Generally speaking consumers understand their health insurance benefits. We usually focus on things such as which doctors are included in network, what co-pays will be due, as well as deductible and premium amounts. As I started my journey to fight cancer, I learned a few additional things about health insurance that I think are worth sharing.

First, I started to think about my lifetime maximum benefit. When we signed up for our health insurance, I can distinctly remember thinking that our maximum lifetime benefit would cover any health care emergency we might have over the working years. But as I started to receive the bills, I soon realized how quickly that maximum might be met if I continued to be sick. I advise consumers to consider whether or not your lifetime maximum is really sufficient for a major medical emergency.

Then, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that our total out of pocket maximum was quite low. Since we had historically been a very healthy family, we had never come close to meeting the out of pocket maximum. The out of pocket maximum usually includes the amount you pay toward your deductible plus any co-payments you might make up to the maximum listed on your policy. This amount resets every year.

Another pleasant surprise was the appearance of case worker that was assigned to me specifically. Out of the blue I received a call from someone from our insurer who was designated to help me navigate our policy and how our coverage worked in covering my specific disease. I learned that there was an allotted amount for travel and lodging for me and my caregiver. My case worker also educated me about the limits for specific treatments such as my stem cell transplant.

In order to know your health insurance benefits, it is financially prudent to know your lifetime and out of pocket maximum benefits. If you have questions about your coverage, don’t hesitate to call your insurer to find out more. As a healthy young woman, it never occurred to me to ask any questions beyond the basics. I hope my experience will help others become more acquainted with their own coverage.