Five tips to help maximize your health benefits!

Just last week, I got a phone call from Jeremy telling me it was time to make the decisions about insurance for next year. That's right, Open Enrollment. We are lucky, we have deeply discounted rates through his employer but I still love to maximize the effectiveness of our plan. I try to stay informed and do as much as I can to make sure we get the biggest bang for our buck.

Below are five ways I found here to help you do the same.

1. Stay on top of your health! Yes, your doctor is the go-to person for any health related issues. By saying to stay on top of it, I mean to schedule those preventative appointments. That is up to you! Yes, your doctor might remind you, but you have the schedule it! The best part of this is most insurance companies will pay for it!

2. Pay the lowest out of pocket. This simply means making sure your provider is "in network". So easy to do and you will reap the benefits. Our insurance's website easily tells me who is in network and out of network. Another thing to make sure you get the coverage is to make any required phone calls before any procedure. Anything that is not standard, I like to call just to be on the safe side.

3. Stay on top of your claims. If there is one thing I have learned, it is to keep a copy of everything when it comes to filing a claim. You always want to have proof of anything you may need, and with big companies, you never know what you just might need. Receipts, bills, claim numbers are just a few things you might need.

4. Something we are doing new next year is opening a Flexible Spending Account. We figured up how much we typically pay in medical bills and divided that number by 12. This will help us not go into the debt we normally do with doctor bills and when it comes time to go the doctor, the money for the bill will already be there. {Hopefully!}

5. Being aware of all of these things will only benefit you. What is your deductible? Is that doctor is network? How much do you cover of dental? How much on orthodontic? Ignorance is not bliss on when it comes to insurance. By gaining awareness and staying informed, your health care will benefit and your pocketbook will thank you!

What do you do to help maximize your health insurance policy? I would love to hear!


Three Ladies and a Dad Review Disclosure: I wrote this blog post while participating in the TwitterMoms and Aetna blogging program, making me eligible to get a $30 Target gift card. For more information on how you can participate, click here.