The ability to change your medical coverage from a group plan to an individual plan, if you should leave your present job. The portion of the covered medical expenses that you must pay out of your own pocket. A system where the doctor receives payment only after he or she has treated the patient, and has billed the insurance company. Most plans now require that you or your doctor get advance approval for any nonemergency hospital admission. Some plans do not cover certain pre-existing conditions.
Some plans require a waiting period before the treatment for that condition is paid for.
And still other plans are required by law to cover certain pre-existing conditions. And that's no fun. If I had known I was going to live this long, I would have taken better care of myself. Return to the Hope Newsletter Guide.