One of the benefits of working for another company is that they will often provide health insurance as well as other benefits. But what if you work for a company that doesn’t provide health insurance, or you have your own business? Health insurance is important for most people to have, especially if you have medical problems that require frequent doctor visits and/or medication. And now Obamacare has made it mandatory for everyone to have health insurance. So how do you go about finding health insurance if you work from home?
First, there are a few things you need to consider when you’re looking into health insurance options. What type of policy do you want, an HMO or a PPO? Health maintenance organizations, or HMOs, require that you select a primary care physician who is responsible for making most or all of your health care decisions. And the primary care physician you choose needs to be in the HMO’s network in order for your health care to be covered. If you need a special test, like an X-ray, or you need to see a specialist, your primary care physician will have to provide you with a referral. If the place your primary care physician refers you to is outside of your HMO’s network, you’ll most likely have to pay for most or all of the costs.
Preferred provider organizations, or PPOs, are a little different. They have contracts with different providers that you can choose from. You do not need to select a primary care physician, and you don’t need a referral to see other providers in the network. If you receive your care from a doctor in the network, you will only be responsible for your annual deductible and a copay for your visit. If you go outside of the network, you will have to pay more, and you’ll need to pay the doctor directly and file a claim with the PPO to get reimbursed.
Something else you need to consider is how often do you go to the doctor? If you’re a relatively healthy person, you may only go to the doctor once a year for your annual check-up. But if you have health problems that require frequent doctor visits, you’ll definitely want to have some type of health insurance. Also, some health insurance providers won’t accept pre-existing conditions, so if you have a pre-existing condition you’ll have to make sure you find a health insurance provider that accepts pre-existing conditions. Also, you’ll need to look at the co-pays and deductibles – a higher deductible will cost less, but you need to make sure you can reasonably afford it if something happened.
When you’re looking into health insurance options, it’s often a good idea to use a broker, because they understand the health insurance options, and they can help you get the best coverage at the best price.
I hope this post has provided you with a basic understanding of the things you need to consider when looking into health insurance when you work from home. In the next post, I’ll discuss some health insurance options for people who work from home.
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