If you’re one of the million-plus people who get their Health Net insurance through Covered California, then you’ve hopefully just recently enrolled in coverage for the new year. Whether it’s your first time with subsidized healthcare or you’re a seasoned veteran, every year can bring new complications and changes to what you may have thought you understood. Thankfully, we’ve put together this quick checklist of steps to demystify your new Health Net insurance plan.
Check your new provider and plan
Just because you picked up Health Net insurance through the same portal doesn’t mean you have the same insurance coverage you did in previous years. Even if you were pretty thorough when looking at what you were choosing initially, you probably still want to actually check which insurance provider you now have and what’s covered under your current Health Net plan. Networks change for providers all the time — for instance, Roots Through Recovery is now in Health Net’s network — so you may have some new possibilities even if your provider hasn’t changed.
Look into new options
No matter if you’re looking at a brand new insurance plan or just a shift in the same one you’ve always had, there may be new medical providers and options for you that you weren’t aware of. Whether it’s simply finding a new doctor, accessing your substance abuse or mental health benefits, or looking into a whole different approach to your health, many insurance providers offer a wide and constantly changing variety of choices. If you’re not looking for a particular treatment right now, you may as well see what options you have available to you all year.
Understand the financial requirements
Beyond the amount you pay for the insurance each month, different plans have different out-of-pocket costs when actually seeking medical and behavioral health treatment. From co-pays to prescriptions to specialty services, just having health insurance doesn’t necessarily make your healthcare free. As a general rule of thumb, checking with the doctor, facility, or service provider can get you pretty close to the exact cost that’ll be incurred for various treatments — and they can also sometimes help you work with certain financial restrictions.
Keep track of your income changes
Although getting a new job and making significantly more money can drive your health insurance costs up through Covered California, misreporting or incorrectly estimating your income can also lead you to pay more than you should be. The point of Covered California is to make sure people pay an appropriate amount for health insurance, so keeping your income and tax situation up to date ensures that you don’t overpay if you lose your job or go through other dramatic life changes.
Schedule introductory consultations
Getting signed up for health insurance is the first step in making sure you’re all covered for the year. Before you actually need to seek treatment for the first time, you’ll need to figure out which in-network providers are the best for you. The easiest way to do this is simply by calling and scheduling consultations and introductory sessions with each provider you think you’ll need over the course of the year. Whether that means getting in contact with a facility like Roots Through Recovery or simply getting a check-up to add yourself to your new primary care physician’s patient list, getting in with the appropriate services and providers is ultimately the real reason to purchase healthcare.
If you’d like to check your benefits to see what’s covered under your new plan, you can verify your benefits here.
