TELEMEDICINE BENEFITS & LIMITATIONS
Telemedicine tools are offered by most health insurance plans. Benefits of using a telehealth doctor visit include lower copays, shorter wait times compared to sitting in the doctor’s office, you can speak with the doctor from the comfort of your home and it’s available 24/7.
In addition to your health insurance, many health care providers such as medical clinics or hospitals offer their own telehealth medicine options. Individual & family plans do not offer benefits when you are traveling out of Nebraska except in an emergency or urgent care situation. Telemedicine is an easy tool that allows you to see an in-network doctor when you are away from home.
Limitations are that telehealth can only handle basic medical issues, the doctor is not familiar with your health history, and a prescription is typically written for a shorter duration of time with the expectation that you will follow up with your primary care physician.
KNOW YOUR HEALTH INSURANCE NETWORK
In 2022, Nebraskans were offered individual & family health insurance plans through healthcare.gov by four insurance companies: Medica, Bright Healthcare, Ambetter, and Oscar. Multiple network options were available based on where you live.
Be sure to understand what your network is and how to use it. Both Ambetter and Oscar were new to Nebraska in 2022. Their provider networks are not as fully developed as the insurance companies that are more established. Medica and Bright Healthcare offer limited networks based on hospital systems and broad-based networks that give you access to almost all doctors and hospitals.
Unless it is an emergency or urgent situation, the expenses that you incur if you use an out-of-network provider will generally not be covered by your insurance policy. You will be personally responsible for paying the bill. If you need any assistance finding in-network providers for your plan, please let us know. We’re happy to help!
WHO QUALIFIES FOR COBRA INSURANCE
COBRA is a benefit that allows an individual that is leaving his/her employment to keep their employer’s health insurance coverage for up to 18 months. This applies to the individual as well as their family members. The individual will be obligated to pay 100% of the health plan premium. Others that may qualify for COBRA include those who retire before age 65, leave a job to start a new business or go to a new employer that does offer health insurance.
The downside with COBRA is that it’s usually very expensive. A person that qualifies for COBRA may also be eligible for a health insurance plan through healthcare.gov. The premiums are generally much lower than COBRA. If you know someone looking for other options, please have them contact our ComPro Team for assistance with this.
MEET OUR NEWEST TEAMMATE, JESSICA SIMS
Allow us to introduce you to our new Receptionist/Administrative Assistant, Jessica Sims. Jessica earned her bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Northwest Missouri State University. One of the things she enjoys most is helping people. Here is some fun Q&A to learn more about her…
Are you originally from Lincoln? Actually, I was born in California and lived in the Bay area until I was 11. I lived in Kansas City through high school and college and now, I call Lincoln my home.
What are your hobbies? I have two hobbies – reading books and buying books! Some would say these are the same thing, but I beg to differ.
How about a fun fact about you?
May sound a bit weird, but my favorite animal is the giraffe. And if you’ve got some time to kill, I’d be happy to share the countless interesting facts I know about them!
GOOGLE REVIEWS, PLEASE!
Have you had a positive experience with ComPro? We would very much appreciate you sharing this as a Google review.
