Pre-Existing Condition
An illness or condition which was treated or diagnosed before the policy was issued. Many policies will not pay benefits for pre-existing conditions, or will only cover treatment of them after the policy has been in force for a specified period of time. This varies based on whether the policy is group or individual coverage.
Renewal and Premium Increase
Determine the conditions under which your policy may be renewed or the premiums increased. Ask what type of renewal provision applies to your policy.
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Effective Period
The date health insurance protection begins.
Elimination Period
Specified number of days that you must be eligible for coverage or disabled before the policy begins to pay benefits.
Exclusions and Limitations
Conditions or circumstances in which benefits are not payable or may be limited. Some examples of exclusions are suicide or self-inflicted injuries, injuries resulting from war, on-the-job accidents covered by workers’ compensation, eye or dental treatment, cosmetic surgery, services for which no charge is made, and services that are not medically necessary. Some policies also may place limitations on or exclude treatment of mental illness or substance abuse.
Source: ins.state.pa.us
Coinsurance
The share of your covered expenses, usually a percentage, you must pay after the deductible is reached. For example, a policy may require you to pay twenty percent of the cost up to a certain dollar amount.
Conversion of Privileges
Allows the participant or beneficiaries to convert coverage to a different plan of insurance without providing evidence of insurability. The privilege granted by a group policy is to convert to an individual policy upon termination of group coverage.
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by: Christine Zafra
Arnold Schwarzenegger got the applause of the Californian populace. Since health insurance companies have this policy called “balanced billing” (wherein people from the medical profession can charge their “usual fees” to their patients), his wits told him to put an end to this practice and impose a ban on balanced billing. These usual fees are normally above what the insurance companies offer and so, patients are forced to comply with this arrangement. The ban covers emergency cases only (emergency room patients), nevertheless, this will help Californians a lot when it comes to money matters (no unnecessary expenditures).
Photo taken from http://jprosen.blog.lemonde.fr
balance billing, california
