Even though I stayed with the same company, when I changed jobs, my health care plan changed. The one I have now is clearly better for me given that I don't see medical doctors other than times when it is absolutely necessary and I very rarely fill a prescription. Instead, I've spent years devoted to maintaining/improving my health under the close care of a naturopath. Back in my old plan, I was covered for only $200 per year. A lot of that time, my naturopath was still in school so I saw her at the clinic they held there, but even though the visit only cost me $25, it quickly added up when other expenses (homeopathics, injections, vitamins, supplements, etc.) were involved. I rarely walked out of there without spending at least $100 on top of the initial price tag. I was cool with that. Once she left school and started a practice of her own, her price went up, but it was always well worth it. I saw the value in her services without question.
My new plan is self-directed. I get to choose the amount of life insurance, disability insurance, dental and medical coverage and so on that I receive and I get to rebuild it every year. 2.5% of my salary is added to the base rate of coverage that everyone gets. Essentially, I start with a dollar figure from which each of my choices is deducted. At the end of the day, every dollar I don't use goes into a "health account" with which I can get whatever kind of care I choose within certain guidelines, of course. For someone who, as I mentioned, doesn't make use of mainstream care, this is fantastic. Every dollar not used in a calendar year is carried over through the one year following, but at that point, if left unused, it disappears.
Clearly, I have yet to get the hang of this new system. I went into HR today to look at next year's plan and was informed that I have a whole $1600 from last year to spend before it leaves my account in just over three weeks' time. Couple that with the $1700 I have to carry over until next year and I'm laughing. That is, if I want to live with my naturopath for the remainder of the year. I promptly made appointments with my optometrist and my dentist, but I just don't think that's going to cut it. Next up, researching massage therapists, chiropractors, perhaps a psychologist??
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