Insurance Basics: Home
After you get care, your provider sends a bill, or “claim,” to your insurance company. Your insurance company handles the claim and sends you an Explanation of Benefits (EOB).
Thanks to a law passed in the spring of 2020, most Americans can be tested for COVID-19 for free. But that law didn’t make treatment for the virus free. Medical services for COVID-19 can be costly and sometimes run into tens of thousands of dollars. Whether or not you’ve been diagnosed with COVID-19, you can take steps now to understand your protections under the law and manage the costs of your treatment.
Employers offer health coverage to their workers in several ways. Some buy an “off the shelf” plan from a commercial insurance company.
Suppose your insurer won´t pay for a healthcare service, or pays less than you had expected. You have the right to “appeal”, or ask for your case to be formally reconsidered.
Whatever age you are when you retire, you have health insurance options.
To look up the estimated costs for behavioral health services (including mental health and alcohol and/or drug services), go to our home page, fairhealthconsumer.org, and click on Medical and Hospital Costs.