Health Insuramce and How Does It Work

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Introduction
We always say I am healthy but what does being healthy actually means? The term healthy is defined different by different persons. Generally, being healthy means being void of illness or any form of injury. But is this actually true? Can anyone be really free from any form of illness of injury? The answer to this question is no. People are prone to illness or injury but after falling sick what? Then comes the step of visiting the provider. Number of visits (to physician offices, hospital outpatient and emergency departments) is 1.2 billion alone in the US [1]. Also, such visits turns out to be very costly. The only factor that makes it affordable is the health insurance
What is health insurance
According to the Health Insurance Association of America, health insurance is defined as "Coverage that provides for the payments of benefits as a result of sickness or injury. Includes insurance for losses from accident, medical expense, disability, or accidental death and dismemberment" [2]. Health insurance processing is one of the few complex processes that take place after visiting the provider. Applying for claims is carried out after pre authorization. Pre authorization is an integral part of utilization management.
What is utilization management
Utilization management (UM) is the process by which a health care system and services and facilities can be evaluated to check if it is appropriate and if it is established as per the guidelines set by the health benefit plans. Utilization management describes proactive procedures, discharge planning, concurrent planning, precertification and clinical case appeals. UM also covers concurrent clinical review and appeals introduced by the provider, payer or patient.
Utilization m...

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...lanation of Benefit (EOB) is created along with benefit check which is mailed to the patient and the physician respectively.
Conclusion

Reference:
[1] Selected patient and provider characteristics for ambulatory care visits to physician offices and hospital outpatient and emergency departments: United States, 2009-2010
[2] How Private Insurance Works: A Primer by Gary Caxton, Institution for Health Care Research and Policy, Georgetown University, on behalf of the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation.
[3] http://chiroeco.com/chiro-blog/medical-clearinghouse/2009/04/07/paper-claims-vs-electronic-claims/
[4] http://www.ihealthbeat.org/picture-of-health/2013/what-percentage-of-health-insurance-claims-were-filed-by-paper-or-electronic-processes
[5] http://www.wisegeek.org/what-is-claims-adjudication.htm
[6] http://www.staysmartstayhealthy.com/health_insurance_deductibles

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