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: