Medical Services And HealthCare Insurance In The USA

There are no free medical services in the USA. Even emergency medical care requires payment. If you do not have an insurance policy, the costs will fall entirely on your shoulders. Let’s see what the most popular medical services cost the residents of the country. The spread of prices for some services is quite large, this is due to the difference in prices in different clinics, as well as the difference in price for variations of the same procedure (for example, a blood test can be both basic and complex).

• Total blood test: $4 – $83;
• X-ray: $51 – $320;
• Ultrasound: $155 – $721;
• MRI: $563 – $3,074;
• CT: $320 – $1,869;
• Appendectomy: $6,063 – $11,445;
• Tonsil Removal: $2,935 – $6,189;
• Natural Childbirth: $4,032 – $10,037;
• Therapist Visit: $42 – $170;
• Visit to a cardiologist: $136 – $207.

As you can see the prices for healthcare services are rather high that’s why many people have to find a way out. Some of them apply for payday loans online Illinois to cover medical expenses. Everything you need to arrange this procedure is to submit an online application. There is no need to send any certificates to confirm your income. This is one of the most efficient ways to cover some urgent expenses.

Where to buy health insurance in the USA?

The market and prices for insurance policies are controlled by the state, so the purchase of insurance is carried out on the state Healthcare portal. In addition, there are established deadlines for the purchase of insurance for the next year. For example, insurance for 2022 must be purchased from November 1 to December 15.

It is possible to purchase insurance outside the prescribed period, but under certain circumstances, for example, the loss of valid insurance, the birth of a child, a change of residence, and so on. Also, at any time, citizens can apply for insurance under the Medicaid program (this is a state program to provide medical care for those in need).

Types and categories of health insurance in the USA

Insurance categories

There are 4 categories of insurance, the difference between them is what part of the medical expenses will be paid by the insurance company, and what part will you pay. Depending on the height of the cost coverage, the amount of the insurance premium for each category of the policy also differs.

• Bronze: you pay 40%, the insurance company pays 60%.
• Silver: You pay 30%, the insurance company pays 70%.
• Gold: you pay 20%, the insurance company pays 80%.
• Platinum: you pay 10%, the insurance company pays 90%.

All plans have a deductible – this is a certain amount, within which you pay for all medical expenses yourself. The lowest deductible amount is in the Platinum category, and it also has the highest insurance premium. It should also be taken into account that the amount of the insurance premium may depend on your income.

Insurance plans

In each of the insurance categories, you can choose one of several plans that differ in terms of coverage. Let’s look at the most common insurance plans and their differences.

• EPO is a plan in which the insurance company covers the costs of medical services for you only in a certain network of medical institutions (with the exception of ambulance).
• HMO is a plan under which insurance payments are provided to you if you seek medical services from doctors who work or provide services under a contract in a certain medical organization (excluding ambulance).
• The POS plan covers both medical services within a certain network and outside it, but in the first case, your part of the payment for services will be less than if you contact specialists from other institutions. Also, one of the terms of this plan is a mandatory referral from a family doctor in case you need to contact a specialist.
• PPO – you can contact both doctors within a certain network and specialists from other clinics and diagnostic centers, but in the first case your part of the payment will be less. In this type of plan, a mandatory referral from a family doctor for visiting narrow specialists is not provided.