If you have a child, you need health insurance that covers that child. Ideally, your health insurance will automatically start covering your child the minute he or she is born. If you are shopping for new health insurance, whether it is to replace existing insurance or to provide initial coverage, there are 5 essentials of children’s health insurance that you should be aware of.
The Importance of Health Insurance for Your Child
Even children who are otherwise healthy need health insurance. Health insurance covers long term and short term illnesses, dental bills, prescription medication, and many immunizations and preventative tests. Without this coverage, you could easily spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on your child’s health before he or she turns 18.
The 5 Most Important Things to Look for in Children’s Health Insurance
- Is Preventative Treatment Covered? Preventative treatment should include immunizations and routine blood testing. These procedures and immunizations can really start to add up if they are not covered by insurance.
- Is the Co-Pay Affordable? In most cases, you will have a co-pay amount. This is the amount of money that you are expected to pay, at the time of a visit, at the doctors office. Can you afford to pay this if your child suddenly becomes ill? You also need to check the co-pay for emergency room care.
- Is the Deductible Affordable? Usually, you can select a deductible, from a variety of choices. Make sure that you select a deductible that is affordable for you, but that doesn’t make your monthly premium too high.
- Are Prescription Drugs Covered? Prescription drugs can be very expensive. Ideally, your child’s health insurance plan will have prescription drug coverage as well.
- Can You Choose Your Own Doctors? The option to choose your own doctors is very important – especially in the case of children. If you are limited to certain doctors, and your child is afraid of them, or you feel that their skills are substandard, this could become a huge roadblock when it comes to your child’s health care.
Are You Better with a Private Plan or a State Plan?
You may live in a state where you can purchase inexpensive health insurance for your child through your state, regardless of your income level. Before you do this, you need to make sure that the insurance covers all that you need it to cover, and that you can still select your own doctors. Often, state insurance will cover preventative care and immunizations for children, but it may not cover more serious problems, or there may be strict limitations. In most cases, although you will pay more for private health care coverage for your child, private insurance offers better coverage.
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