Many consumers are opting for a more aggressive approach to health insurance

Health insurance for over 50

Health insurance

Being persistent might pay off when getting your insurance company to pay more but always make certain you have the coverage you need first.

Though the rising cost of health insurance over the years seems to be inevitable as the price of medical care increases, some consumers are taking matters into their own hands to try to keep their out of pocket payments as low as possible.

This is occurring in the form of a push to insurers by policyholders to pay more for physical therapy.

As a whole, the population is aging. With age, come many different problems – typically minor (at least to start) – but still requiring treatment. Data from the National Center for Health Statistics has shown that among individuals between the ages of 45 and 64, over 40 percent have experienced joint pain within the last month, and within the last three months, one third of them have experienced lower back pain.

Doctors often recommend that individuals suffering musculoskeletal aches receive physical therapy.

Though this can be very effective, the bill can become quite high when heading to these therapies twice to three times per back ache, or two times a week for several months after various types of surgery – for example, to a rotator cuff.

The co-payments for in-network physical therapy will usually be around $160 to $240 per month of bi-weekly treatment visits ($20 to $30 per visit). For sessions that run a full hour, individuals who have a high deductible health insurance plan will often find themselves spending $100 to $200 each time.

To help to keep this type of cost under control, speak to the insurer and see what you can negotiate. Some companies have been increasing their benefits for physical therapy as it can often help to minimize the need for surgery, which is far more expensive. In order to qualify for this type of additional coverage, it must be a treatment that came with a doctor’s recommendation.

Once you have that recommendation, contact your health insurance company and see if you can have it approved for coverage. Do this before you begin, as opposed to contacting them once you’ve already been receiving treatment for a while. Based on your condition, you may find that they are willing to offer a little more for a certain set number of visits, which could be as low as two or as high as a dozen or more. Supplemental coverage can also help to fill in the gap even further, to eliminate co-pays and deductibles altogether.

 

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