Question about Atlas America

[csingh]

Hi Narendra,

I am interested in buying Atlas America comprehensive coverage for my parents. They are both healthy with no pre-existing medical conditions, but I still prefer teh Atlas plan as I like that it has a possibility of 100% coverage (without the 20% co-insurance) in case the provider bills directly, as also its premium.

I had one question though: I was reading the brochure that goes with this insurance and this clause kind of made me pause:
in exlcusions/ not covered, it states that an ER visit where the policy holder is not admitted as an inpatient will not be covered??
So lets say somebody is suffering from severe chest pain and is taken to the ER and it turns out it is not the heart but something minor for which maybe you just need a couple of vicodins...this would not be covered by Atlas?

If you could please throw some light on this. Otherwise I am more or less convinced that this is the right insurance.

Thanks!

[insubuy]

When you go to the emergency room, there are two types of charges:
1. Emergency room charge
2. Treatment charge

In Atlas America, if you go to the ER, and if you are not subsequently admitted into the hospital, the treatment charge is still covered as long as it is an eligible expenese but the room charge is not covered. Generally, the room charge is much smaller than the treatment charge.

All the plans put some kind of penalty provision for using the ER room (if not later admitted) so that people don't misuse the facility and instead of taking the Dr's appointment for minor things or even using the urgent care which is mostly walk-in, simply rush to the ER for everything. ER is generally very expensive and such misuse would drive up the cost of the health insurance significantly for everyone.

I hope that answers your questions.

If you have any other questions, please feel free to post them or or contact us at any time.

[csingh]

Thank you very much for your prompt and clear reply.

Just one more question: I wanted to pay by check instead of credit card and found a paper application to mail on your website. At the bottom it asks for applicants' signatures; since my parents are yet to arrive in the US, is it okay for me to sign it or leave it unsigned?

Thanks again.

[insubuy]

I strongly recommend that you make an online payment on our verisign secure and hacker safe (now called McAfee Secure) web site at https://www.insubuy.com

More than 99.99% of the transactions happen online. Rarely, anyone sends a check.

In fact, doing it online is more secure than sending a check because of the possibility of getting the check lost in the maill.

And of course, it adds up delays for the check to reach us, cashing the check etc. And if the paper application has some incorrect information, it takes more time to get that corrected as well.

If you would still prefer to send the paper application, you can sign on their behalf as proxy. Their signature is not required.

I hope that answers your questions.

If you have any other questions, please feel free to post them here or contact us at any time.

[csingh]

Thanks again!

I did go ahead and buy the insurance online as you suggested.

If this is helpful to others: I just didn't have enough of a credit line left on my credit card to pay the full premium and although the paper form (for mailing a check) is pretty straightforward (with a table to calculate the premium), it was confusing for me as towards the end of their stay, my Mom would be turning 60..so different rates etc.
So what I did was I bought a month's worth of coverage right now (which I could easily charge on my CC) and then I will renew further when that is about to expire. I checked all possible permutation/ combinations and the premium works out the same whether you buy it entirely in one go or break it down ( I don't know if there is a renewal fee, but even if there is, it shouldn't be an exorbitant amount).

Thanks Narendra, you were really very helpful.

Now fingers crossed that we don't have to use the insurance!

[insubuy]

You are welcome. Thank you for your business.
If there is anything we can do at any time or if you need any help of any kind, please feel free to contact us at any time. Please note that we work for you, not for the insurance company.

Regarding the premium, whether you pay all six months at a time or installments (whatever is allowed by the plan), the total premium would be the same. Some plans have a renewal fee. e.g., Atlas America in this case has $5 renewal fee each time you renew.

Regarding the person turning 60 in the middle, at the time of making the payment, you have to count the age at the time of the effective date. Therefore, if you were to pay upfront before the person turns 60, you would be charged the rate for 50-59. If you were to renew the insurance on or after the person turns 60, you will have to pay 60-64 rate. Therefore, in your case, I recommend that you renew the insurance for the remainder of the duration before she turns 60, in order to save the premium. Of course, you will have to look at other factors such as how firm her plan is to stay for a given duration.

If you have any other questions or need help, please feel free to post them here or contact us at any time.