health plan benefits Archives

How Your Health Plan Might Cover A Hot Tub, And More Amazing Benefits!

Health insurance is just one of those things you need in life – after all, you want to stay as healthy as possible, without going broke. Let’s face it: going to the doctor can be pricey, and let’s not even get into how much it would cost if you had an emergency without having health insurance! But if you think that your healthcare plan is just there to keep you from spending an arm and a leg on medical care, you might want to consider how you can get more bang for your buck. Some health insurance companies offer extra benefits that many people don’t even know about – for example, want a hot tub for your bad joints? It might be covered! With the help of an EZ agent, you can find a plan with great extra benefits, like the following.

Massages

Got chronic back pain? Neck pain? Well, you’re in luck: some health insurance companies consider massages a form of physical therapy, and so will cover them in some of their plans. That means, if you have been diagnosed with a chronic condition, whether due to an accident, or just wear and tear on your body, you could get massages covered by certain health insurance plans with a referral from your doctor (although some plans will not even require one).

Hot Tubs

What’s better than a massage? A hot tub you can get into whenever you need to to relieve your aching muscles, of course. It might sound crazy, but some health insurance companies will actually cover a hot tub! You will need to have a medical requirement for one, such as a spinal issue, or another chronic condition, and a prescription from your doctor, which would mean that your hot tub would be considered Durable Medical Equipment. So if you want your hot tub covered, be prepared to produce all the relevant medical documentation required, such as MRI’s, and any other tests that prove you have a medical condition.

Gym Memberships

Did you know that health insurance companies will pay either all or part of your gym membership? They want you to stay as healthy as possible, so to them, a gym membership is an investment in you, and a way to keep your medical expenses in check. Insurance companies usually work with specific gyms in your area, so be sure to find out which ones they will cover. Hey, free is free, and if it’s a discounted membership, it’s still a win!

Baby Formula

If you’re formula-feeding your baby, you know just how expensive that formula is. It can add up to a big monthly expense, but fortunately, formula is one of those surprising things that is covered by some health insurance plans. If your plan covers it, you can continue to purchase your formula as usual, and get reimbursed by your health insurance company, so remember to save all of your receipts. If this interests you, contact an EZ agent, who can compare all available plans and find one that covers baby formula.

The best way to find out if any of these benefits are offered in your plan is to call your insurance company and ask them, but if you are shopping for a plan and are interested in any of these benefits, your best bet is to speak to a licensed EZ agent. Our agents work with the top-rated insurance companies in the nation, so we can compare plans in minutes. We will not only find a plan that has all the benefits you are looking for, but we will also make sure the plan meets your financial needs. To get free instant quotes, simply enter your zip code in the bar above, or to speak to a local agent, call 888-350-1890. No obligation.

Renewing Your Health Insurance? Here Are Some Helpful Tips

It’s easy to simply purchase a health insurance plan, get comfortable with it, and not review it at the end of your year-long policy period. But if you automatically renew your plan and don’t look at other options, you could be missing out on savings, or a plan that provides more coverage. When you receive a “renewal notice” from your health insurance company, you should read through it carefully in order to decide if your current plan is still right for you.

It can be stressful to research and compare plans, which is why EZ.Insure was created. We want the best for our customers, so we provide you with a dedicated EZ.Insure agent who will go over your current plan, its price, and its coverage. We’ll then compare it to all other plans in your area so you can decide whether you should sign up for a better plan or renew your current one.

november 1st on a calendar in red with a red thumbtack on it — *You can renew your health insurance plan, or change it, during open enrollment Nov 1-Dec 15.*

When Can You Renew?

In general, you can only renew your health insurance plan during Open Enrollment. But if you have employer-based insurance, then your enrollment period might be at a different time, so make sure to check with your employer. Open Enrollment is November 1st through December 15th.

There are two ways that you can renew a plan:

Active renewal – you personally cancel the policy that you had and pick a new one.
Passive renewal – your health insurance company automatically re-enrolls you into the same plan for the coming year.

What You Need To Review

When you receive a renewal notice, you should go over the following things to make sure that your plan still suits your needs:

Premium– Your monthly payment for your health insurance plan.
Deductible– The amount you pay before your health insurance company starts paying for services.
Copay- how much you pay for each doctor visit, hospital visit, prescription medication, and specialist visit.
Coinsurance– the percentage of costs you have to pay after meeting your deductible.
Out-of-pocket maximum– The maximum amount of money you will have to pay out-of-pocket for covered healthcare services in a given year.
Your Current Network- the doctors, pharmacies, and specialists that are covered by your plan
Some health plans will offer a gym membership stipend.

Other Benefits To Review

Check to see if other benefits have been added to your plan, if benefits that you want are not covered, or if other plans might have benefits that you want included for free. Some of the benefits to look for include:

Gym discounts
Covered annual physical exam
Weight loss programs
Discounts on glasses and contact lenses

Change In Status

When deciding whether to renew your plan or find a new one, you should also consider whether you’ve had a change in income, or if your family has grown or has become smaller. Adding or removing dependents can change the cost of your plan and its coverage, so you might find that your current plan is more expensive, or that it is going to provide less coverage.

Although it is easy to sit back and let your health insurance plan renew, you should take a closer look at your plan and how it will change in the coming year. You don’t want any surprises, like to find out that your doctor is no longer in your network, you have less coverage, or your deductible went up, etc. Any of those things could end up costing you a lot of money.

If it feels like a lot of work to go over your current plan and research new ones, don’t worry: EZ will help you. We will compare all of the plans available to you, as well as go over all of your financial and medical needs. We’ll make sure that your current plan has the coverage you need, and if it doesn’t, we’ll find you a great new one! If you allow us to help you, you could end up saving hundreds of dollars a year. And remember, our services are always provided at no cost to you. To start comparing quotes, simply enter your zip code in the bar above or to speak directly to one of our agents call 888-350-1890.