As long-time readers would know, my life has been anything but an easy one on the health front. Not long after the recession started, I fell ill for most of 2009 and 2010. No doctor nor specialist could seem to fully conclude on what the problem was, so I became like a pinball, being passed around from clinic to clinic between Columbus and Cleveland. I then suffered a gallstone attack in 2011, underwent surgery a week later, and hurting financially from both the recession and health setbacks, I was unable to pay a month's worth of my insurance, and was abruptly dropped from the plan. I attempted to contact other insurance companies to receive coverage, but was rejected due to the Affordable Care Act not being fully implemented at that point and having "preexisting conditions." At the start of 2014, however, I was able to finally attain health insurance coverage again, due to the Affordable Care Act prohibiting the rejection of customers due to preexisting conditions. Still not fully recovered financially from the recession and multiple ailments, while I was said to not be eligible for Medicaid, I had to resort to a cheaper form of insurance, in the form of CareSource (which ironically enough, is considered by many to be Medicaid; no, that doesn't make sense to me either). Being on this plan for over a year and a half, here are my thoughts on it:
Pros
- The monthly premiums are quite reasonable. I'm currently on a Silver plan and am paying less now than I was before being dropped from Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield 3-4 years ago (when I was having all those health problems).
- The co-pays are reasonable also, well, unless you have to be taken to the ER (emergency room), but that seems to be more the trend than an aberration.
- The most pleasantly surprising thing about my healthcare plan has been with regard to prescriptions. I've been battling some foot problems over the past couple months. The first doctor thought it was a sprain of my right foot (prescribed Ibuprofen and Prevacid). My second doctor believed it to be gout since similar pain and swelling could be seen and felt in both feet (prescribed Indomethacin). The third doctor wasn't entirely certain, but hypothesized it was some form of arthritis, gout being a possibility (prescribed Prednisone). What did I have to pay for all four medications? A big whopping $0! After informing my father about this, he said, "I don't think I've ever had to not pay anything for prescriptions!"
Cons
- My biggest/only problem with CareSource has been a lack of options when it comes to family physicians. While I've been calling several such doctors since the onset of my foot ailment, even if they had been listed as accepting CareSource on the health insurance company's website, I've been told, "We don't accept CareSource" or "We no longer accept CareSource." This has resulted in me going to Urgent Care Centers twice and a Foot and Ankle Clinic another time.
- Kind of tying in with the first con on this list, it is slightly embarrassing to call doctors asking to be a patient of theirs, only to be turned down after you tell them what insurance you have. It comes across as, "Sure, Dr. So-and-So is accepting new patients! Oh, your insurance was what? I'm sorry, but we don't accept your kind." Again, I was told while applying for insurance that I was not eligible to receive Medicaid, so when doctors place Medicaid in parentheses on my receipt or I am rejected for supposedly having Medicaid, it presents a puzzling and somewhat embarrassing picture for me.
Overall
For a little over a year and a half now, I've found CareSource to be a decent provider for my health needs. The biggest plus has been with regard to payments, prescriptions in particular. The biggest minus has been trying to find a family doctor who will accept my insurance provider. At this time, I'm undecided on whether or not to continue receiving coverage from CareSource next year. If I'm able to find a family physician I'm comfortable with before the new year, there's a decent chance I'll stay with them for a third year. However, if that doesn't happen, I'll likely try to find another insurance provider.
Pros
- The monthly premiums are quite reasonable. I'm currently on a Silver plan and am paying less now than I was before being dropped from Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield 3-4 years ago (when I was having all those health problems).
- The co-pays are reasonable also, well, unless you have to be taken to the ER (emergency room), but that seems to be more the trend than an aberration.
- The most pleasantly surprising thing about my healthcare plan has been with regard to prescriptions. I've been battling some foot problems over the past couple months. The first doctor thought it was a sprain of my right foot (prescribed Ibuprofen and Prevacid). My second doctor believed it to be gout since similar pain and swelling could be seen and felt in both feet (prescribed Indomethacin). The third doctor wasn't entirely certain, but hypothesized it was some form of arthritis, gout being a possibility (prescribed Prednisone). What did I have to pay for all four medications? A big whopping $0! After informing my father about this, he said, "I don't think I've ever had to not pay anything for prescriptions!"
Cons
- My biggest/only problem with CareSource has been a lack of options when it comes to family physicians. While I've been calling several such doctors since the onset of my foot ailment, even if they had been listed as accepting CareSource on the health insurance company's website, I've been told, "We don't accept CareSource" or "We no longer accept CareSource." This has resulted in me going to Urgent Care Centers twice and a Foot and Ankle Clinic another time.
- Kind of tying in with the first con on this list, it is slightly embarrassing to call doctors asking to be a patient of theirs, only to be turned down after you tell them what insurance you have. It comes across as, "Sure, Dr. So-and-So is accepting new patients! Oh, your insurance was what? I'm sorry, but we don't accept your kind." Again, I was told while applying for insurance that I was not eligible to receive Medicaid, so when doctors place Medicaid in parentheses on my receipt or I am rejected for supposedly having Medicaid, it presents a puzzling and somewhat embarrassing picture for me.
Overall
For a little over a year and a half now, I've found CareSource to be a decent provider for my health needs. The biggest plus has been with regard to payments, prescriptions in particular. The biggest minus has been trying to find a family doctor who will accept my insurance provider. At this time, I'm undecided on whether or not to continue receiving coverage from CareSource next year. If I'm able to find a family physician I'm comfortable with before the new year, there's a decent chance I'll stay with them for a third year. However, if that doesn't happen, I'll likely try to find another insurance provider.
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