Telehealth Is Shattering Copays And Deductibles
Being insured means you can go to the doctor as many times as you want for free, right? Not quite. Chances are you still have to pay a fee for each visit, called a copay, or a deductible before your coverage kicks in. If you already have to pay for that doctor visit or that treatment despite being insured, then telehealth might be a much cheaper option.
What is Copay in US Health Insurance?
Before we analyze the prices, we should expand on some key concepts that people who are insured, or just got health insurance, might not be familiar with. The first one of those concepts is copay:
· Copay is the amount the insured has to pay from the medical bill
· It is usually set as a percentage
· This “small” fraction of the total serves to discourage insured people from billing the insurance for “excessive” use of the healthcare system
How Much is a Typical Copay?
Basically, your insurer does not want you to go to the doctor every day. That is why they make you pay a fraction of the cost of seeing a doctor in the US or abroad. But how much does this copay cost? It depends on your insurance provider. Here are some typical price ranges for copay in the US:
· Between $15 to $25 for a regular doctor visit
· To see a specialist, the copay goes up to somewhere between $30 and $50
· In case you need urgent care, you can end up paying anywhere between $75 and $100
· Copay for emergency room treatment will be between $200 and $300 typically
What is a Deductible?
Copays are not the only instrument insurers use to avoid giving you the sensation that everything you want is already paid for. Some can also use deductibles. The definition of deductible is straight forward:
· An amount of money the insured pays out of pocket before the insurance company pays any expense
· Deductible amounts vary depending on the kind of coverage you are looking for
· Usually, higher deductibles result in lower monthly insurance fees and lower deductibles lead to higher monthly fees
· Unlike a copay, the deductible is usually a foxed amount of money as opposed to a percentage of your medical bill
· A good example of a deductible is a $1,000 dollar bill you get whether you have a $25,000 dollar surgery, or one that costs $50,000. The deductible is the same
Other insurance policies besides health insurance, also use deductibles, whereas copays are much more common in healthcare than any other industry. As such, you might have a deductible on your car insurance in case of a total loss, for example.
How is Telehealth Shattering Copays and Deductibles?
If you have to pay out of your own pocket to see a doctor even if you have insurance, then what is the benefit of being insured at all? Well, the benefit is that you do not have to pay the entirety of your medical bill. Nevertheless, if your copay starts from $15 and can go up to hundreds of dollars, then telehealth might be a better option for you.
With services starting from $29 a month, for the price of two consults under the cheapest copay out there, you can already get quality care from Antidote.ai. The benefits of choosing a telehealth provider like ours make the deal even more interesting:
· Telehealth services have doctors available 24/7
· Get an appointment within minutes
· You can consult with them from the comfort of your home, or wherever you are
Furthermore, if you visit the doctor more through your telehealth provider, an insurance provider that could be looking at how many times you go to the doctor per month, cannot raise your premiums, change your coverage or your deductibles.
There Still is a Place for Insurance
Despite these benefits, there still is a place for your healthcare insurance. After all, we cannot perform surgery or treat life-threatening diseases remotely yet. But if you are looking to save on your copay and use your coverage for all the treatments that no one can provide through a screen, telehealth is the solution you are looking for.
