Keeping your family healthy is an integral part of life. Living an active lifestyle and eating the right foods goes a long way to preventing illness. Unfortunately, there are times when even the healthiest of people get sick or injured.
When that happens, it’s essential to have reliable health insurance to cover the unforeseen expenses. We’ve put together some tips to keep your family healthy and a guideline for choosing the right health insurance plan.
Healthy Food Choices
Our bodies are machines of sorts, and we need to fuel them to function and have the energy to live. Food is that fuel, but often what we consume isn’t natural or healthy. Products filled with chemicals and preservatives can make us sick as our bodies struggle to process them.
The more often you get sick, the more you’ll need to use your health insurance. To prevent illness, try eating a diet rich in whole and natural foods. Incorporate whole grains and healthy fats into your diet.
Consult your insurance and find out if it offers wellness coaching. This service is excellent for getting advice on nutrition and healthy living. If provided by your plan, take advantage of it to get information on the best diet to follow for optimum health for your family.
Get Moving
Exercise is a necessary evil for many people, while others enjoy the freedom of a run or bike ride in the fresh air. Either way, it needs to be a part of our lives to ensure we stay healthy. Children naturally love to run and play, so make arrangements to take them to the park or playground to run around to their heart’s content.
Adults need a bit more coaxing. Study the benefits of your health insurance plan here, to see if it has added extras such as gym memberships. Keep abreast of news and events that are promoted by the company. Often information on wellness days and races is communicated to members in the hope that they’ll participate.
Work With Your Health Insurance
Your insurance company wants you to remain healthy. It’s in their best interest if you’re not using money from the scheme’s fund. Many insurance policies offer preventative care and promote healthy habits, so you don’t get sick.
You’ll find benefits such as health and wellness classes or a wellbeing program discounts. Some even have a health coaching facility to help you lose weight, reduce stress, and quit smoking.
By taking advantage of these services, you’re keeping healthy and saving at the same time by not visiting the doctor.
The Four Types of Health Insurance
The reality is that health insurance is still essential, and you need to choose one that serves you and your family best. Health Insurance packages differ between the various companies, but they’re mainly categorized into four types:
- HMO (Health Maintenance Organization) – Your health is taken care of by a primary physician. Most medical services are covered as long as the doctor contracts with HMO. The plan offers integrated care, as well as on prevention and wellness. Investigate which of the services you can use as a family to keep you healthy.
- PPO (Preferred Provider Organization) – A network of doctors and hospitals are approved as medical caregivers, and these are the ones you should consult when you need medical attention. It costs less to use one of the physicians that belong to the system.
- POS (Point of Service) – You’ll have a primary doctor that’ll look after your family’s health. If necessary, he’ll need to refer you to specialists for further treatment. Any visits to out of network providers will be more expensive since you have to cover most of the cost.
- EPO (Exclusive Provider Organization Plan) – This is a managed care plan where you’ll only be covered for doctors and specialists’ services that are part of the network. You can use out-of-network professionals but at an extra cost. There’s an exception for emergency treatment, which allows you to use any provider.
Consider Price and Network Coverage
Choosing the right family health insurance policy can be very difficult. Before you go out in search of a policy, you need to think about what you can afford to spend. As you look at the various policies at your disposal, you need to take notice of things like monthly premium costs and deductibles. Selecting a plan with a very low monthly premium usually means that your deductible will be very high. Your main goal should be choosing a health insurance policy that has the right mix of value and coverage.
While we are on the subject of coverage, you also need to assess how extensive the network being offered by an insurance provider is. Choosing a policy with an extremely limited network can result in big problems in the future. Even if you have to pay a bit more for a policy with an extensive network, it will be worth it in the long run. With this large network, you will be able to pick and choose the medical professionals you want to see. Consulting with a knowledgeable insurance agent is crucial when trying to make the right policy selection.
Final Thoughts
Without a doubt, our health is the most precious commodity we have. With some effort from your side by eating healthy and staying active, you and your family will decrease the number of times you need to visit a doctor. Instead of seeing the medical insurance company as the enemy, take advantage of the added benefits that it offers to keep you healthy.
Use the free gym memberships and take part in the health and wellness classes. The healthier you are, the less you’ll need to use your medical insurance. Choose a policy that suits you best to ensure you have the cover you need if anyone in your family does fall ill or get injured.
