Understanding health insurance
Health insurance is a failsafe that helps cover medical expenses, ensuring you don’t have to pay the full cost of healthcare services out of pocket. Whether it’s a routine check-up, a prescription refill, or an unexpected surgery, having insurance means you’ll receive financial assistance for medical costs in exchange for paying a monthly premium.
When you have health insurance, your plan helps cover doctor visits, hospital stays, medications, and preventive care. However, coverage amounts vary greatly depending on your specific plan. In most cases, you’ll also have out-of-pocket costs, such as copays, deductibles, or coinsurance, before your insurance company pays its share.
For example: A routine doctor’s visit costs $200. The patient has a $30 copay with insurance, and the insurer covers the remaining $170. For a more significant expense, such as a $5,000 surgery, the patient first pays a $1,000 deductible. After that, insurance covers 80%, leaving the patient responsible for the remaining 20% ($800).
This structure helps reduce financial burden, making healthcare more affordable and accessible.
Ways to obtain health insurance
There are several options for getting health insurance, depending on your situation:
- Individual plans – You can obtain coverage by purchasing a plan directly from an insurance company or through the Health Insurance Marketplace, which provides different options tailored to income and healthcare requirements.
- Employer-sponsored insurance – Many companies provide health insurance as a benefit, often covering a portion of the premium to reduce costs for employees and their families.
- Government programs – Public programs like Medicaid offer free or low-cost coverage to those with limited income. At the same time, Medicare provides healthcare benefits for individuals aged 65 and older and who meet the benchmark for disabilities.
Each option has different benefits and eligibility requirements, so it's essential to choose a plan that best suits your healthcare needs and budget.
Cigna and its coverage
Cigna is a global health services provider company headquartered in Bloomfield, Connecticut, USA, serving over 170 million customers worldwide. It offers various health plans, such as medical, dental, accident, disability, life insurance, and related products and services. Cigna's various health services include:
- Government health plans
- Commercial health plans
- Specialty pharmacy services
- Pharmacy benefit management
- Health management services
- Home delivery
- Clinical solutions
Cigna offers its services to individuals, employees, organizations, and groups. Along with its subsidiaries, the company operates in various markets in Europe, the Americas, the Middle East, Asia-Pacific, and Africa.
What are deductibles, copays, and coinsurance?
A majority of health insurance plans require you to pay a part of the coverage costs in different ways, such as:
Deductible: It is a certain amount that you need to pay out-of-pocket each year before your insurance provider fulfills the coverage costs. The deductibles have now been capped at a specific amount by federal law. Connect with your insurance provider to learn the deductibles for your health plan.
Copays: These are fees you pay for a particular service, such as prescription drugs and doctor visits. You must pay the costs out-of-pocket after meeting the deductibles.
Coinsurance: It is the percentage of the covered healthcare costs you must pay after paying the deductible (provided you are within the maximum out-of-pocket limit for the year).
Insurance plans with smaller monthly premiums generally have high out-of-pocket costs.
Therefore, weigh your options properly when choosing insurance plans. Higher out-of-pocket expenses in case of illnesses and medical emergencies may negate the benefits of lower monthly premiums.
International health insurance vs. travel insurance: What is the difference?
International health insurance is a type of medical coverage that covers expatriates living abroad for extended periods. It is mainly for people who have taken residence in another country, providing coverage to the insured for health issues when living overseas.
The coverage period of international health insurance is up to 12 months. It covers long-term care needs like pre-existing health issues, surgery recovery, and maternity coverage. It provides access to a worldwide network of medical practitioners and hospitals. The coverage includes chronic conditions, mental health care, dental care, routine health checkups, and hospital stays.
Travel insurance is short-term medical coverage for up to 6 months or less. It is offered to people who visit another country on a backpacking trip or a holiday. It covers emergency treatment at the nearest medical facility in the visiting country. However, you must return to your home country for long-term care and medical support. It also provides coverage in case of loss or theft of luggage or personal items and flight delays and cancellations. After receiving emergency treatment, it also covers your travel back to the home country.
What do primary care doctors do?
Primary care doctors or physicians (PCPs) are certified doctors with extensive knowledge and training in preventing, diagnosing, and treating various illnesses and conditions affecting people of all ages. They practice in multiple settings, such as hospitals with inpatient and outpatient departments, private clinics, group practices, and long-term care facilities. They are the first person you see for any health issue.
Cigna primary care doctors near you can deliver immunizations and vaccinations and conduct routine health checkups. They can effectively treat acute conditions such as flu, cold, allergy, and bronchitis. They can even manage chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, asthma, arthritis, and chronic kidney disorders. Primary care doctors coordinate with the entire healthcare system to ensure the patient gets the best treatment and care.
Finding the best Cigna primary care doctors near you in Austin, Texas
Finding the best Cigna primary care doctors near you in Austin could be a hassle. Zocdoc simplifies the process and makes life easier by letting you see the ideal in-network primary care doctors in your area through the website or app. You can select the condition or specialty, location, and insurance plan, and a list of doctors populates.
Every primary care doctor on Zocdoc has a unique profile, which includes their educational qualifications, board certifications, clinical interests, expertise, experience, and languages spoken. Our verified reviews and user ratings can help you select the best Cigna primary care doctors near you that fit your unique requirements.
Insurance terms can be challenging to understand. People may sometimes require more clarification on how insurance works for video visits. Zocdoc's guide on insurance terminology and insurance applications for video visits can help clarify their doubts. To make things easier for you, we have compiled more insurance-related FAQs for your reference on our patient help center page.
Booking appointments with in-network Cigna primary care doctors near you on Zocdoc is easy, secure, and completely free.
Statistics on health insurance coverage in Texas, USA
According to the Texas Department of Insurance, in 2022, Cigna was Texas's eighth-largest accident and health insurance provider, with a market share of about 3.43% and nearly $1,977,409,604 received in premium payments. Cigna's HMO plans had a market share of about 0.08% in Texas and received about $51,928,338 in premiums.
America's Health Rankings data suggest that in 2022, about 16.6% of people in Texas were uninsured, much higher than the US average of nearly 8%. Almost 27% of adults in the 26-34 age group in Texas were uninsured, the highest among other age groups.
As of 2021, about 11.8% of children below 19 years were uninsured in Texas, almost double the US average of nearly 5.4%. Similarly, almost 25.6% of women in the 19-44 age group in Texas were uninsured, higher than the US average of about 11.8%.
As per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2022 data on health insurance coverage in the USA, roughly 27.3 million people below 65 years old were uninsured. Almost 4.2% of children below 18 years were uninsured, and nearly 12.2% of adults in the 18-64 age group were uninsured. Roughly 27.8% of people below 65 years and almost 43.7% of those below 18 years old had public insurance. About 64.2% of people below 65 years and nearly 54.3% of children below 18 years had private insurance.
Sources
Healthline
WebMD
American Academy of Family Physicians
Cigna Healthcare[1]
Cigna Healthcare[2]
Forbes
Global Data
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
America’s Health Rankings[1]
America’s Health Rankings[2]
America’s Health Rankings[3]
Texas Department of Insurance
Investopedia
Illinois Department of Insurance
