Insurance Basics: Home

The Affordable Care Act

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) of 2010 makes it easier for many Americans to get health insurance. It also expands the services that health plans need to cover.

The Affordable Care Act
Shared Decision Making and Preference-Sensitive Conditions

To get the best care, it helps if you and your doctor make decisions together. The process is called "shared decision making." This article suggests ways to talk to your doctor about three common health problems where there may be no clear, "right" option. They are uterine fibroids, type 2 diabetes and low-risk prostate cancer. These are examples of preference-sensitive conditions.

Shared Decision Making and Preference-Sensitive Conditions
Provider Networks

Your plan may contract with doctors, dentists and other healthcare practitioners; hospitals; labs; radiology facilities; pharmacies and other types of providers. These are the providers in your “network”.

If Your Plan Doesn't Pay (Appealing a Reimbursement Decision)

Suppose your insurer won´t pay for a healthcare service, or pays less than you had expected. You have the right to “appeal”, or ask for your case to be formally reconsidered.

All About Medicaid

This article will tell you what Medicaid is and how it works. It will also tell you whom and what Medicaid covers, including long-term care, and how to sign up for it. Finally, it will tell you about dual eligibility for adults 65 and older who qualify for both Medicare and Medicaid. This article doesn’t provide legal or financial advice. Consider speaking to a financial advisor or lawyer if you have questions about your specific situation.

Managing Costs of Long-Term Care

Long-term care is medical and nonmedical care that you receive for an extended period of time, at home, in your community or in a residential facility. This article will tell you how to manage the costs of long-term care. This article does not provide medical, financial or legal advice.