8 Common Questions about Health Insurance

Health insurance provides financial stability, especially in times of crisis such as those that have been experienced in recent months throughout the world. Therefore, it is an excellent time to think about acquiring one.

To do this, you must first find out about it and since we want to help you in this process, you will need to bring this article on the 8 common questions about health insurance.

1. Can I access all the coverage from the first day?

Generally, insurers usually establish a “waiting period” for some more complex services or studies such as surgeries, hospitalizations and highly diagnostic tests such as MRIs.

These coverages are the minimum compared to those that you do have access from the moment you take out the health insurance policy, such as access to specialists, blood tests, x-rays, among others.

The grace period refers to the time that must elapse from the date of contracting the policy and the day on which certain tests can already be accessed. This period will always depend on the insurer you choose.

The reason why there is a waiting period is so that the insurance companies have the certainty that you are not contracting the policy only to attend to a pathology that you will suffer at the time of contracting, but to cover what may happen in the future

2. Do I need prior authorization for some medical tests?

Health insurance provides you with extensive coverage, depending on the type of policy contracted and the conditions included in the contract. It is your obligation to know the processes that you must follow in each of the scenarios.

In most cases, prior authorization is required for tests, such as diagnostic tests and some treatments and surgeries. Depending on the company, it can be an essential requirement for rehabilitation and physiotherapy, hospitalizations, cardiology and oncology treatments, among many other tests.

The insurers have to explain to you which are all the tests for which you must request prior authorization and also inform you about the ways so that you can carry out the process in a more comfortable way in any place and time of day that is required.

When the procedure is finished, the insurer has to give you an authorization document, which you must present to the doctor responsible for the test in question.

Not all tests require prior authorization, only those that are more specialized. In the case of consultations, basic clinical analyses, simple X-rays and ultrasound scans, generally, they are usually done without major problems and without the need for this procedure.

Prior authorizations have their raison d’etre, since they allow checking that the guarantees to which the insured wishes to have access are included in their policy, if it is a test related to a pre-existing illness, if there are pending installments, if they have not exceeded the your insurance limits, among other important issue

3. If a company denies me health insurance, can I try another?

Yes, you can try it with another, because you are within your rights. However, you will most likely receive the same negative response. Why? Because there are banks of shared medical information that companies have access to.

Therefore, it is very likely that the new insurer will also reject your application. Even so, it is important to mention that you can try it, since each insurance company has its own conditions, so there could be some opportunity to reach agreements and that you can sign the policy and be insured.

Here the most important thing is that you inform yourself very well about it with the companies with which you are interested in being insured and verify if it is possible to access a policy with them.

4. Is it possible to choose a doctor with health insurance?

Yes, most insurance companies give you the freedom to choose the doctor you want to treat you, as well as to manage your consultations, tests, and reviews.

A large part of the insurers have a medical directory or guide in which you can see all the professionals with whom you can receive care and based on what you need and what you report, you can choose the one you prefer.

Generally, these guides or lists are extensive and allow you to choose within your area of ​​residence among several professionals in the same specialty and different care centers, such as clinics and hospitals.

It is more than likely that you will find the specialist that you are looking for or that you need.

5. Can I attend abroad?

The answer to this question about health insurance depends on the type of policy you decide to take out. International health insurance gives you the possibility of receiving medical care wherever you want or require it.

In conventional health insurance you have to take into account that there is a difference between going abroad specifically to treat an illness or undergo an intervention and suffering an emergency while traveling there, for example.

Both situations can be covered by health insurance, but this will depend on the policy you take out. Insurances that include care in different parts of the world and that cover emergencies tend to be more expensive.

6. Why does the health insurance premium increase each year?

The premium for health insurance and, in general, for any insurance increases every year due to different factors such as:

• Age of the insured: the older, the higher the cost
• National and sector-specific
• inflation General accident rate
• Total covered expenses of the insured

Generally, when health insurance is contracted, the conditions stipulated in it are maintained for a period, established in the contract. Agreements typically run for 12 months from the time they are signed or end each year on December 31 regardless of when you were hired.

This means that, for example, you can take out health insurance in August and on December 31, as it is the end of the calendar year, there may be an increase in the premium based on the factors mentioned in the previous list.

It is important that you find out about the validity of the conditions to avoid unpleasant surprises when hiring health insurance.

7. Can I take out health insurance if I have an illness?

The answer will depend on different factors, such as the policy you want to take out, the disease you are suffering from and the company that will provide the service.

Most insurance companies usually have among their procedures the filling out of a questionnaire in which you must indicate if you have suffered or are suffering from any illness or injury or if you have been operated on for any reason.

The most important thing is that you are absolutely honest to avoid the policy being canceled later. Currently, many insurers offer a series of products that adapt to your circumstances and conditions.

These ailments or diseases are called pre-existing conditions and can cause you to be denied the opportunity to purchase health insurance, but this is not always the case.

What you can do is make a comparison between the products that currently exist on the market and hire the health insurance that best suits your conditions. It is likely that the cost will rise, depending on your ailments, but there are possibilities that you will be entitled to take out health insurance even with pre-existing conditions.

8. Can an older adult purchase health insurance?

A large part of the insurers establishes an age limit in their acceptance policies, which is generally up to 64 years, because the older you are, the more likely you are to suffer illnesses.

In the event that you are within the age limit, the insurance institution will submit you to a rigorous selection process to find out how you are in health, what diseases you suffer from, which ones you are prone to and which ones you are about to contract.

It is recommended that you buy the plan beforehand, in this way, you can keep the health insurance for as long as you want, as long as you keep up to date with the payment of the premiums.

Health insurance for people over 60 years of age is usually more expensive and has specific coverage for this group of vulnerable people. Among them are: specialized medical consultations, home consultations, frequent health check-ups, laboratory tests at home and nurses.

Insurers have every right to submit you to different medical examinations and make the final decision depending on the results. Likewise, it will depend on you if you accept or not, in case you are a candidate, the cost of the policy.