You’re Not The Only One Having A Hard Time Picking A New Health Insurance Plan

By Consumers For Quality Care, on December 22, 2020

According to a report from The New York Times, Americans are struggling to choose the health care plan best suited for them. 

“Many Americans don’t understand terms like ‘deductible’ or ‘coinsurance’ very well. And few are good at predicting what sort of health care needs they will have in the coming year.”

Americans have a variety of options when it comes to picking health insurance. While many people can choose from options their employers offer, others can also go out on their own and buy insurance from the Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace in their state. Depending on the state or county, however, you could be left deciding between 174 different health plans.

“I picked a plan because in my research I tend to show that high-deductible plans do better for people,” said Ms. Samek, an associate professor at the University of California, San Diego. “But it’s just a guess.”

Health experts found that most people pick the first plan presented to them and fail to do enough research. Furthermore, the people who often make bad choices when choosing a health care plan are those least able to afford it.  

Here are a few simple guidelines that may be helpful to remember when picking a plan:

• Does the plan cover the doctors and hospitals you use?
  
  
• If you’re willing to take more financial risk, you may prefer a higher-deductible plan with lower premiums.

• However, if you value more predictable expenses, a lower-deductible plan may work better.

And when shopping for coverage, make sure to be aware of the health care pitfalls that exist at https://consumers4qualitycare.org/issues/healthliteracy/.