That time of the year again: which health insurer should I get?
November 24, 2017 9:41 PM   Subscribe

I am on the New York Essential Plan and need to choose a healthcare plan. I've done some research but could use some practical input.

My options include: Empire BlueCrossBlueShield, Excellus BlueCrossBlueShield, United Healthcare, Aetna, Wellcare, HealthFirst and Metroplus. And...I'm leaning towards Empire BCBS.

Con: The majority of reviews online say it's impossible to get someone on the phone for EBCBS. This seems like it could be a big problem at some point.

Pro: It has about double the number of dermatologists and psychologists listed on United's (which is the second contender) website.

Thoughts?
posted by thesockpuppet to Health & Fitness (4 answers total)
 
Best answer: I don't know about this specific state or its plans, but as a general rule ... take the plan with the widest network you can get.

The real harm that could befall you by having phone hassles isn't nearly as bad as the real harm that could befall you by having a limited provider network that could prevent you from receiving the care that you want/need.
posted by mccxxiii at 5:32 AM on November 25, 2017


Best answer: That said, doctors on a list are not the same as available doctors taking new patients. If it's an important selling point to you, probably worthwhile to call a sampling of the providers and confirm that they take that insurance and are accepting new patients.
posted by Salamandrous at 10:26 AM on November 25, 2017 [1 favorite]


Best answer: I live in CNY and have the Empire plan. Just about every provider takes it. I’m been very pleased with their claims processing. Their mental health providers are more limited but I’ve never had to argue about coverage for my frequent visits. People I know had really good cancer care covered also.
posted by SyraCarol at 5:20 PM on November 25, 2017


Response by poster: Empire it is. Thanks y'all!
posted by thesockpuppet at 10:15 PM on November 25, 2017


« Older How can I subscribe to this Google calendar from...   |   Fitting a table into a nook Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.