How should I choose a health insurance company?
In choosing an insurance company, it's important to ask your doctor, if you have a good relationship with a doctor, which one his office has to fight the most, which one gives him the most freedom in referrals, and which one he has seen act with the best of good faith and with the best of intentions. Asking your doctor is one good way. The other good way is to contact the consumer protection agency in your state. In California, it's the Manage Care Division. Ask them which one has the highest rating, which one has the highest amount of complaints, and which one has the least amount of complaints. And thirdly, as any good consumer, you should do your own homework and get a copy of their contract and then ask the insurance company themselves what the ten most frequently requested procedures that they deny are. Sometimes it's tough to get an answer, but that shows that you're an informed consumer and you can see if they are paying for the latest technology or if they really want you receive your medical care in the context of the 1980s.
