If something happens to your home that causes injury to an individual, your homeowner’s insurance can help protect your assets in the case a claim is filed against you.
What Is Major Medical Insurance?
Major medical insurance provides for regular and emergency medical needs; from regular doctor visits to hospital stays. There are several key terms that you should be familiar with when choosing an insurance policy.
PREMIUMS: Insurance premiums are the amount an individual pays for an insurance policy. The premium amount is influenced by several factors such as the medical condition of the insured, the deductible amount, the level of coverage, and total out-of-pocket amount.
DEDUCTIBLE: The deductible is the amount an individual pays out-of-pocket toward medical expenses before the insurance coverage begins in any given year. The lower the deductible amount, the higher the monthly premiums will be.
COVERAGE: The coverage is the percentage an insurance policy pays toward medical bills once the deductible has been met. For example, an insurance policy may cover 80% of medical expenses, leaving the individual responsible for only 20%. This is referred to as 80/20 coverage.
CO-PAY: The co-pay is the amount an individual pays upfront at a doctor’s visit, for prescriptions drugs, or for hospital stays.
COINSURANCE: This is the amount you pay after you have met your deductible. This is usually expressed as a percentage of the total medical bill. For example, you may pay 20% and the insurance pays 80%. Or if you pay 50%, the insurance pays the other 50%.
OUT-OF-POCKET COSTS: Out-of-pocket costs include all medical expenses paid by the individual. (Note: Some policies do not count co-pays toward the deductible.) The deductible is reached when out-of-pocket costs reach the specified amount, at which time the insurance begins to pay a percentage of the medical costs.
Most policies include an annual out-of-pocket limit. After the deductible has been met, the individual will continue to pay a percentage of the medical costs out-of-pocket until this limit is met. At that time the insurance policy will begin to cover 100% of medical expenses within any given year. When a new year begins, all out-of-pocket amounts begin again at zero.
To learn more about your health and medical insurance options, give Cornerstone Insurance Agency LLC a call at 502-785-9808. An experienced insurance agent will help you choose from a variety of policies. We represent a number of companies which offer products to meet the needs of most people.