Check Over Your Insurance Policy This Holiday

Most people who have health insurance policies tend to have busy schedules, especially during the holidays. But between all of the hustle and bustle of gift shopping, business meetings and family dinners, try to make some time to check over your health insurance policy. While that may seem like an arbitrary task to complete, it can prove to be quite fruitful. Keeping an eye out on your policy, or at least skimming it over again, could reveal some surprising benefits. Here are a few of the most popular benefits that policyholders do not even know they have.

 

Mental Health

When thinking of health insurance, the popular assumption is that a policy will only cover physical health, like visiting a hospital after a car accident or for a check-up. What most people do not know is that a good deal of insurance plans actually cover mental health issues. This varies depending on the plan, but some of the more popular coverages include: psychotherapy, counseling and depression screening. Some plans include much more coverage. In a Men’sHealth article, Professor Dylan Roby, Ph.D., a professor at the University of Maryland’s School of Public Health, stated that the Affordable Care Act made it so that any non-grandfathered in policies must cover some major essential health benefits, with mental health being one of them.

 

Acupuncture

Dating back as far as 100 BC, acupuncture is the process of inserting fine, sterile needles into specific areas (acupoints) of the body, in the hopes of relieving stress and pain. It is not technically based on any real scientific knowledge, and is considered a pseudoscience. Regardless, it is covered by some health plans in the states of California, Alaska, Maryland, Nebraska and Washington. And other large name insurance providers, like Blue Cross Blue Shield cover the practice in the states of Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, and Connecticut.

 

Fitness Training

With the New Year right around the corner, many Americans will be resolving to get healthier and stay fit by purchasing gym memberships. While most tend to go for a month or so before losing their ambition, your insurance policy might be an incentive to continue going. Some insurance providers, like Group Health Cooperative, actually offer payment (or at least discounts) for personal sessions with fitness trainers or yoga instructors or even pilates instructors. Again, these types of plans tend to only cover one-on-one sessions. And while not all of the services are available in all locations in Seattle, where the provider is located, they are trying to reach as many policyholders as possible.
This is only a small glimpse into some of the surprisingly impressive benefits of health insurance plans. So, while it may seem cumbersome to check over your policy, just remember that you could be saving hundreds on services that you frequently use, or desperately need.