OPINION: Enroll in SelectCare

(Full disclosure: SelectCare will begin advertising with Kandit News this week, as the company seeks enrollment from government of Guam employees and retirees, and from the federal government and the private sector. Prior to any discussions between SelectCare and Kandit, Inc. for advertising on our platform, I wrote an opinion piece entitled This is the insurance carrier I’d choose if I were a GovGuam employee or retiree. My opinion on the matter has not changed. Thought it proper, in this second iteration of that opinion, now that I’ve digested the coverage plans, to disclose the advertising relationship.)

Health insurance is that critical backup plan, when your body betrays your mind’s determination to live and live comfortably. We can be the healthiest and most careful people in the world, but that makes no difference to God, Mother Nature, nearly-invisible viruses, drunk drivers, or someone else’s idiocy. It is when that happens; when, and not if, something happens, that you want health coverage that actually insures your recovery without drilling a hole through your family’s financial future.

It has been my experience that SelectCare has the greater propensity to say ‘yes’ to your coverage needs. And based on the two plan coverage booklets (TakeCare v. SelectCare), hands down, SelectCare is the superior insurer.

Most of the coverage features are the same, as mandated by the insurance request for proposal. Preventive care is covered, as required by ObamaCare. Both plans have expansive coverage of disease treatment, and prescription drugs. Both plans accentuate wellness programs, fitness center memberships, and disease prevention.

 

Hospital coverage

A key and major difference between the two plans involves hospitalization. SelectCare grants automatic coverage. TakeCare does not. Why is that important? Well, let’s say you get a call from home that your baby is sick. His fever is 100.2º. You get home and care for him and he’s doing just fine; his fever even goes down. Then, after 10 p.m., his fever jumps to 101.9º. No clinics are open. You don’t have your doctor’s cell phone number. It’s the hospital, or just ride it out with all the risk that entails.

Would you rather make that decision to take your baby to the hospital free and clear of the worry of a non-covered hospital bill? Or will you be ok with the question of financial burden weighing on your family?

What’s the point of medical insurance, if your medical needs are left in the hands of accountants, and not the insurance of coverage that lets doctors do their job? It’s a simply a waste of money, even if it is the cheaper option.

 

Access to specialists and literally a million doctors and providers

I envy GovGuam’s workforce and retirees, who get to choose SelectCare before the September 25 deadline to enroll. When I had government insurance through SelectCare there was no option to link up with UnitedHealthcare alliance. Take a look at the SelectCare booklet, or view it on their website.

If you enroll with SelectCare, you can go to almost anywhere in the mainland United States, and be covered at participating provider rates under the care of 1.1 million doctors at 6,100 hospitals, and thousands of clinics. Need specialized gynecological care in Fairbanks, Alaska? Get it done there (why you’d be in Fairbanks, I have no idea, but this is to make the point that you’ll be covered virtually anywhere you go), and pay what you’d pay if you saw that same type of doctor on Guam. The greater point is that perhaps the type of doctor and medical service you need isn’t available on Guam. UnitedHealthcare, which is provided by SelectCare and not TakeCare, will avail its participating providers to you.

 

Medical care coverage is critical, not just for those battling disease or struggling with health, but for those of us who believe or want to believe we’re healthy. You never know what’s going to happen. That’s why it’s called insurance. This is insurance of our lives, essentially. If we’re willing to pay premium rates on anything else in life, it would reason that we should pay premium rates for medical insurance.

If I were a GovGuam employee or retiree, I’d choose the premium plan. SelectCare PPO 1500. I did before, and I’d do it again. In a heartbeat.