Guide to Buying Health Insurance Sourcebook

Any program that helps in the payment of medical expenses is commonly termed as health insurance and there are various categories of health insurance that exists in the United States. The main categories include private and public coverage. Social welfare programs such as Medicaid provide assistance to people who are unable to afford health coverage. According to the 2018 statistics provided by the United States Census Bureau, around 91.5 percent had health insurance coverage, and over 27.5 million people were uninsured. The uninsured rate increased from 7.9 percent to 8.5 percent in the year 2018 when compared to 2017. In 2018, private health insurance coverage continued to be more prevalent than public coverage, covering 67.3 percent of the population and 34.4 percent of the population, respectively.

Guide to Buying Health Insurance Sourcebook, First Edition provides information about understanding the importance and need for health insurance, medical billing, and a detailed study about private and public-health insurance in the United States including key factors for choosing a private plan, COBRA requirements and benefits, Affordable care act, Medicare, Medicaid, and CHIP coverage along with shopping for health insurance with pre-existing medical conditions, healthcare reforms in the united states, a glossary of related terms and directories of related resources.

This book is divided into parts and chapters. Parts focus on broad areas of interest. Chapters are devoted to single topics within a part.

Part I: Understanding the Importance and Need of Health Insurance discusses the rising healthcare costs in the United States, an overview of national healthcare expenditures, healthcare quality, healthcare coverage, and federal taxes along with information on health insurance fraud, abuse, and wastage.

Part II: Private Health Insurance provides information about private health insurance needs, key factors for choosing a private insurance plan, COBRA requirements and benefits along with health insurance privacy including top insurance plans and impacts of health insurance cost.

Part III: Public Health Insurance includes information on patient protection and insurance programs under the affordable care act, Medicare and Medicaid health coverage including CHIP, Medigap, coverage options for the disabled, claims, and appeals.

Part IV: Understanding Medical Billing describes the medical billing process that includes patient check-in, insurance eligibility and verification, charge entry, claims submission, payment posting along with surprise-medical billing and how to appeal on insurance company decision.

Part V: Shopping for Health Insurance With Pre-existing Medical Conditions discusses the pre-existing medical conditions such as cancer, diabetes, heart conditions, end-stage renal disease that gets covered under health insurance along with medical procedures that are usually not covered under medical insurance.

Part VI: Healthcare Reforms in the United States describe the healthcare reforms that were passed in the United States that include the urgency of reforming America’s healthcare system, the American healthcare act (AHCA), and universal single-payer healthcare reform.

Part VII: Additional Information includes information about a glossary of related terms and conditions and a directory of organizations.