Never Pay More than $100 for Accidents and Injuries

,

As most people have discovered, a trip to the Emergency Room can be very expensive.  However, in a true emergency, most people don’t worry about the cost.  Insurance companies do worry about the cost and they discourage policyholders from going to the ER for anything other than a real emergency.  As a result,  copays are much lower for trips to an urgent care facility.   Many carriers are now charging copays from $250 to $500 for an ER visit.  The copay for a trip to an urgent care facility is closer to $75.

Trips to either an urgent care facility or Emergency Room can occur much more often in families with kids active in sports.  Sprained knees, fractured wrists, and concussions are just a few of the injuries that can happen to active kids.  In the event of a head injury, the cost to run tests such as a CT Scan and MRI can run between $1200 and $4000.  With almost all insurance policies, these costs will be considered out-of-pocket expenses and will be applied to the deductible and coinsurance.

We recommend that our clients consider an Accident/Injury policy to supplement their major medical plan, especially if they carry a high-deductible plan.  This policy will cover up to $10,000 after a $100 deductible.  Most people are very suprised to find out how little these plans cost.  

 A recent email message from my son’s flag football league alerted me to some relevant statistics:

“Most of the recent fervor surrounding concussions and sports-related brain injuries has been focused on football, but new studies suggest heading in soccer may be just as dangerous. The past 10 years have seen a disturbing trend in youth sports-a dramatic rise in the number of sports-related concussions. According to a recent report from the American Academy of Pediatrics’ sports medicine council, ER visits for children 14 to 19 years old tripled from 7,000 in 1997 to 22,000 in 2007. Visits among children 8 to 13 doubled from 3,800 to 8,000.”

I allow my boys to play rough.  So, I am not suggesting that we avoid all sports and activities that can result in injuries.  However, it is comforting to know that if an injury does happen (to anyone in my family), we can have all the necessary tests done and get excellent medical care  – and never pay more than $100.

There are some exclusions for very hazardous activities. Please call for more information.

Greg Sanders          Peachtree Insurance Advisors        678-236-1600                www.insuranceAdv.com