Health Insurance

 

  • Insurance Listings
  • Insurance Terms
  • Plan Types
  • Medicare
  • Medicaid

Participating Health Plans

Boardman Medical Supply bills Medicare (including Traditional, HMO, PPO, POS, PFFS, & Special Needs Plans), Medicaid, and Commercial Insurance. Contact BMS if you do not see your insurance carrier listed. Our customer service representatives can assist you in determining your coverage and or getting your insurance carrier listed.
New Insurance Companies are continually updated. Call 1800-443-3390 if you do not see yours listed!

Medicare

TRADITIONAL MEDICARE:
WWW.MEDICARE.GOV


Medicaid

MEDICAID MANAGED CARE PLANS:
GATEWAY HEALTH PLAN
CARESOURCE
CARELINK
BUCKEYE HEALTH PLAN
UNITED HEALTHCARE
COMMUNITY PLAN
MOLINA HEALTHCARE
PARAMOUNT ADVANTAGE
AETNA BETTER HEALTH
PENNSYLVANIA HEALTH AND WELLNESS
HEALTH PLAN SERVICES
ACCESS PLUS
AREA AGENCY ON AGING/PASSPORT
BCMH-CHILDREN WITH MEDICAL HANDICAPS

TRADITIONAL MEDICAID:
OHIO, PENNSYLVANIA, & WEST VIRGINIA MEDICAID


Medicare Advantage Plans

ADVANTRA ELITE/SILVER
AETNA MEDICARE
AETNA COVENTRY
ALLWELL
ANTHEM MEDICARE ADVANTAGE
ANTHEM SENIOR ADVANTAGE
CARESOURCE ADVANTAGE
EVERCARE
FREEDOM BLUE
FREEDOM BLUE OF WV
GATEWAY SPECIAL NEEDS PLANS
HEALTH MARKET CARE ASSURED
HIGHMARK MEDICARE PLANS
HUMANA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE
KEYSTONE BLUE
MCS ADVANTAGE HMO
MEDICAL MUTUAL MEDICARE ADVANTAGE
MMO ADVANTAGE PLAN
MOLINA MEDICARE
MYCARE BUCKEYE DUAL
MYCARE MOLINA DUAL
MYCARE UNITED HEALTHCARE DUAL
PACIFICARE SENIOR CHOICE
PACIFICARE/SECURE HORIZON
PARAMOUNT ADVANTAGE
PRIMETIME HEALTH PLAN
PYRAMID LIFE INSURANCE CO.
SECURE HORIZONS
SECURECARE
SECURITY BLUE
SIERRA HEALTH
STERLING OPTION II
UNISON ADVANTAGE PLUS
UNITED HEALTHCARE MEDICARE ADVANTAGE
UNITED MEDICARE COMPLETE
UNIVERSA SENIOR CHOICE
VISTA HEALTH PLAN
WELLCARE/ADVANTAGE


Commercial Plans

AARP
ABP Administration (aka
DMEnsion Benefits)
Accordia
Acordia Natl/Wells Fargo
Advantra
Aetna
Ambetter Buckeye
America’s Choice Provider
Network
American Medical Security
American Postal Workers Union
Ancilllary Care Services
Anthem
Anthem Blue
Anthem BC/BS (all plans)
ASC Flora
Assure Care
Bankers Life & Casualty
Beech Street
Benefit Services
Benefit Planners
Boilermakers
Bureau of Workers Compensation
Carelink
Caresource
Carpenters Health & Welfare
Central Benefits (thru MMO)
Central Reserve Life
Champus/Tricare
Choice Care
Clincial Specialties
Co-Finity
Community Mutual
ConservCare


Consolidated Freightways
Coresource
Diversified Benefits
Employee Benefit Consultants
Enterprise Group Planning
First Health
Gateway
GEHA
Golden Rule
Guardian Life
Harrington Benefits
Hartford Life
Health America
Health Assurance
Health Benefit Adminstrator
Health Plan Administrator
Health Smart
Health Scope
Highmark
Homelink
Hometown Health Plan
Humana
John Hancock
JP Farley
Klais & Company
Lincoln National Life
Mailhandlers
Medical Mutual (All Plans)
MCA Administrators
Multi-Plan
Multi-Plan Network
Mutual of Omaha
NASI-HSN
National Health services



National Preferred Network (Plan Vista)
North American Administrator
Ohio Carpenters
Ohio Preferred
Oscar Insurance
Pioneer Life
Preferred Care of Ohio
Primary Health Services
(Network)
Principal Mutual Life Insurance
Private Health Care Systems
(Network)
Professional Benefits
Professional Claims Management
Provident Life
Prudential
Reliacare
RX Home Health Care
Self-Funded Plan
State Mutual
Summacare (VGM Homelink
network only)

Super Med
The Med Group
Third Party Administrators
Tricare
UFCW
Unicare
United Food / Commercial Workers
United Health Care

Terms & Words to Know

  1. Assignment
  2. Capped Rental Item
  3. Certificate of Medical Necessity
  4. Coinsurance
  5. Coordination of Benefits
  6. Copayment
  7. Covered Expenses
  8. Customary Fee
  9. Deductible
  10. Durable Medical Equipment
  11. Exclusions
  12. HMO
  13. Managed Care
  14. Maximum Out Of Pocket Expenses
  15. Medically Necessary
  16. Medicare Advantage Plan (Part C)
  17. Medicare Approved Amount
  18. Medigap Policy
  19. Nebulizers
  20. Non-cancelable Policy
  21. Original Medicare
  22. Orthotics
  23. Patient Lifts
  24. PPO (Preferred Provider Organization)
  25. Pre-existing Condition
  26. Premiums
  27. Primary Care Doctor
  28. Prostheses
  29. Prosthetic Devices
  30. Provider
  31. Third-Party Payer

Assignment (return to top)

An agreement between a person with Medicare, a doctor or supplier, and Medicare. Doctors or suppliers who accept an assigment from Medicare agree to accept the Mediare-appproved amount as full payment.

Capped Rental Item (return to top)

Durable medical equipment,(like oxygen, nebulizers, and manual wheelchairs) that cost more than $150, and are rented to people with Medicare more than 25% of the time.

Certificate of Medical Necessity (return to top)

A form required by Medicare that your physician must complete to get Medicare coverage for certain medical equipment.

Coinsurance (return to top)

After you have met your insurance deductible, this is the amount that you would be responsible for paying for any medical care, service or fees. A coinsurance rate is usually described as a percentage where the insurance covers 80 percent and you would cover 20 percent.

Coordination of Benefits (return to top)

When you are covered under more than one group health insurance plan or medical insurance plan this is the system that coordinates the benefits. Usually, claims set up under two health insurance plans limit the benefit payment to no more than 100 percent of the health claim.

Co-payment (return to top)

This is a shared medical cost between you and the insurance provider. You pay a set amount for a medical service and the insurance provider pays the rest. You might have a co-pay amount of $10-$15 for a doctor's visit or whatever amount is set by your insurance provider.

Covered Expenses (return to top)

Not all health care services are paid for by health insurance plans, whether they are fee-for-service, HMOs, or PPOs. Some may not pay for prescription drugs while others may not pay for mental health care. Covered health care services are those medical services and procedures the health insurer agrees to pay for. They are usually listed in your health insurance policy. Contact your insurance carrier for all services that are covered under your plan.

Customary Fee (return to top)

Insurance companies pay only what they call a csutomeray fee or what is a reasonable fee for health care services. If most doctors in your area are charging a lower rate than your current physician for a specific procedure, then the insurance company may elect to pay the lower rate, or what is customary for your area. You would be responsible for paying the difference in addition to your deductible amount. You may elect to shop around for another physician that has a lower fee for the procedure or ask your current doctor if he will lower his cost to match what the insurance provider will pay.

Deductible (return to top)

This is the amount that you will be responsible for before your insurance company pays the balance. If you have a decutible amount of $500, then you pay the first $500 and the insurance company will pay the balance. Since each plan is different contact your insurance provider to see what deductible amounts are available on your plan. For Medicare: the amount you must pay for health care or prescriptions, before Original Medicare or other insurance begins to pay. For example, in Original Medicare, you pay a new deductible for each benefit period for Part A, and each year for Part B. These amounts can change every year.

Durable Medical Equipment (return to top)

Medical equipment that is ordered by a doctor (or, if Medicare allows, a nurse practitioner, physician assistant, or clincial nurse specialist) for use in the home. A hosptial or nursing home that mostly provides skilled care cannot qualify as a "home" in this situation. These medical items must be reusable, such as walkers, wheelchairs, or hospital beds.

Exclusions (return to top)

Specific procedures or conditions can be excluded from coverage by your insurance provider and they will not provide benefits. Check with your insurance provider to verify what specific exclusions are not covered on your plan.

HMO (Health Maintenance Organization) (return to top)

HMO's are prepaid health insurance plans where you pay a monthly premium and the HMO covers your doctors' visits, hospital stays, emergency care, surgery, checkups, lab tests, x-rays, and therapy. Usually you are limited to specific doctors and hospitals designated by the HMO plan.

Managed Care (return to top)

Managed care are ways to manage costs and the quality of health care systems. All HMOs and PPOs, and many fee-for-service plans have managed care.

Maximum Out-of-Pocket Expenses (return to top)

This is the maximum amount of money that you would be required to pay for any deductible or coinsurance amounts in a year. It us usually an amount set by the insurance provider.

Medically Necessary (return to top)

Services or supplies that are needed for the diagnosis or treatment of your medical condition.

Medicare Advantage Plan (Part C) (return to top)

A type of Medicare plan offered by a private company that contracts with Medicare to provide you with all your Medicare part A and Part B benefits. Also, called Part C, Medicare Advantage Plans are HMOs, PPOs, Private Fee-for-Service Plans, or Medicare Medical Savings Account Plans. If you are enrolled in a Medicare Advantage Plan, Medicare services are covered through the plan, and are not paid for under Original Medicare.

Medicare Approved Amount (return to top)

In Original Medicare, this is the amount a doctor or supplier that accepts assignment can be paid. It includes what Medicare pays and any deductible, coinsurance, or copayment that you pay. It may be less than the amount a doctor or supplier charges for the item.

Medigap Policy (return to top)

Medicare Supplement Insurance sold by private insurance companies to fill "gaps" in Original Medicare coverage. Except in Massachusetts, Minnesota, and Wisconsin, all Medigap policies must be one of 12 standardized Medigap policies labeled Medigap Plan A through Plan L. Medigap policies only work with Original Medicare.

Nebulizers (return to top)

Equipment that delivers medicine in a mist form to your lungs.

Non-cancellable Policy (return to top)

This is a type of policy that guarantees you will receive health insurance as long as you keep paying the insurance premium. It can also be called a guaranteed renewable policy.

Original Medicare (return to top)

Original Medicare has two parts: Part A (Hospital Insurance) and Part B (Medical Insurance). It is a fee-for-service health plan. After you pay a deductible, Medicare pays its share of the Medicare-approved amount, and you pay your share (coinsurance and deductibles).

Orthotics (return to top)

Devices that correct or support the function of body parts. Examples include leg, arm, and neck braces.

Patient Lifts (return to top)

Equipment designed to move a patient from a bed or wheelchair.

PPO (Preferred Provider Organization) (return to top)

Usually under this type of provider, a larger part of your medical fees are covered by the provider if you use physicians and hospitals that are part of the PPO. If you use physicians and hospitals outside of the PPO, then you could pay a higher fees.

Pre-existing Condition (return to top)

When a health issue existed before the date your health insurance policy became effective it is called a pre-exiting condition. It existed before you obtained any health insurance.

Premiums (return to top)

This is the amount that you pay to your health insurance provider in exchange for them covering your medical payments.

Primary Care Doctor (return to top)

Your primary care doctor is your family physician or other first care doctor who monitors your health conditions on a routine basis. If you need more specialized care, then they are the doctors that refer you to a specialist. Many health insurance plans will only pay fees under a specialists care if you are referred by your primary care doctor. An HMO or a POS plan will provide you with a list of doctors from which you can choose your primary care doctor, a family physician, internists, obstetrician-gynecologist, or pediatrician. If you change plans, you may have to choose a new primary care doctor if your current one does not belong to the health insurance plan.

Prostheses (return to top)

Devices that subsitute for a missing body part. Examples include artificial legs, arms, and eyes.

Prosthetic Devices (return to top)

Medical equipment (other than dental) that replaces all or part of an internal body organ.

Provider (return to top)

A provider can be any doctor, nurse practitioner, dentist, hospital or clinic that provides medical care and services.

Third-Party Payer (return to top)

Third party payers can be health insurance companies, HMO or PPO, or the Federal Government that pays for your health care services.

Types

  1. Managed Care Plans
  2. HMO (Health Maintenance Organizations)
  3. Fee-For-Service Health Plans
  4. PPO (Preferred Provider Organizations)
  5. POS (Point of Service Plans)

Managed Care Plans(return to top)

Health Insurers help control costs through managed care plans. The insurance provider can monitor if a medical service or procedure is necessary and cost-effective. If you need medical services or need to go to the hospital, your insurance provider may require you to pre-approve this service or hospital admittance prior to being admitted or having the service performed. If the service or hospital stay is done without approval, you would be responsible for the fees.

HMO (Health Maintenance Organizations)(return to top)

An HMO is a pre-paid health plan. You pay a monthly premium in exchange for comprehensive medical care. This usually includes all doctor's visits and medical services. The HMO usually has physicians and facilities that have agreements to provide care under the HMO plan. You are provided a list of these providers to choose from when you need care. Exceptions are granted for emergency care and medical emergencies. If you elect to use physicians and facilities not under the HMO umbrella, you could be denied coverage or pay extra fees for their services. HMO's usually require a co-payment for services, but your total medical costs could be lower and more consistent in what you pay for services.

Under an HMO plan, you may not have to file a claim for medical services. You present an identification card to the physician or facility, pay any co-payment fees, and the balance is paid for by the HMO.

Fee-for-Service Health Plans(return to top)

With these common health insurance plans, you pay a premium to the health insurance provider in exchange for coverage of health insurance. The insurer pays only part of your doctor and medical services and you pay the rest called co-insurance. Typically the insurer pays 80% and you pay 20%, depending upon the plan selected, after you have met your deductible. Deductibles and plans vary and coverage could be limited to how much an insurance provider will pay depending upon the circumstances and exclusions. Most Fee-for-Service plans have a "cap" which is the most you would have to pay in one year for any medical expenses, outside of your monthly premium payments.

There are two kinds of coverage, Basic and Major Medical. Basic coverage includes most short term hospital stays, doctor's visits, services and supplies, while the Major Medical takes over where the Basic coverage leaves off. Usually, Major Medical covers the cost of long and high-cost illnesses or injuries. Consult with your insurance carrier to determine what limitations and exclusions are covered under Basic and Major medical portions.

You, your physician or medical facility normally files a claim for any insurance coverage to the insurance provider to collect payment.

PPO (Preferred Provider Organizations)(return to top)

Preferred Providers are a combination of traditional Fee-for-Service plans and an HMO. There are limited number of physicians and facilities where most of your medical services are covered. You choose a primary care physician that the PPO will cover preventive care. In most cases, you present your identification card, pay any co-payment amounts, and the PPO provider covers the balance. However, with certain health care services, you may have to pay a deductible and coinsurance amount and providers may require a claim for for coverage. You can usually use physicians and facilities not under the PPO plan, however, you can expect to pay a larger portion of the bill yourself.

POS (Point-of-Service Plans)(return to top)

Point-of-Service Plans are an indemnity type plan offered by HMO's. If you are a member of a POS, you don't necessarily need a physician's referral. You can refer yourself to an out-of-plan physician and still have coverage by the health plan. If a physician makes a referral to an out-of-network physician or facility, the service is covered, but you may have a coinsurance to pay.

 

Medicare

  1. Medicare may be something for which you have paid taxes for, but it is not FREE.
  2. The cost of Medicare is deducted each month from your Social Security check.
  3. Medicare insurance is basic coverage only.
  4. Medicare does not pay physicians much. That is one of the reasons why physicians are sometimes so reluctant to take only Medicare payments for their services.
  5. There are two types of supplemental insurance: Medicare Advantage and Medigap.
  6. Medicare Advantage: Covers most of what Medicare does not with low or zero deductibles, however it may limit your coverage to a specific geography or health care network. You will generally get the full package including prescription coverage.
  7. Medigap: More like a conventional Blue Cross insurance, which can be used just anywhere, but has more deductibles. With Medigap you would have to buy a separate prescription insurance package. The medications that are covered in this policy vary greatly from one insurance policy to another.
  8. Not everyone needs to buy the most expensive plan, however it you chose a low-cost plan, you may not end up being covered for some very expensive medicines.

Medicaid

  1. The federal and state governments both fund Medicaid.
  2. Medicaid provides medical and long-term care (physician, hospital bills, prescription drug costs, etc.) for lower income mothers and children, frail seniors and people with disabilities.
  3. Each individual state is responsible for how their Medicaid is structured.
  4. Each state’s spending is “matched” by the federal government.
  5. States must provide all beneficiaries with a basic set of services (doctor’s visits, hospital care, x-ray and lab services, family planning services and special health screening for children).
  6. States must also pay for care in nursing facilities and for home-based services.
  7. Medicare and private insurers do not generally cover the cost of costly long-term institutional care.
  8. States must also provide “optional” services (dental care, eyeglasses, speech therapy, and prescription drugs).
  9. Federal law limits the premiums and the amount of cost sharing permitted under this program because the people served by Medicaid have little or no ability to pay for the services.
  10. Any state that chooses to provide an optional service must provide that same service to all of its “categorically” eligible participants and it must also be offered as a benefit to any disabled people receiving social security income.
  11. Eligibility rules for Medicaid are very complex. They are linked to both income and other factors such as family or disability status.

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