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By Terence G. Brady
Brady Chiropractic 

Choosing Your Insurance: Open Enrollment

Dr Brady the 'Spine Guy'

 


Every year around this time of year you get to choose your next years’ insurance carrier during what is called “Open Enrollment”. Why you can’t change your insurance coverage any time you want is beyond me, but that is another story. You get about four weeks to make up your mind and make a decision. Talk about stress. You have to do your research, make your decision and then live with it the rest of the year. I think that the whole scenario is to make it convenient for the insurance companies. They must be too busy counting their money the rest of the year.

You have most likely seen advertising in the newspapers and on TV telling you how great this or that insurance company’s program is and why you should buy into it. My advice to all is to do your research and know what you are buying. Not all the sales people give you all the details of their plans, so you have to dig deep and find the details yourself. All plans have some good points and some not so good points. You have to find the best fit for you and your family. Make sure that the plan you choose includes the primary doctor you want to see and also check if the specialists you could be referred to are also on the list for that plan. As a general observation over the last few years, the more expensive the premium, with lower deductibles, the more choices you have and conversely, the less expensive the premium, with higher deductibles, the less choices you have. Pick the plan that suits you best.

As a chiropractor, I am asked which are best and which ones cover chiropractic. Most chiropractic coverage is fairly limited. Sometimes it’s as little as 12 visits per year with no coverage for anything other than an office visit. If you as the buyer want to lower your premium by increasing your deductible you may find that your chiropractic coverage in now non-existent. Even though you are told that there is coverage you would be paying for something you would never recoup. It would be less expensive to drop the chiropractic coverage and pay cash. There are also some plans that have very good chiropractic coverage.

If you have become eligible for Medicare and are considering a “Senior Advantage Plan” you have to realize that when you do that you are no longer covered under Medicare. I have had patients come to my office very confused as to who is going to cover their treatment. It is not uncommon for people of my age to be confused by the complexities of the insurance industry. It is a very cutthroat industry and sometimes the primary goal is to sell the product. Don’t forget, you are stuck with your decision for the rest of the year. Good or bad.

While I cannot and do not endorse any particular company, some of the companies that do offer chiropractic coverage are: Blue Shield, Anthem Blue Cross, Medicare, Kaiser, United Health Care, Cigna, Aetna and Health Net.

If you are one of those confused people, come in for a free consultation to discuss whether or not your plan covers chiropractic.

 
 

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