Can specialists help my family choose our health plan between our two employers?
Open enrollment for both our employers (in California) is early Nov. It’s very exhausting to analyze all the health plans. What kind of assistance is available? Are there "health plan brokers" who can advise across all the available options?
Tagged with: Health Plan • open enrollment
Filed under: Health Plan
The human resources department should be able to help at either company. A few key pieces of information to cross check though are deductibles, coinsurance amounts, prescription and office visit copays.
The health insurance agent will do it for you free.
MOST employers of any size have personnel specialists who know at least something about the various insurance plans the company offers. Ask in your personnel offices for assistance.
All insurance plans also offer a significant amount of information concerning the plans, usually summarized in table form in addition to the details. Compare the tables first, checking for the areas you have most interest in, be it surgical, medication, OB care, mental health care, etc, and when you narrow down to two or three, then delve deeply into the details. It’s work, sure, but YOU have to do some of it as well. After all, YOU are the one buying the program!
I don’t really know that a specialist is going to be able to help you.
You really need to assess what is most imporant to you in terms of deductibles, co-pays and provider networks.
If a specialist doesn’t know exactly what you want among those variables, then they aren’t going to be able to recommend anything that will satisfy you.
And, if you are going to do the assessment of your own needs, then you’ll be able to do the comparison of the plans yourself.
Get the details of each plan from both of your employers, make your list of what is important to you, then pick the plan that best meets your goal list.
Well, a broker is going to want to sell you HIS insurance!
Why don’t you get full printouts of both plans, and trek down to your auto and homeowners agent, and ask him to take a look at it?
Your employer has available representatives from the carrier directly and also your companies insurance agent can help you with the options available. That is why we are paid.
Please contact your HR person, and request the phone number of the agent they use. Call to set up an appointment.