Open Enrollment For Health Insurance: What RVers Need To Know
As 2020 crests the halfway point and starts sliding into fall, RVers are thinking about their open enrollment options for 2021. The health insurance needs for RVers are different than those who call sticks and bricks their primary home. Finding insurance agents that fully understand these requirements can be a challenge. RVers need someone to help them understand open enrollment for health insurance in time for Open Enrollment 2021.
There are two open enrollment for health insurance dates
Open enrollment for RVers that are under 65 is from November 1st through December 15th, 2020. The over 65 Medicare open enrollment begins October 15th and runs through December 7th, 2020. It’s critical that RVers review those two dates carefully.
You must make any changes you wish to make during the correct dates for your age group. Do not wait until the last minute or you will be stuck with whatever coverage you have for another year. As an aside, if you already have a Medicare Supplemental plan, it will automatically rollover. There is nothing you need to do unless you want to shop around.
What is insurance?
For a better understanding of health insurance, we turn to Geoff Matthews. Geoff is currently licensed in multiple states and part of the team helping thousands of RVers with their health insurance needs on RVerInsurance.com. Geoff is a certified agent operating with RV Insurance Benefits (RVIB), a company dedicated to serving the RVing community and partnering with RVerInsurance.com to help those who are enjoying the RVing lifestyle.
“Insurance is the transferring of an unknown financial risk to a third party, the Insurance Company. Insurance is ultimately the financial protection of your assets, whether health, auto, or property.”
“Over the past 25 to 30 years, the larger health insurance companies; BlueCross/BlueShield, Cigna, Kaiser, and Aetna, etc. have spent an obscene amount of money lobbying our lawmakers to create a money machine industry out of our health care in an environment of smoke and mirrors. Their primary concern is their own bottom line.”
“Who do these companies ultimately have to answer to? You, or their shareholders? If you, then why does a doctor need authorization (referral approval) from the insurance company to provide treatment? Shouldn’t that be between you and your doctor?”
How does insurance work?
Geoff goes on to explain how insurance works and how they make a profit.
“Let’s take a very simplified look at the insurance company’s business model: Income (premiums) -vs- expense (salaries, cost of medical care) = profit/loss. The insurance company charges the consumer the highest premium allowable and then attempts to pay the medical professional as little as possible. This often takes the health care decisions away from the doctor, and the patient. They are making the decisions about your health care based on a profit and loss scenario.”
“At the same time, the big insurance companies have conditioned us to believe that health insurance is designed to pay for all of our medical needs. Yet these companies design their policies with copays, deductibles, and coinsurance. This means that after you have made your large monthly premium payment, you still have to pay to see the doctor or get a prescription filled and meet a deductible that the average American never meets. If by chance, you do meet your deductible, most are still faced with a coinsurance scenario where the insurance company only pays for part of your treatment.”
Health insurance can be costly
Managing your health insurance costs is critical, and can be a devastating expense if you aren’t properly and carefully insured by professionals that understand your life, such as that of an RVer.
On average, 66.5 percent of all bankruptcies were tied to medical issues. In fact, “an estimated 530,000 families turn to bankruptcy each year because of medical issues and bills”, according to CNBC. Much of this can be prevented with proper health and medical insurance. Many of these people thought they were covered because they had Major Medical coverage.
Make open enrollment for health insurance your choice
Geoff Matthews added,
“Before the big insurance companies got involved with our health care and turned it into health management, the average American that had health insurance had a fixed benefit indemnity type of coverage. A fixed benefit indemnity policy provides the policyholder a specific amount for each covered area. With a fixed benefit indemnity policy, you choose the dollar amount of coverage. You also choose who provides your medical care and where. You also get to choose whether or not you want to take advantage of the network that you have available to you.”
“Remember, insurance is a personal decision in protecting the assets you have worked so hard to create and deserve to keep. Through RVerInsurance.com, the RVIB agent’s commitment to personal service is second to none. Our team of agents are committed to work with you before and after your policy is in place helping you to find the level of financial protection for the health care that meets your needs.”
Don’t wait until open enrollment starts
Start learning about the insurance options that are available to the RVer today, before Open Enrollment 2021 arrives. Visit RVerInsurance.com for a free health insurance quote. You can also learn about Medicare Supplemental Insurance, Accident and Critical Illness coverage, Dental & Vision, Fixed Benefit Insurance, and more. Get a free quote today and let Geoff and the other RVIB insurance professionals help you find the best insurance for you.
Geoff Matthews and his wife Johana are full-time RVers and highly qualified agents specializing in providing expert insurance advice for RVers.
