What is the best health insurance in Texas for your needs? There are certain common mistakes to avoid during the open enrollment period, and a broker helps find the best plan for you and your family while avoiding those frequent mistakes. A broker’s primary focus is your priorities and needs.
We are all individual people, and we all have individual wants and needs for our health insurance options. No single health insurance plan will benefit everyone because we all have specific preferences about upfront costs and costs incurred throughout the year. Other factors to consider are convenience, coverage amount and coverage duration.
What is the best health insurance in Texas?
The answer to this question depends on who you are and what your current situation looks like. What should you look for when selecting a health insurance plan for yourself or your family? Consider these factors when looking for health insurance in Texas.
Cost
Health insurance plans incur two primary types of costs: premiums and deductibles.
- Premium — Your premium is the amount you pay each month for your insurance. Premiums tend to be higher for low-deductible plans and lower for high-deductible plans.
- Deductible — A deductible is an amount that the patient is responsible for paying or that the insurance does not cover. Usually, this is a cost split on each procedure or doctor’s visit up to a certain dollar amount. For example, many insurance policies break this cost into a percentage split such as 80/20. The insurance pays 80% of the cost, and you pay the other 20% until you have paid the predetermined deductible. After that, the insurance company will pick up 100%.
How do you decide which cost type to prioritize when choosing a plan? Consider these suggestions:
- If you have money put aside for medical emergencies and can afford to pay a high deductible before the insurance company covers more services for you, get a higher deductible plan with a lower monthly premium.
- If you don’t use medical services often, you may prefer a high-deductible plan. The benefits outweigh the risks; if you are a healthy person, choose a plan with a high deductible and a lower monthly premium.
Convenience
When choosing a plan, it is essential to choose one that will be convenient to use. Therefore, be sure to ask these questions when making your selection:
- What specific providers are available on your plan? For example, is your primary care physician on the plan, or will you need to switch providers? Find out which providers are available to you on different plans, since this may influence your decision to choose a plan if you are not willing to switch providers.
- What specialists are available under the plan? Providers can work in many different specialties. Each specialist treats a different condition, so if you see multiple specialists, you will need to make sure each is available to you under your health insurance plan.
Coverage
What services are covered under each plan? If you see certain specialists, make sure your insurance covers the testing they do to avoid paying outright for the service. Talk to your provider to see what yearly tests and preventative tests they may want to order. If they can tell you ahead of time, you can pick a plan with the proper coverage.
Preexisting conditions cannot exclude you from getting coverage, and you cannot be charged higher premiums due to a preexisting condition. There are rules in place to protect you from being overcharged for health insurance.
There are many types of insurance available for various durations. Short-term health insurance in Texas can last anywhere from one to 36 months and can be specialized for your needs and conditions, no matter what they are. Many preventative tests are flexible timewise, and if you are on short-term health insurance, you may be able to delay some tests, like a routine colonoscopy.
Who can help you choose coverage?
What is the best health insurance in Texas for you? If you are searching for health insurance in Texas, a broker can help you narrow down choices to fit your specific needs and situation. First, you need to ensure that you have coverage and that the health insurance plan you pick will work for you. Custom Health Plans can help. If you would like to learn more about these options, contact us.