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For the first time, I applied for a healthcare plan. I lived without one for a while because I always thought that it would be unnecessary. I used to say, “I don’t even know if I’ll ever be able to use it. Then, I will have to renew the policy and pay the annual fee again. That’s a waste of money!”
Despite my initial dislike towards healthcare plans, my views changed one time my best friend and I decided to get an executive checkup together. We went to a hospital and got the necessary procedures, such as blood sampling, urinalysis, ECG, chest X-ray, etc. When it was time to pay, my best friend used his insurance and only needed to cough up 20 bucks. And what about me, you may ask?
A solid $200!
I wanted to blurt out that I didn’t wish to get a general checkup anymore, but all the procedures were already done. So, reluctantly, I handed over my credit card and got 200 bucks deducted from my account.
That experience made me realize, “Man, I should have gotten a healthcare plan when I had a chance!” Allow me to relay my train of thoughts back when I decided to sign up for one after that incident.
It Hurts To Pay Medical Bills Straight From Your Pocket
It cannot be further from the truth. As mentioned above, it is difficult to accept that you need to pay a couple of hundred dollars to get your blood and urine tested and ask someone to take a photo of your internal organs. Granted, those people who did that have a medical license, but you may still feel upset about paying that much.
We cannot change the system, but you don’t need to cough up a lot of money if you have insurance to back you up. From what I heard, visits to specialists cost around 20-25 dollars only with an HMO. If you go to a general practitioner, you may not even have to pay anything upfront.
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You Can Worry About The Prescription Only
Insurance companies offer various healthcare plans. The higher the policy is, the more inclusions you will see them cover. Some will only pay for doctor’s appointments and hospitalization; others will provide prescription medicine.
The thing is, HMOs usually have a set list of drugs that they can cover. Your prescription, therefore, may or may not be handled by them. But even if they can’t, you know, that’s okay. Paying for medical bills is already a huge help. People can buy their own medicine, especially if it’s for mild cases like flu or diarrhea.
It Is Useful During Medical Emergencies
Healthcare plans are also helpful in times when you need to get hospitalized without warning. Accidents and illnesses like appendicitis are the types of emergencies that no one can prepare for. You will only know that you need medical assistance as soon as an unfortunate event happens.
When my best friend had to stay overnight in the hospital one time due to potential viral infection, he had to have a lot of tests done. Upon checking out the next day, he saw that his bill came up to $70,000. My best friend would have had to pay that if he didn’t have insurance. But because he was covered by it, the company merely needed to pay a tenth of the full amount while he was only asked for a miscellaneous fee.
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Final Thoughts
A healthcare plan is something that we never know when we will need. It’s great if you’ll never have to use it. In case you somehow need to, it will still be fantastic if you can use the benefits it comes with.
Considering you don’t have a policy yet, look for a reliable insurance company now!