A few more health insurance and reimbursement questions answered

1) What if the health insurance plan that my spouse wants to enroll the children in is of a lesser quality than the one we had before? You would be wise to agree in advance on what company will be the servicer of the insurance plan. Many employers have several plans from which to choose. You will need to know the benefit schedule for the insurance plan that you are considering, so that you don’t make the mistake of choosing the cheapest plan, only to find out later that the out-of-pocket costs actually make your total expense even higher than it used to be. Agreeing on who will pay for the plan and what plan it will be and what that plan covers are essential decisions to make BEFORE you divorce.

2) What if the health plan does not cover the types of services that I want or need? You will need an agreement in advance about the types of medical procedures that your policy allows, and the way that you will handle unreimbursed expenses. For example, does your plan cover acupuncture? If so, is it an in-network or out-of-network benefit? If not, what are the out-of-pocket costs for people without insurance? Are you comfortable sharing those costs in the same proportion that you share other unreimbursed medical expenses? You need to have this discussion for chiropractic, orthodontia, plastic surgery, vitamins, herbal supplements, natural medicine, and other special services before you just expect the other parent to understand that you require reimbursement. Sometimes, you will find that paying out-of-pocket for the occasional use of those services is more cost-effective than buying a more expensive plan that includes them as benefits.