Why should I consult my doctor about an insurance company?

Does your doctor make a troubled face when you mention a specific insurance company? Always ask your doctor and his or her administrative staff (the billing manager is your best bet) for their opinions on an insurance company you’re considering. They get to know these insurers in a very intimate way.  Don’t hesitate to ask, “My job will be adding a health insurance plan from XYZ Company in the spring. Would you advise me to switch to them or keep the company I have?” Be perceptive; your doc may not want to bash an insurer by saying something as blunt as, “They’ll treat you okay, but they continually shortchange me, and I’m going to drop them as soon as I have enough patients from another insurer.”  The look of acute gastritis on his face will speak volumes, however.

Your doctor and his or her office staff (especially the billing manager) have an intimate relationship (well, fairly intimate anyway) with many health insurance companies. They know which ones are fast to pay claims, late to pay, and loathe to pay at all. They know which ones give their members first class treatment, and which ones offer endless headaches to all who do business with them.

So when you're shopping for a new health insurance plan, make sure you ask your doctor and the office staff for their recommendations and critical opinions.

You can simply say, "My job will be adding a health insurance plan from XYZ Company in the spring…would you advise me to switch or keep the company I have?"

Be perceptive; your doctor may not want to bash an insurer by saying something as blunt as, "They'll treat you okay, but they continually shortchange me and I'm going to drop them as soon as I have enough patients from another insurer." The look of acute gastritis on his face will speak volumes, however.