Insurance Basics: Home

Protections for New York Consumers: Understanding Your Out-of-Pocket Costs

By law, consumers living in New York State have certain protections when shopping for and using their health insurance. Your insurer must provide up-to-date information about who is in your network.

Protections for New York Consumers: Understanding Your Out-of-Pocket Costs
Healthcare Proxies and Advance Healthcare Directives

Healthcare proxies and advance healthcare directives can help you plan your care if you ever lose the ability to communicate clearly.

Healthcare Proxies and Advance Healthcare Directives
Insured and Self-Insured Plans

Employers offer health coverage to their workers in several ways. Some buy an “off the shelf” plan from a commercial insurance company.

Negotiating Your Costs

Since providers are able to decide how much to charge for out-of-network care, sometimes that charge might be higher than you expected.

Types of Out-of-Network Reimbursement

Most health plans have a “network”, a group of doctors, hospitals and other healthcare providers who agree to take your insurer´s rate.

Major Life Events and Planning for Health Insurance

Sometimes you know ahead of time that a major event will happen in your life. Examples might include getting married or divorced, changing jobs or having a baby. Other times, such as at a death, you may not have advance warning.

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