Insurance Basics: Home
Regular dental care is important for all people, but especially for children. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) requires federal and state-run health insurance exchanges to offer children´s dental coverage.
Your plan contracts with a wide range of doctors and other practitioners, as well as hospitals, labs, radiology facilities, pharmacies and other providers. These are the providers in your “network”. Each of these providers has agreed to take your plan´s contracted rate as payment in full for services.
Doctors and insurers use standard codes for each medical service or supply. That helps them communicate about treatments and payments clearly.
Health insurance protects you from paying the full cost of your care. But, you will likely still have to pay some money out of your pocket. Almost all plans call for “cost sharing”. That means your insurer pays for part of your care, and you pay for part.
If you´re an immigrant, getting healthcare in the United States may seem complicated. It may also be hard to get health insurance, which can help you pay for the healthcare you and your family need.
Since providers are able to decide how much to charge for out-of-network care, sometimes that charge might be higher than you expected.