Health Insurance Quotes in Stratford, CT

Compare Health Insurance in Stratford, CT

Health insurance is a form of insurance that covers the whole or a part of the costs incurred for an individual's medical care. This includes both medical and surgical expenses. There are a number of different types of health insurance policies to choose from, and depending on the coverage, an insured individual who has received medical care or services pays any out-of-pocket costs and gets reimbursed by their insurance company, or the provider is directly paid by the insurance company. MyRatePlan simplifies the process of comparing health insurance rate plans in Stratford, CT and lets you get a free quote online.

In Stratford, CT, health insurance can usually be obtained through private insurance or plans offered by employers. Low income individuals have access to healthcare through Medicaid. Insurance is also available to senior citizens through Medicare. Both Medicaid and Medicare are less costly than private insurance policies.

Health insurance in Stratford, CT can be obtained at various levels of coverage. The more inexpensive plans tend to be geared to catastrophic events, while higher cost plans could offer full coverage. Anticipation of healthcare needs tends to be a very important factor when it comes to choosing a health insurance plan.

Types of Health Insurance Policies in Stratford, CT

As has been stressed already, there are many different types of medical insurance policies that need to be compared in order to choose the best fit. All such policies do have the tendency to provide similar amounts of coverage. The biggest difference to be analyzed is the wide range of flexibility and accessibility of the policies available in Stratford, CT.

HMO (Health Maintenance Organization) policies come with the mandate that the insured party has a primary care provider. A primary care provider is the physician who is in charge of the patient's overall healthcare. For example, if a specialist is needed, the patient must first go his or her primary care provider to get a referral if the primary care provider agrees that such a specialist is good for the patient. These plans tend to have lower premiums than other medical insurance plans, but there is also quite often a limitation regarding the network of doctors that HMO insured patients can see. However, HMOs never have deductibles, and the out-of-pocket costs tend to be significantly less than those of other health insurance plans in Stratford, CT.

PPO (Preferred Provider Organization) plans tend to have exceedingly large networks of doctors available to patients. The insurance holder chooses any one of those doctors in the network as his or her primary care provider. Specialists can also be found within this network, meaning that no referral is required as is the case with HMO plans. As long as the patient chooses doctors and specialists within the network, the coverage will be very inclusive. On the other hand, coverage may be more limited, although not usually withheld, if it is necessary to seek medical care outside of the network of providers. Most PPO policies include deductibles, copayments, and annual limits to out-of-pocket spending.

POS (Point of Service) policies in Stratford, CT combine the benefits of both HMO and PPO plans. The network of doctors to choose from is sizable but not to the degree of PPOs. There are no deductibles, and copayments remain low so long as the care provider is within the network. On the other hand, deductibles and copayments are quite high if the insurance holder seeks care from a provider outside the network.

These first three types of medical insurance policies are the most common types of health insurance plans found in Stratford, CT. There are also some newer approaches to medical insurance that are now available and worth looking into. Among these are the HSA (Health Savings Account), the HRA (Health Reimbursement Arrangement), the FSA (Flexible Spending Account), and the MSA (Medical Savings Account). These are all accounts that rely on funds that the insured individual or employer has reserved in a tax-exempt savings account. All medical expenses, then, are taken out of such an account. It can be used for medical appointments, surgeries, prescription medications, and other treatments occasionally including over the counter medicines. Such plans tend to be highly flexible with regard to ways in which the money can be used. Some even allow for funds to roll over into the next year.

Breaking Down Health Insurance Costs in Stratford, CT

There are several potential costs with health insurance plans in Stratford, CT. The first is the premium, which is how much the individual pays every month for his coverage. It's essentially a monthly service fee, as the individual never gets this money back.

The deductible is the amount that the individual needs to pay for medical expenses first each year before the insurance provider starts paying its portion. There are also out-of-pocket costs, which are different than deductibles in that out-of-pocket costs are the amount an individual needs to spend each time before the provider pays 100-percent of the bill.

With most plans, the deductible and out-of-pocket costs reset at the beginning of the year, and expenses from the previous year don't factor in moving forward. For example, if an individual's plan has a $5,000 deductible and he paid $3,000 out of pocket one year, his out-of-pocket expenses will go back to $0 at the start of the year. There are plans in Stratford, CT that allow policyholders to roll over what they paid for their deductibles to the first quarter of a new year.

The co-pay is the amount the individual must pay each time he visits a healthcare facility. If his primary care physician co-pay is $20, he'll pay that every time he visits his doctor. His insurance provider covers the rest of the costs from the visit, provided any services he receives are covered on his plan. Co-pays don't count towards a plan's deductible.

Some insurance plans have maximum lifetime benefits, which are the maximum amount that the provider will pay for the individual's healthcare. If the provider reaches this maximum, it won't pay any further for the policyholder's claims.

A major factor in health insurance plan options in Stratford, CT is the individual's employment status. Large companies usually have group health insurance plans with lower rates than employees would get purchasing individual healthcare. However, the law doesn't require employees to participate in these plans.

Individuals who are self-employed, such as freelancers and business owners, and those who are unemployed can purchase private, individual insurance coverage. Senior citizens are eligible for financial assistance from the government by getting Medicare. Those who are in low-income brackets can also apply for government assistance through the Medicaid program.

If an individual has a specific doctor he likes, he needs to check the health insurance policies in Stratford, CT that will allow him to keep seeing that doctor. It's also important that he informs his doctor if his plan changes, and that he contacts his provider if he has specific coverage questions.

Get a Quote for Health Insurance in Stratford, CT

One of the best things a person can do for themselves or their family is to make certain they have access to a health insurance plan in Stratford, CT. Life brings on so many ups and downs in regards to health, and these items can affect not only the plan options available but what rates are being applied. Looking forward to all of the aspects of life that can make certain that the right plan is chosen. For example, if a woman plans on having a baby in the future, she needs to make certain that her plan offers maternity coverage and that a new family member can be added to the plan. It is important to note that eliminating coverage to save up-front costs is not the wisest idea in case disaster does strike. Here at MyRatePlan, we want to help people find the right plan for them, so enter your ZIP code for a free quote today.