Easy Peasy Navigation of the Health Insurance Maze
Easy peasy navigation of the health insurance maze? Do you think it’s possible? If anyone can make it easy, it’s my Papa, Lee Davis.
My Papa, Lee Davis, founder of Lee Davis and Company, worked in healthcare for 25 years prior to starting Lee Davis and Company. Thus, he has the know-how to help you navigate the maze.
I know, not because I’m his daughter, but because I watched him at work. As a secretary at one of the offices my Papa managed, I watched him explain to many, many patients about how their insurance worked.
In fact, it was probably the biggest part of his job as an administrator of orthopedic groups. So, if you are looking for easy peasy navigation of the health insurance maze, you have found the right post.
Here is what Lee Davis has to say:
The health insurance maze is very challenging for both employers and employees. Because of this, it’s very easy for the employers to just throw up their hands and ask their insurance broker to take care of purchasing the insurance policy.
With a tighter employment market and the cost of benefits, particularly healthcare costs on the rise, it is increasing important for the employer, employees and their healthcare agents to work together to maximize benefits, control costs and provide excellent communication all year long to all parties involved. That is why I am writing this post. I want to make navigating the health insurance maze easy for my clients and potential clients.
Tips for Easy Peasy Navigation of the Health Insurance Maze:
1. Understand your current insurance policies.
Before you make any changes to your current healthcare options, you should read your current policies and understand their key provisions.
Questions you should ask your insurance providers or employers:
Just save the picture below and use it when you are going to talk with an insurer or employer about your health insurance.
Know what the insurance has to offer.
- You first want to know if your personal doctor is covered under the health insurance plan.
Is it too much work for you?
What are the administrative task that could be a burden for employees and employers in managing the plan?
A review of your current plan to answer the questions of affordability and access to health benefits should be conducted to understand any challenges that need to be addressed.
2. Communicate Communicate Communicate
Many small employers put a large amount of forms and paperwork in front of their employees without giving them adequate support and assistance to navigate this very important phase.
For small employers the answer is having your insurance broker partner with you in the communication and education of both new employees and current employees to help them understand their benefits, including their health insurance.
Many times employees don’t understand they can utilize their insurance professional if they are denied benefits after submitting an insurance claim.
3. Select an insurance broker who works with you all year, not just a renewal time.
Employees are often frustrated with the costs of healthcare eating away at their paycheck. Compounding that problem is the increasing amount of money being taken out of their other pocket for actually using the services they are paying for.
Working with employees all year long, giving them the assistance and help they need when they need it, is one of the keys to controlling costs and employee satisfaction and retention.
If you have more than 10 employees, you should go to an employee benefits firm like Caitlin Demet at Northeast Planning, who specializes in health insurance.
4. What do you do when the Affordable Care Act is the best option for employees?
For very small employers, when the group plans are too expensive, the employer and employees need to consider other options.
One of those options is to work with your insurance broker to navigate the health exchanges or the Affordable Care Act. If you provide an expert to help your employees navigate this complex decision, you will make the navigation of the health insurance maze easy peasy.
5. Work with your employees to find the right solution.
The employers and employees should work together to find the right solution for the company. The employers should consider how to control premiums and out of pocket expenses.
Lee Davis and Company can help we have spent over thirty years working with insurance companies, employees and medical providers facing the ever rising costs of healthcare costs.
6. What should you do if a claim is denied?
When a claim is denied, most people just accept that it is denied and pay the denied amount. However, if you want to do a little work and you feel that you shouldn’t have to pay for the care in questions, you can follow the steps below.
- Look into the reason why your claim was denied.
- Based on the reason, figure out what you need to do to get the claim paid.
- Call the insurance company.
- If it’s still not paid, write a letter to the insurance company asking for the claim to be reviewed.
How can Lee Davis and Company help you with the successful navigation of the healthcare maze?
Lee Davis and Company is a bookkeeping and management company. We provide our clients with the support and knowhow to increase a business’s profitability and efficiency.
If you need help with healthcare solutions, that sounds like a management problem. We could certainly advise you further on how you might better navigate the health insurance maze.
If you need help deciding how much you could afford for your company’s health insurance, perhaps you need our bookkeeping services or QuickBooks training which will help you to keep a tighter rein on your expenses.
What can you expect from Lee Davis and Company?
Lee Davis is the president of Lee Davis and Company. He prides himself in helping his clients make their dreams of running a successful business a reality. He has the tools and advice that will help you, the client, get to the next level.
What services can you find at Lee Davis and Company?
- Bookkeeping Services
- Small Business Advising
- Quickbooks Training
- Management Services
