An important concept to grasp when selecting and utilizing a health insurance plan is whether or not your health care providers are participants in your insurance company’s network. Understanding this concept could very well save you a significant amount of money on your medical expenses.

To begin, I’d like to quickly define what a network is. A network is a group of health care providers (primary care physicians, specialists, hospitals, etc.) who are contracted with a particular insurance company. As a result of these providers being in network, the insured will receive “negotiated” rates for the services that are provided.

Furthermore, it is crucial to understand that just because a health care provider is in-network that does not guarantee that all services you receive will be covered. This is standard across the board regardless of whether or not you are enrolled in either a group or individual plan. Using a health care provider that is in network solely assures that you will be receiving services at a discounted rate.

For example, on occasion diagnostic blood work or testing performed may fall outside the parameters of what is covered under your copayment. However, if done using an in-network provider rather than paying perhaps $100, you may solely be responsible for $40.
• It is always important to review your health insurance policy, which you should receive directly from the insurer, to fully understand what your covered benefits are.

  How do you figure out what health care providers are in your network? Every carrier will be able to provide you with a list of in-network doctors directly through their website. Furthermore, you can always call ahead to a specific health care provider and verify whether or not they accept your insurance. Taking these precautions, and making sure you fully understand your covered benefits, will inherently lead to you lower your potential out of pocket exposure.
  
  

  MyInsuranceExpert.com helps people throughout the United States acquire affordable insurance from A-rated carriers. By leveraging “Artie”, a crazy old guy who knows everything about insurance (actually a proprietary technology) licensed Advisors at MyInsuranceExpert.com find the best value for each client.