Although healthcare insurance can be useful in the case of illness, many people do not understand their insurance coverage and limitations.
Nitin Chhoda shares the different perspective of healthcare insurance; from that patient’s point of view to the healthcare service provider.
Patients and therapists view healthcare insurance from an entirely different perspective.
For patients, it’s a way to defray costs when they require a wide range of services, from prescriptions and hospitalization to well patient check-ups and ongoing physical therapy treatments.
For therapists and healthcare practice management providers, healthcare insurance is the primary means of reimbursement for services.
Healthcare Insurance
Older clients, parents and those who have experienced the need for an extended hospital stay are well acquainted with the value of maintaining a comprehensive healthcare insurance policy. They may complain about the cost of premiums, copays and deductibles, but they know the benefits far outweigh the monetary sacrifices they may make to keep their coverage up to date.
Younger individuals tend to eschew healthcare coverage or purchase less than they need. For this demographic, accidents and healthcare emergencies are incidents that happen to “other” people.
The entire healthcare insurance industry is a mystery to most patients. They’re unsure of exactly what they’re paying for, the terms of their coverage and their financial responsibility.
Healthcare insurance is often far more expensive than they anticipate, may not cover a wide variety of treatments and procedures, and involve high deductibles that must be met before coverage is available.
A Patient’s Perspective
Millions of individuals across the nation live in constant fear of becoming ill, injured or incapacitated, even when they have insurance. When they do become ill, it may be difficult to find a healthcare insurance provider that accepts their brand of insurance.
Patients often delay treatment, spreading potentially dangerous diseases. When no other option exists, those same clients resort to emergency room treatment that contributes largely to the increasing cost of healthcare costs.
As it exists, the healthcare industry in the U.S. forces patients to make decisions that can radically influence their lives and future finances.
The Affordable Care Act provided coverage to millions who were uninsured or underinsured, but it also created a deficit of healthcare insurance providers in relation to the number of new patients coming into the system.
Those who don’t understand their coverage represent a major loss of income for therapists. When claims for non-covered expenses are rejected, patients must pay the bill and collecting those funds can be a costly endeavor.
The first steps in healthcare reform have been taken, but more must be accomplished. The future of healthcare insurance in the new economy will require patients to pay more for their healthcare coverage and shoulder more of the financial burden in terms of co-pays and deductibles.
Coverage and Limitations
Coverage caps and limitations could very well become the norm. For therapists, the result of such trends is a loss of income and a potential move toward more self-pay patients, a strategy that could effectively eliminate many from the healthcare system and cost practices in the long-term.
The experience and expertise of a good therapist can’t be understated and they deserve to be compensated for that acumen. Therapists are the chief advocates for their patients’ needs, but are often forced by healthcare insurance companies to accept far less for their services than the actual value or are second-guessed by insurance company officials.
It’s neither an efficient or cost effective system, and one that can potentially place patients in harm’s way while contributing to a system that makes it increasingly difficult for therapists to operate a financially sound practice.