance companies that do not meet your
requirements, and choose the insurer that performs best on the features most
important to you.
Knowing Your Rights
As a New York health insurance consumer, you have the right to basic
information about the health care plan you choose, including whether or
not you must get prior authorization before receiving medical treatment; what
you must do to get a specialist referral; how much copay you must pay, both in
and out of network; how you can protect the confidentiality of your medical
records; and what you must do to file a complaint.
You also have the right to receive prompt, quality health care from
your New York health insurance provider, meaning 24-hour access to
emergency services; ongoing specialist referrals; claims payments within 45
days; and an adequate network of health care providers.
Finally, you have the right to file a grievance with the New
York State Insurance Department if you are denied a referral or coverage, or if
you have a complaint. You may reach them at 800-342-3736, or online at
www.ins.state.ny.us.
Finding Special Assistance
The state of New York has designed three health insurance programs especially
for uninsured New Yorkers and their families. If your family has special needs,
consider:
The Healthy NY Plan—a unique program offering New York
health insurance to uninsured workers and small employers
Child Health Plus—a plan for children under 19
Family Health Plus—coverage for uninsured adults from 19 to
64 who earn too much to qualify for Medicaid
Act Now!
Now that you have the knowledge you need, submit your information to InsureMe
for timely, quality New York health insurance quotes. We'll give you up to five
to choose from, so you'll never have to wonder if you made the right choice.
All it takes is a moment. Invest in your future today—and live healthy
tomorrow!