Best Insurance Plan for Tinnitus / Hyperacusis Sufferers?

Discussion in 'Support' started by Yuuls, Jan 11, 2020.

    1. Yuuls
      Dreaming

      Yuuls Member

      Tinnitus Since:
      11/2019
      Cause of Tinnitus:
      Unknown
      Hello everyone,

      I recently turned 26. Up until now I have been on my parent's plan which was awesome, Blue Cross PPO, so I could basically see any doctor I wanted without a referral. For those of you who do not know, in the U.S once you turn 26 you get kicked off your parent's insurance.

      My work offers Kaiser. They cover the lowest plan which is Bronze, which has almost a $7,000 deductible, and the coverage is pretty terrible, it says for appointments it's 40% after the deductible so I'm not sure what that means but it sounds like I'd be responsible for the full bill. My last ENT + Audiologist appointment was $800 USD (before insurance).

      It's not very clear from the documents I got but I think my office visits would cost a pretty penny. But again, monthly, this wouldn't cost me anything since my employer covers it.

      If I chose any of the other plans, I would be paying the difference between what my work covers and the actual plan itself. The most expensive one being Platinum, and would cost me about $200 monthly. But this one has a $0 deductible, and most appointments wouldn't cost me that much. There are also options in between (Gold/Silver) which have deductibles in the $1-4000 range and would cost me about $100 monthly.

      I am having a very tough time selecting a plan. I have already seen two ENT's and an audiologist on my previous insurance, so I got that out of the way. The way Kaiser works, is you have to have a referral for everything and being that I can't see any of my old doctors, I'll be starting from scratch with a new GP, probably another audiologist and ENT. I'd still like to see someone to rule out nerve/neck issues (not sure who that would be) but I do believe my issues stem from hyperacusis, noise damage and possibly ETD.
      I do not have any hearing loss based on the standard tests.

      I am leaning towards the Platinum plan because I have health anxiety, but I would be spending about $2,400 yearly on the insurance alone, but my appointments would probably run about $30 each.

      The thing is Kaiser is notorious for terrible mental healthcare, and I think I could greatly benefit from therapy but I'd probably have to go private, and most therapists where I live are about $200 a session.

      I know at this point that doctors are pretty much a waste and since there is no cure for tinnitus, it sounds like my best bet at this point is going with the plan my work covers, and I could use that $200 I would be spending on the platinum plan on therapy. There isn't much information regarding how much coverage I get for an audiologist or something like TRT.

      Anyone have any thoughts here? Most people at my age (26) are advised to go with the cheapest plan because they are healthy.

      My parents aren't able to give me much advice and I know this is very much a personal decision, but I'd love some input from other older people who have more experience with this.

      For context, my monthly salary is $3,132 and $1,250 of that goes to rent. I don't have many other major bills.

      In short - I could either do the Platinum plan, $200 monthly, and try to use their mental healthcare services but would probably have to spend about another $200 monthly on private therapy.

      Or I could go with the free plan my work covers, see another ENT so I can get custom plugs from an audiologist. This single appointment would be costly, but probably less than the $2,400 I'd spend yearly on the platinum plan. And I could use the remainder of the money on therapy sessions.

      Thoughts?

      Thank you guys!
       
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