Over the Memorial Day weekend in 1987 I moved to Florida in with my boyfriend and our son. Right away I started looking for an office job. Only three weeks after moving here, I got a job with a well-known company that wasn't too far from my new apartment. As with any new job, I had to choose health insurance coverage, if I wanted it. There were two plans to choose from. One plan was similar to the insurance coverage at my previous job up north where I could use my current doctor and go to any hospital. The other plan was new to me; it was an HMO. The HR rep explained the HMO plan to me and told me what the benefits of choosing one plan over the other were. Actually, coverage and cost of the package were pretty much the same. It seemed the only difference was that with the HMO I could only use doctors and hospitals on their plan. The HR rep gave me a list of doctors and hospitals, and I found several close to my home. I didn't have a doctor for my child or myself yet, so that list of doctors would be very helpful. For that reason, I chose the HMO plan for health insurance coverage. Little did I know at that time how much grief I would save by choosing the HMO plan. I started getting sick and my clothes werent fitting me right. I thought that I was putting on weight because I was eating lunch a couple of times a week in the company cafeteria. Some things happened and other things didnt, and I suspected I might be pregnant. I took a pregnancy test, which confirmed I was pregnant. I went to see my primary care doctor, and he referred me to an OB/GYN doctor from the HMO plan. After the initial examination, the doctor told me I was about seven weeks pregnant. That presented an absolute huge problem. I had only been working at my new job for less than a month. My pregnancy was a pre-existing condition. With the health insurance coverage I was used to having, my pregnancy wouldnt have been covered. Someone at work suggested I talk to someone in HR to find out if my pregnancy would be covered under my new health insurance plan. I really expected the worse, and I couldnt imagine how my boyfriend and I would be able to pay for doctor visits and expensive hospital bills for the delivery. The lady in HR asked me which insurance I chose, and I told her the HMO. She told me I was in luck. She said the HMO didnt exclude pre-existing conditions in their coverage, but the other insurance the company offered did. I was completely surprised to find out I didnt have to pay a co-payment for my pre-natal visits. I didnt even have a co-pay when I went into the hospital to deliver the baby. My whole experience with that pregnancy was wonderful from the doctors to the hospital staff to dealing with the insurance company. From that point on, with subsequent jobs, any time I had a choice between an HMO and another insurance, I chose the HMO. When you purchase health insuranceyou want to make sure that you are getting the benefits that you need. Before you buy you will want to get loads of health insurance quotes so that you get the best price.  Related PostsPost a comment
|
|
