Business Insight Enrollment November is usually the time of each year when many insurance companies open their books with new rules for the following year. Benefits change, deductible change, updates to personal information is needed. Medicare is no different. Open enrollment and renewal of medical insurance is not a small task. Our own office renewal was 84 pages long this year. It may not mean much for someone who is healthy and uses minimal amount of insurance benefits, but it is a very meaningful time for those who have established doctors and other providers. Advertising of open enrollment is everywhere: radio, TV commercials, social media, junk emails and text messages. Insurance companies use every possible mode of communication to get more customers. The problem is that what they usually advertise is what they want you to know and not what you want to know. Have you ever seen a commercial saying that something is NOT covered? Often, they advertise free services. Please, be careful. Nothing is free these days. If you are offered some free meals, then for sure there is a price you are paying somewhere else. The key is to find where and how much. And it is not showing on the surface. You must dig deeply to find out. Seniors are the targets of insurance sales. It is an assumption that seniors do not know much about the system of insurance and coverage, and it is often the true case. You cannot blame anybody for not being able to decipher hundreds of options and thousands of pages of explanations. Unfortunately, many people working in the insurance industry do not quite understand the details of how the system works. This is why reading and seeking assistance from someone with a better knowledge is crucial before you make a decision to sign up or switch medical insurance. We should be paying attention to the networks of doctors and facilities. These are the listings of providers of various specialties who have standing agreements with insurance companies to follow certain rules and prices. In the outcome of potential services, the providers can only bill you for presented by Arlington Dermatology Time! what is approved by the agreement. For instance, if you visit a new doctor who has an agreement with Medicare and he or she charges $250 for a visit, but Medicare contracts approved only $150, by Medicare rules, you can be billed only for 20% of that approved amount, which comes to $30. If your doctor does not have an agreement with your insurance or your plan, he or she can bill you whatever they wish. Enrollment time is a stressful time. You need to be careful with your decisions and consider your current needs and your probable future needs. Nobody knows what kind of health problems you may encounter next year. But you need to know your benefits, possible lack of coverage for some services and needs for earlier pre-certifications. Some services, like procedures or surgeries, may need you to get an earlier approval or otherwise they are not covered. And it is your responsibility to know what they are. Your doctors may not know simply because they see patients with a huge variety of insurance plans. You should not wait until you really need medical help. You should know your benefits and rights before it happens and seek help if you do not understand it. Michael Bukhalo, MD Arlington Dermatology 5301 Keystone Court Rolling Meadows, IL 60008 Tel. 847 392 5440 | www.arlingtondermatology.net Business Insight Enrollment November is usually the time of each year when many insurance companies open their books with new rules for the following year . Benefits change , deductible change , updates to personal information is needed . Medicare is no different . Open enrollment and renewal of medical insurance is not a small task . Our own office renewal was 84 pages long this year . It may not mean much for someone who is healthy and uses minimal amount of insurance benefits , but it is a very meaningful time for those who have established doctors and other providers . Advertising of open enrollment is everywhere : radio , TV commercials , social media , junk emails and text messages . Insurance companies use every possible mode of communication to get more customers . The problem is that what they usually advertise is what they want you to know and not what you want to know . Have you ever seen a commercial saying that something is NOT covered ? Often , they advertise free services . Please , be careful . Nothing is free these days . If you are offered some free meals , then for sure there is a price you are paying somewhere else . The key is to find where and how much . And it is not showing on the surface . You must dig deeply to find out . Seniors are the targets of insurance sales . It is an assumption that seniors do not know much about the system of insurance and coverage , and it is often the true case . You cannot blame anybody for not being able to decipher hundreds of options and thousands of pages of explanations . Unfortunately , many people working in the insurance industry do not quite understand the details of how the system works . This is why reading and seeking assistance from someone with a better knowledge is crucial before you make a decision to sign up or switch medical insurance . We should be paying attention to the networks of doctors and facilities . These are the listings of providers of various specialties who have standing agreements with insurance companies to follow certain rules and prices . In the outcome of potential services , the providers can only bill you for presented by Arlington Dermatology Time ! what is approved by the agreement . For instance , if you visit a new doctor who has an agreement with Medicare and he or she charges $ 250 for a visit , but Medicare contracts approved only $ 150 , by Medicare rules , you can be billed only for 20 % of that approved amount , which comes to $ 30 . If your doctor does not have an agreement with your insurance or your plan , he or she can bill you whatever they wish . Enrollment time is a stressful time . You need to be careful with your decisions and consider your current needs and your probable future needs . Nobody knows what kind of health problems you may encounter next year . But you need to know your benefits , possible lack of coverage for some services and needs for earlier pre - certifications . Some services , like procedures or surgeries , may need you to get an earlier approval or otherwise they are not covered . And it is your responsibility to know what they are . Your doctors may not know simply because they see patients with a huge variety of insurance plans . You should not wait until you really need medical help . You should know your benefits and rights before it happens and seek help if you do not understand it . Michael Bukhalo , MD Arlington Dermatology 5301 Keystone Court Rolling Meadows , IL 60008 Tel . 847 392 5440 | www.arlingtondermatology.net