What are the best health insurances in New York?
Here are some of the insurance companies you can choose from if you are thinking of hiring private health insurance in New York:
United HealthCare
United Health Care can also be a good option for purchasing private health insurance primarily because all plans are underwritten by Golden Rule Insurance Company.
Currently this insurer has more than 70 million clients in New York and the rest of the country.
Another benefit is that all policies are personalized, so you can choose the deductibles and the duration of coverage, and you can also cancel your policy at any time without having to pay any penalty.
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Finally, the United Health Care network is made up of more than one million doctors and health providers.
HealthFirst
Health First is another company that offers health insurance in New York through three main plans:
Medicare Advantage :
This first option is a supplementary insurance that expands the benefits of the federal Medicare health program, especially for older adults and people with disabilities or terminal illnesses.
Individual and family plans : Various low-cost medical protection options for the whole family.
Long-term care plans : These types of plans offer an extra level of care and protection.
Currently, this company has more than 1.7 million New York customers;
who are satisfied with the personalized plans according to the medical needs of each insured person and the extensive network of excellent doctors and health providers.
Cigna
Cigna is an excellent option if you are looking for a health plan for you and your family in the United States. This company offers its insured incredible benefits:
- Affordable plans that offer virtual care, preventive care and generic drugs at no cost.
- Availability 24/7, 365 days a year of virtual care with doctors and nurses, customer service and any other type of assistance for health care.
- Mobile app and website where you can search for network providers, view prescription drugs, and manage reimbursement.
- You do not need a referral to visit a specialist doctor
- You can contract specific plans for conditions such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and diabetes.
Is it possible to get free health insurance in New York?
You can access free and low-cost insurance through the New York City Human Resources Administration and the State Department of Health.
To obtain this type of insurance, you must submit your application and verify if you meet the requirements to be eligible for a public health plan.
It is important that you take into account that these insurances are only available for New York citizens who do not have the economic possibility of contracting a private health plan;
or for older adults and people with some type of disability or terminal illness.
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How to apply for health insurance in New York?
As we mentioned before, there are different options for you to access health insurance in New York and, therefore, the way to apply for one of them may also be different.
The first thing you need to decide is whether you prefer public or private health insurance:
Apply for private health insurance in New York
If you want to take out insurance with a private company, you must do the following:
The first thing you should do is choose an insurance company, then you should analyze the available plans and choose the one that best suits your budget and needs.
The next step is to start the process, at this time you must make sure you meet the requested requirements, you may have to carry out some studies to check your current health status.
Finally, you must sign the contract and pay the corresponding premium for your insurance to be active.
Apply for public health insurance in New York.
This type of health insurance is very basic and free or low cost. To take out this type of insurance, you must meet the following requirements:
- Have an income level that does not allow you to access private health insurance.
- Be over 65 years of age.
- Have some type of disability or terminal illness regardless of age.
- Health insurance contracting options in New York
- According to the New York Department of Financial Services, residents can obtain health insurance through several options that we mention below:
- Employer Provided
- From your employer (boss).
- Through your spouse’s employer.
- Individual or Family Plans
- Through HealthCare.
- Health Maintenance Organization (HMO).
- Directly with a health insurance company.
- Preferred Provider Network (PPO).
- Assisted by the Federal Government
- State health insurance.
- Sickness policies.
- Medicare and Medicaid.
- POS plans.
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Types of health insurance in New York
Being such a large state, it has multiple insurance companies that offer various health plans. Next, we share the main types of health policies in New York:
HMO (Health Maintenance Organization)
These are policies where you need to seek medical care from a professional who belongs to the network of service providers of the insurance company you chose.
In general, they are policies with less paperwork and cheaper, but also with less possibility of choosing doctors freely.
PPO (Preferred Provider Organization)
This option includes preferred providers within the network, although you can visit any doctor or specialist that is not part of it.
Take into account that for each medical visit outside the network you will have to pay an additional fee. Finally, these plans require more paperwork, but they offer exclusive discounts.
POS (Point of Service Plan)
It is a combination between HMO and PPO plans. If you contract a POS plan you can visit any doctor.
Some discounts are also available, but you will always pay more when you visit a doctor outside the network. Consider that, with POS insurance, you must request a “referral” to be able to visit a specialist.
Catastrophic Plans
They are ideal coverage for emergencies and certain preventive care.
If you are 30 years old or younger, this could be one of your most cost-effective options, since you will receive up to 3 primary care visits before your deductible kicks in.
However, these plans have high deductibles. It is important to mention that not all insurance companies offer this type of plan.
