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H1N1 Flu
and your Health Insurance

It's always important to understand the conditions of your health
insurance policy, but with the increased demand for health care, you may
need to be even more aware of your coverages. Take a few minutes and
answer these questions:

  • Does your policy have a preauthorization requirement for
    hospital admission or other services?

  • What is your co-payment for the most common H1N1 treatments? The
    two drugs doctors can prescribe to treat H1N1 flu are Tamiflu and
    Relenza. Also find out if there are any coverage limitations that apply
    to the distribution of the medication. Some policies will restrict
    coverage on the number of doses per prescription or per year.

  • What is your out-of-network co-payment? If your area is heavily
    affected by the spread of the H1N1 flu outbreak, your regular physician
    may not be able to see you in a timely manner. If you have to go
    out-of-network, be aware you will have to pay a higher co-payment for
    your office visit and possibly any tests run during the visit.
    Get prepared for any eventuality with the following checklist:

  • Have your health insurance I.D. card handy.

  • Review your health insurance policy provisions. Know which
    doctors and hospitals are in your network.

  • Make note of your co-payments. Know how much a doctor's office
    visit will cost. Check to see if your co-payments go up if you go
    out-of-network.

    Find the list of pharmacies covered by your health insurance
    policy.

  • If you have plans to travel, make sure you check to see if there
    are any doctors or medical facilities in-network where you will be
    visiting.

  • Make sure you have contact details for your health insurance
    company available in case you have questions.
    Your employer may be gathering all pertinent health insurance
    information together for you in one simple to reference form. If they
    do, post the information where it can easily be accessed by you and your family.
  • Where you can find additional information
    www.CDC.gov/h1n1flu
    www.Utah.Health.gov
    Salt Lake County Health Department Information Hotline, 211
    Utah Insurance Department, 801-538-3077 & uid.health@utah.gov