Employees can often choose among two or more health plans offered by an employer. In this issue of Mindset you will find a series of questions you should ask before deciding upon a managed care health plan. If your employer believes your questions are important, he may negotiate better terms from the managed care company. You can also communicate with your elected representatives in the state legislature. We buy insurance to protect against the unexpected.
Mental illness afflicts a large part of the population.
In any year, about 13 million Americans will experience major depression. How your health plan deals with mental illness is at least as important to you and your family as how it deals with cancer or diabetes. Unfortunately, managed care companies frequently do not provide the same coverage for mental illnesses they do for cancer or diabetes. The typical policy will cover physical illnesses, but not mental illnesses to the same extent. If you or a member of your family develops a chronic or long-term mental illness, the health plan may terminate treatment after a specified amount of time.