There are several types of health insurance, including co-payment. In order to adapt to the needs of a type of user who does not go to the doctor very often, but who wants to have private, fast and high quality coverage, insurers created the co-payment. With it, both the company and the client finance part of the cost.
What is it? With a co-payment in health insurance, the user must pay a small amount of money each time he or she uses medical services. The person who has contracted this coverage must pay an amount (usually ranging from 1 euro to 100 euros, for the most sophisticated services) for each visit. This amount will be added at the time or the following month to the monthly premium paid, thus generating what is known as a co-payment.
Price of co-payments in health insurance
Obviously, in the co-payment it is not the same to make an ordinary medical consultation – which does not usually exceed 20 euros – as a diagnostic test or a hospitalization with surgery, which usually involves the most expensive co-payment.
In any case, it all depends on the company and the premium chosen.
So, is it better to have health insurance with or without a co-payment? The answer depends on the circumstances of each person. That is why PIB Group Iberia offers different possibilities for your health insurance in Zaragoza:
- outpatient insurance (only covers specialists and diagnostic tests),
- the medical policy with no co-payment and
- full reimbursement insurance (allows you to choose the doctor and clinic of your choice, not only those arranged by the company).
In addition, we also contemplate this co-payment modality, since, in certain cases, it may be advantageous for the user.
When is it advisable to have health insurance with a co-payment?
It is usually cheaper only for people who are generally in good health and who do not visit the doctor very often. This health insurance with co-payment is common for families with several children or for young people.
It should be borne in mind that the lower the premium, i.e. the fixed amount we pay monthly, the higher the price for the services. And vice versa. Therefore, it is advisable to study this point well with your insurance broker and compare different companies. The objective? That the costs established by the company are balanced with the monthly fee to be paid, so that you can find the insurance according to your needs.
In any case, co-payment is not usually the best option for people who visit the office frequently. Therefore, not all are advantages and there are some disadvantages that always depend on the profile of each patient. Here are some of the pros and cons:
Advantages and disadvantages of co-payment
1. Price
The price of the co-payment premium is lower than that of one without co-payment, in which the cost of the contracted medical services is fully included.
Therefore, we can say that a health insurance with co-payment is cheaper in general, unless you go to the doctor regularly or make regular use of specialized care. In these cases, it is advisable to study other types of coverage since they are probably more advantageous for the user than the co-payment.
2. Awareness of use
As is often stated by both insurance companies and users, having a co-payment makes them aware of the cost of a medical consultation. This makes the people who contract it go to the doctor only when it is necessary and benefits both their pockets and the insurance companies themselves.
In any case, we emphasize that there may be people who need to visit the doctor more frequently, so it is preferable that they consider other options.
3. Lower generic premium increase
With co-payments, thanks to cost sharing, the dreaded generic premium increase is usually much lower. In any case, at PIB Group Iberia we work in all modalities with group policies, trying to minimize premium increases from one year to the next.
And so much for our advice on co-payment. As we have pointed out, it is not the only option nor always the most advantageous, it all depends on the state of health of each person and the number of times he/she uses the doctor. If you are thinking of taking out health insurance, do not hesitate to contact us so that we can discuss all the options in detail and advise you on your choice.
