How does Health Insurance Assist you Financially in Managing Medical Emergencies

“Medical emergencies are usual in this fast-paced world. Whenever a health emergency arises, it’s your top-most priority to get yourself, or your family members treated without losing any time and finances. A health insurance policy is the best option that helps you to deal with healthcare emergencies without stretching your financial status.

What is Health Insurance?

Health insurance is a type of insurance that covers all your healthcare expenditures due to an illness/injury under any emergency or planned hospitalization.

There are certain things that you can plan to overcome a healthcare crisis.

• Sign up for a health policy in India
• Open and invest in a health savings account and flexible spending account
• Prepare a financial power of attorney plan

Whether you are suffering from a health condition or just worried about what might happen in the future, there are several ways by which you can safeguard your finances. Purchasing a health insurance policy, setting aside an emergency fund for medical expenses, determining who will manage your money in a crisis, etc., are some of the ways.

First, you need to purchase a health insurance policy. You can buy health insurance through your

Employer: Are you working as a full-time employee in a midsize or large company? Many companies offer their employees corporate group health insurance plans these days. After this COVID-19 pandemic, corporate group health plans are mandatory for employees working in various organizations. Under a corporate group policy, your employer will subsidize insurance premiums for you and your dependents, including your spouse and children. So, visit your human resource department and enquire about this.

Some companies restrict when you can sign up, and that might mean you will need to wait for open enrollment to begin again. But if you can prove that your need for insurance is the most, then you can sign up immediately.

Parents: If you are below 26 years and financially dependent on your parents, then your parents may include you in their health plans. This is applicable even if you are married or not living with your parents or a financially independent person.

Health insurance Company: These days, many health insurance companies offer individual health insurance policies to people who can’t get insurance through their families or employers. By comparing various plans online, you can purchase the best health policy that resonates with your healthcare requirements. You can even consult with an insurance broker in your locality and ask for his advice on health insurance plans. He may help you find out the best plan that might suit you.

Healthcare marketplace: You can purchase health insurance from the healthcare marketplace. When you buy a policy in the healthcare marketplace, you are eligible for subsidies that will help you pay your premiums. Before contacting various insurance companies, you should always use the marketplace to find out whether you can receive this financial assistance or not.

Some states have their insurance programs, while others follow the framework that the federal government decides. By visiting Healthcare.gov, you may learn how to get coverage.

Health sharing ministries: These ministries are great alternatives to conventional insurance policies. They encourage groups of individuals to join together and share their medical expenditures.

The costs of coverage are affordable than traditional insurance policies. But these ministries will not follow the same regulations as standard health insurance policies. So, you may not get all-inclusive coverage here.

A comprehensive health insurance policy offers coverage for all your healthcare expenses. But, very often, these policies come with several clauses where you also need to pay a certain amount from your side.

• Deductibles: Sometimes, you need to pay an amount in advance before the policy covers any expenses. With most health insurance policies, certain types of preventative care are fully or partly covered before your deductible is met.
• Copayments: Copayments are payments that you need to make from your side apart from what your insurance company pays in the case of any healthcare treatment. The copayment rate is fixed, and in most cases, you need to pay 20% of the expenses.
• Exclusions: Exclusions are common in health insurance plans. Most health insurance plans don’t cover specific types of therapy or some types of doctors that you should be aware of before purchasing a policy. So, read all terms and conditions properly to know what your policy covers and whatnot.

To deal with healthcare emergencies, you can build up money in a savings account. But there are two other ways to get ready for a health crisis.

Health savings account (HSA): If your health insurance plan comes with a big deductible, you are eligible for an HSA. Your employer may open an account on your behalf, or you can open your own account. Healthcare costs can be paid right out of this account. You are also eligible for a tax deduction for money invested in a HAS. So you can withdraw money to pay all your healthcare expenses without paying any taxes.

Flexible spending account (FSA): This has many resemblances with HAS, but here you can withdraw your money to cover health expenses with tax-deductible funds. Your employer needs to set it up for you because you can’t open your own FSA. Most of the money you put into this account should be spent in the same year the money is invested; else, you will lose your money.

Health insurance policies and health savings accounts will make you financially strong in the case of medical emergencies. But if you are suffering from injuries where you can’t administer your money, you need to design a financial power of attorney with the help of a lawyer. A power of attorney will manage and invest your money in the case of medical emergencies.