Insurance Basics: Home
Your plan contracts with a wide range of doctors and other practitioners, as well as hospitals, labs, radiology facilities, pharmacies and other providers. These are the providers in your “network”. Each of these providers has agreed to take your plan´s contracted rate as payment in full for services.
Employers offer health coverage to their workers in several ways. Some buy an “off the shelf” plan from a commercial insurance company.
Since providers are able to decide how much to charge for out-of-network care, sometimes that charge might be higher than you expected.
NY State of Health is New York´s official online healthcare Marketplace. Individuals, families and small business owners in New York can use NY State of Health to compare health plans, and join the one that best meets their needs.
Most health plans have a “network”, a group of doctors, hospitals and other healthcare providers who agree to take your insurer´s rate.
Being covered under two health plans doesn't mean the two plans will pay the same amount twice for the same doctor visit. Instead, the plans follow rules about which plan pays what, known as "coordination of benefits."