Recently, my husband and I were approved for a health insurance policy. I am still utterly amazed that we actually have health insurance! The insurer sent an email that said that we would be receiving a packet from them soon. It has now arrived, and we have taken a look at what was inside it.
When we applied for health insurance, I never expected that we would be approved for it. We had been having great difficulty finding a health insurance plan that we could afford to purchase. The last time we had health insurance was when I was working as a para-educator. When I lost my job in 2009, I also lost the health plan that covered both me and my husband.
Now, in 2011, we have been approved for a health insurance policy that we actually can afford. It feels too good to be true, and I am still having trouble believing that this is reality.
Last week, as promised, the insurer sent us a large, fat, envelope in the mail. Inside was useful information about the health insurance that we had purchased.
Inside the big envelope, was a smaller envelope, that contained a seven page letter. My husband is listed as the applicant (since he was the one that filled out the application), and it says what our policy number is.
It states that I have been enrolled in the health insurance plan that we originally selected when we were filling out the online application. My husband, however, has been enrolled in a slightly more expensive plan. The reason for this, in short, is because he has high blood pressure, and because he weighs a few pounds more than what would allow him to qualify for the lower priced plan that we wanted to get. I assume that this decision is a result of the phone call we got from the insurance company.
Other key points of the letter include: a detailed description about how to file a “grievance”, a little information indicating that we have a dental plan, and a list of languages that the insurer is willing to speak to us in (if we cannot read the letter, which is printed in English).
The packet included four, plastic, insurance cards. Two are for the dental plan, and the other two are for, well, everything else. For some reason, all of them are in my husband’s name. I am of the impression that this is okay, and not something that was done in error.
There also is a large booklet that gives more detailed information about the dental plan. It only mentions the dental plan. We think that this means that there will be more information coming to us by mail, that gives details about the non-dental parts of health care. We also think that there could be plastic insurance cards coming that have my name on them. Or, at least, we hope so.
Image by Queenofhaiku on Flickr