Any insurance company will seem to be perfect until the
time comes when you have to use it. Determining whether or
not your health insurance company measures up is key before
the unmentionable happens. You will want a company that has
very little complaint ratios and that will pull through for
you in a pinch.
Consumer Reports National Research Center survey reported
that complaints were typically low for medical insurance companies
when no serious illnesses were reported. However, when a serious
illness was present, complaint ratios skyrocketed nearly 300%.
Almost 20% of people are disappointed with their current health
insurance companies and it is expected that during the open
enrollment periods for many employers, these patrons will
switch insurance carriers. Therefore, it is vital to know
where a company rates before you sign on with them, in order
to avoid avid disappointment in the future.
The Complaint Whys
Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs) are typically in the
highest percentages of complaints and those that are rated
on the lower end of the scale, even more so. Complaints come
in a variety of different jackets, but some of the core problems
lie in the availability of services. Many people have to wait
too long for appointments mostly because of the limited availability
of networked physicians. This has HMOs scurrying to find a
solution and sometimes even offer different types of plans
that allow the members to utilize the services of doctors
outside of their network.
PPOs are not exempt from complaints either. Higher premiums
and deductibles often mean more money coming out of the members
pocket and on occasion when reimbursement in necessary, many
PPOs are known for long delays. The largest complaints that
come in for PPOs are in the billing department and in problem
resolution turnaround time.
How Your Plan Measures Up
The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) is
the federal regulating organization and has been designed to
protect consumers from fraudulent activity and educate them
on insurance issues and medical insurance companies. They have
developed a website that is dedicated to educating insurance
consumers called InsureU and can be found at (http://www.insurance.insureuonline.org/index.htm).
There you can find consumer alerts, tips and information, and
an entire library of articles that will help you to make the
right decision when it comes to participating with a specific
health insurance carrier.
Let us help you by first offering free medical insurance
quotes from top carriers across the nation. Simply fill out
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