Coinsurance is a fixed percentage that an insured person is expected to pay by an insurance policy after the deductible is complacent. Healthcare coinsurance facilitates sharing the percentage of your health care bill payment with your health insurer. Its provisions are slightly similar to copay payment provisions, and hence the latter is often mistaken for the former and vice versa.
There are multiple health insurance policies to choose from that offer a coinsurance option. Before you induct coinsurance into your health policy, it would be proper to know precisely what it is and how it works. When it comes to coinsurance, you will always be accountable for paying your percentage of the cost for receiving health care services such as tests, doctor’s appointments, individual drug prescriptions, or hospitalization.
How Does Coinsurance Work
The most popular coinsurance plans offer an 80/20 percent split. Your insurer is responsible for 80% in such a coinsurance plan while you are left to cater for the remaining 20%. Every insurance policy comprises an out-of-pocket deductible amount used to determine the maximum amount payable by the insured in a specific time frame.
For some insurance plans, coinsurance may be as much as 50%. If you have a catastrophic health plan or a high deductible, your coinsurance might go as high as 100% until you can attain the entire amount of your deductible.
In an instance where you have various plans to choose from, your premium will differ according to factors such as; deductible, copay, and coinsurance. This means that your monthly premiums should be less expensive when the percentage you are required to pay for your health care services is high. Upon reaching your deductible, you might lack further responsibility for the rest of the term of your coinsurance policy.
How Does Coinsurance Differ From Other Healthcare Costs
Other than coinsurance, there are other costs to incur for your health care coverage. Therefore, it is vital to know the difference. These costs are elaborated below:
- Copay: Copay is a predetermined amount of money that is paid for medical care and visits at the time the service is being administered
- Deductible: Like copay, a deductible is also a predetermined rate that you should pay for your health care services. The only difference is that it is paid before your health insurance can begin to cover your medical bills
- Out-of-pocket maximum: This is the most amount of money you can pay for your health care annually from your pocket before your insurance can cover 100% of the cost
- Premium: A health insurance premium is an amount that you pay to get health insurance coverage. On the occasion that you are under employer-sponsored health insurance, you can propose that your premium be deducted from your salary without it being considered as taxable income
Why is Getting Healthcare Coinsurance Important
Prevents Illnesses
Getting a coinsurance for your health insurance policy helps you avoid getting ill in the first place. This is because it makes it easier to find and pay for preventive health care measures like:
- Screenings and scans
- Vaccinations
- Lab work and blood tests
- Annual checkups
These healthcare measures help you; detect, diagnose, cure and even prevent illnesses that you might have before your condition gets critical. Besides, healthcare coinsurance covers costs of chronic conditions such as; depression, diabetes, and heart diseases. This is possible because health insurers offer disease management programs for a variety of conditions.
Acts As a Safety Net
Coinsurance is considered a safety net because if you get injured or unexpectedly sick, it will help you cover costs that you might not have been able to pay off without a healthcare insurance policy. Extensive health care is costly, and this makes it an immense financial burden. Costs for; emergency care, scans, lab work, surgery, prescription drugs, and examinations can add up quickly and weigh you down financially just as fast.
Make It Count
Facing medical bills that you don’t have a way of paying from your hospital bed can be frustrating and might even add to your illness. A good coinsurance policy to suit your health care needs will take the load off. Consider healthcare coinsurance today.
