What to bring to an appointment
If it is your first visit to a new doctor, you will need to bring a few things
with you to your appointment. Make sure to show up early for your ap-
pointment and when you arrive, check in with the front office staff.
The front office staff may ask you to provide the following:
Your insurance card
Photo identification like a driver’s license or government or school ID
Any forms the doctor sent you ahead of time to fill out
When you see the doctor, you may want to provide:
Your family health history and any medical records that will help the
doctor understand your current health care needs
Medications you are taking, their dosage and frequency
Questions or concerns that you have about your health
After you see your doctor:
Check out with the office staff
Pay for your visit if you have a deductible, coinsurance or copay that
would apply
Make any follow up appointments needed
Know when to use Emergency Care
When you are sick or injured, you need to know how to get the care you
need quickly. Many primary care doctors offer same-day appointments
for illness or injuries. If you can’t make an appointment with your primary
care doctor, you may find that your plan covers an urgent care or “redi-
care” office where you can walk-in without an appointment. If your situa-
tion is life-or-death, hospital emergency rooms provide fast, life-saving
care and are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. However, if your
situation is not life or death, going to an emergency room will likely cost
you more money and you may have a longer wait time than if you went to
your primary care doctor.
How to Use Your
Health Coverage
How to pay for health insurance
Depending on how you get your coverage, you may have a premi-
um. A premium is the amount that must be paid for your health cov-
erage. You and/or your employer usually pay the premium monthly,
quarterly or yearly. To keep your coverage, you must pay your pre-
miums on time.
Once your coverage is in effect, you will typically have additional
costs. Insurance only covers part of your care. Many plans have a
deductible which is a set yearly amount that you have to pay to-
wards the health care services you receive before your insurance
begins to pay. Once you have reached your deductible, your coin-
surance and copays begin. Coinsurance is the portion you pay for a
medical service calculated as a percent of the total billed amount for
the service. Copay is the fixed portion you pay for a medical service.
What insurance covers
Health insurance helps pay for doctor visits, hospital services and
medications. After enrolling in health insurance, you probably re-
ceived a membership package with information about your cover-
age. If it wasn’t included, ask your insurance company for a
“Summary of Benefits and Coverage” document that explains the
key features of the coverage, such as the covered benefits, cost-
sharing provisions, and coverage limitations and exceptions.
Find a doctor
Although you can get health care services in many different places, in-
cluding an emergency room, it’s best for you get routine care from a pri-
mary care doctor. A primary care provider helps you prevent health prob-
lems and treats you when you are sick. If you are an adult, your primary
care doctor may also be called a primary care provider, family physician,
internist, general practitioner, nurse practitioner or physician’s assistant.
Your child’s primary care doctor may be called a pediatrician.
To find a primary care doctor, you may want to:
1. Contact your insurance company. Call your insurance company,
look at their website, or check your insurer’s member handbook to
find doctors that are covered in your network. In order for your insur-
ance to pay for medical services, you will need to go to a doctor that
takes your coverage.
2. Ask around. Ask your family and friends who they go to and what
they like about them. If you hear of a doctor that sounds good, double
check with your insurance company that they are in your plan’s net-
work.
3. Contact the doctor. Call the doctor’s office to help make your deci-
sion. You would want to ask if the doctor is accepting new patients
with your coverage. You may also want to ask about the ease of get-
ting appointment times that work for you and which hospital(s) the
doctor works with.
Make an appointment
When you call your doctor to make an appointment, you should say:
Your name and the name of the doctor you see at the practice (or
state that you’re a new patient.)
The reason you’d like an appointment, for example you are sick with
a sore throat or are having a problem with allergies. You may also
want an appointment for a “yearly exam” or a “wellness visit” or to get
immunizations or other preventive services.
The name of your insurance plan and other information from your in-
surance card, such as your member and group numbers.
The days and times that work for you to come in. (Depending on your
needs and the schedule of the doctor you may be able to be seen
that day or you may have to wait a few weeks to get an appointment.)
