Care and coverage are two completely different words that sometimes slip into conversation interchangeably. It’s possible to receive the care you need without having the coverage to pay for it, and it’s possible to have coverage but have a hard time finding good care.
Accepting Medicare and Medicaid patients is expensive for doctors, so some don’t do it. Medicaid doesn’t always reimburse doctors in full for patients who are eligible for copay-free appointments. When a doctor spends time with a Medicare patient, he is losing out on copay money that he could be getting from another patient. Doctors are losing the incentive to provide Medicare and Medicaid care. This means that people who need the most help paying for their health care don’t always have a good care facility that they can go to.
On the other side, clients who have great doctors who accept Medicare and Medicaid may still struggle to afford health care.
Are Things Changing?
Not currently. It’s possible that new doctor incentive programs will encourage more care facilities to accept Medicare and Medicaid, and it’s also possible that it may be a requirement one day. It’s hard to tell which direction President Trump is going to take the health care industry.
One way to prevent the differences between care and coverage from affecting you is by speaking with a licensed agent. An agent can carefully explain every detail of your coverage and help you figure out which doctors and care facilities will accept your policy. An agent will also outline every potential fee and charge that you may face with your insurance – they are required to do so.
Our agents are here to make sure you get both the health care AND coverage that you need to get by. Call (615) 541-4257 to speak with an agent today.
Anastasia Iliou
Anastasia graduated from Belmont University with a Bachelor's degree in Songwriting. When she's not writing, she's on a mission to visit all 50 states in the U.S (and to date has reached 41). Anastasia loves writing music, hiking, and playing with her pets (hedgehog, cat, and dog). She loves animals (but not so much bugs) and spends her free time volunteering for The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennesee.
