Tennessee is No. 1 in prescription drug use.

Tennessee leads the nation in prescription drug use - with 18 prescriptions per man, woman and child.  The nation's average is 11.  Drug costs are rising rapidly, while more people are qualifying to receive drugs as part of their treatment plans.  Plus, direct-to-customer advertising is an effective and powerful persuader, prompting consumers to ask for more drugs and certain costly brands.  And doctors are responding.

What is a "co-payment" ?

This is a specified amount thay you, the insured, will pay each time a particular health care service is provided.  Most prescription drug plans have anywhere from a $5 to $50 co-payment per prescription, depending on whether the particular prescription medication is in the form of a "generic" or "name brand" drug.

It is common for most health plans to have a "co-payment" for each doctor's visit, such as $20 or $30.

Some PPO health plans pay 100% of approved medical charges, after a specific "co-payment".

For Example:

Each Hospital Admission - $500 co-payment

Outpatient Surgery - $250 co-payment

Emergency Room - $100 co-payment

Your policy will contain detailed information regarding "co-payments".  Make sure you understand what they are.

What does "lifetime maximum" mean? 

This is the maximum your health insurance policy will pay for approved charges during the lifetime of the policy. Once you have met this maximum, no other benefits will be payable. With today's ever changing technology, this is a very important area to consider when purchasing health insurance. Some of the older health insurance programs have a very low "lifetime maximum" (some as low as $250,000). We would strongly recommend that any health insurance policy you purchase have a "lifetime maximum" of at least $5 Million and, even then, there is certainly no guarantee that this amount won't be exceeded.

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