Danielle DiLonardo
Dr. Bullard
Consumer Health Decisions
10/11/15
Health Insurance Assignment
The health insurance assignment helped me comprehend how insurances work further. I
picked my plan out with my future in mind. I decided to make my insurance with the idea of the
next ten years in mind. So I would be thirty years old and I figured my husband would probably
be about thirty-two years old. In my future, I also would hope to have three kids by then as well.
I made their ages four years old, two years old, and one year old. I chose the zip code 07430,
because my hometown is Mahwah, NJ so I thought that maybe I would move back there with my
family when I finally settle down in my life. Since I want to be an occupational therapist after I
graduate and go to graduate’s school, I figured my salary and my husband’s salary might
collectively be $120,000 if we both had well-paying jobs.
The plan I chose for my family was a gold insurance plan. I decided to pick this plan
because I figured at my age and my husband’s ages we would be pretty healthy so we wouldn’t
need as much coverage, but we had it just in case anything was to happen, also my children
would have been covered on the plan as well until they turned 25 years old.
The exact plan that I chose was Horizon Blue Cross and Blue Shield NJ, Horizon
Advance EPO Gold and the plan ID was 91661NJ2260002. My estimated monthly premium
would be $1,426. My estimated deductible would be estimated at around $2,000 and my
estimated out-of- pocket maximum would have been a total of $5,000. I compared this insurance
plan to others, and for the price of this insurance, it covered a lot. Even though I made a rough
estimate of saying that my husband and I’s collective salary would be $120,000, this plan would
be most advantageous as it did not really cost as much as others, but still covered a lot. It was
helpful in the sense that to have a primary care visit would only cost $15 and a specialist visit
would only be $30. This was important to me because I have trace mitral valve regurgitation so I
have to see a cardiologist and it would not be as much for me to see one when I needed to. I also
have scoliosis, so in my selected plan to see a chiropractor, would only cost me $15, so I could
easily go to one for a check-up or if I was feeling in extreme pain. Also, eye glasses and routine
exams for eyes were of no charge for my children so if any of them had an eye problem it would
not cost me anything. This is important to me because my dad wears reading glasses and my
mom has reading glasses and glasses for distance as well. So my children could be more likely to
develop an eye problem. As well as, if anyone in my family developed hearing issues, a hearing
aid was only $15. Generic drugs only cost $10 as well so if anyone in my family needed
prescriptions they were not extremely expensive.
Throughout this insurance process I discovered that a lot of thought and research has to
go in to find a plan that is right for you and your family. There is not a set plan for any one
family because you might not have the same diseases or conditions as another family you know
has. I learned that just because a plan may be expensive, does not really mean they cover as
much of the specific area that you need. For example, a specialist may not be covered and if you
need to see a specialist you are paying a lot of money out of pocket to see one. I also discovered
that a plan may have very low deductibles and premiums, but the out-of- pocket maximum could
be extremely expensive. So if you didn’t look into the factor that you could end up paying for a
lot more down the road, you would be at a big loss money wise.