Insurance Basics: Home
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) of 2010 makes it easier for many Americans to get health insurance. It also expands the services that health plans need to cover.
Your plan contracts with a wide range of doctors and other practitioners, as well as hospitals, labs, radiology facilities, pharmacies and other providers. These are the providers in your “network”. Each of these providers has agreed to take your plan´s contracted rate as payment in full for services.
Doctors and insurers use standard codes for each medical service or supply. That helps them communicate about treatments and payments clearly.
Health insurance protects you from paying the full cost of your care. But, you will likely still have to pay some money out of your pocket. Almost all plans call for “cost sharing”. That means your insurer pays for part of your care, and you pay for part.
A cancer diagnosis can change your life. While cancer care will differ by individual circumstances and the type of cancer, identifying ways to cover the costs associated with cancer can help you plan. This guide will help you to understand your options to pay for cancer care. It will explain the costs of cancer care, describe commercial and government coverage, and give you some tips on other ways to plan for the costs of your cancer care.
Since providers are able to decide how much to charge for out-of-network care, sometimes that charge might be higher than you expected.