Does your plan check out, spot health insurance policy pitfalls

In this report: Overview; Good plans vs. bad plans; The Wild West of insurance; What you can do; 7 signs that the plan is junk; Does your plan match the federal standard?; The wrong coverage can be devastating; What regulators should do

May 2009

Want better coverage? Try running for Congress

President Barack Obama says Americans should have access to the kind of health benefits Congress gets. We detail them below. Members of Congress and other U.S. government employees can receive care through the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program. Employees choose from hundreds of plans, but the most popular is a national Blue Cross and Blue Shield Preferred Provider Organization plan. Employee contributions for that plan are $152 per person, or $357 per family, per month.

Plan features	Covered services
No annual or lifetime limits for major services Deductible of $300 per person and $600 per family Out-of-pocket limit of $5,000 per year with preferred providers, which includes most deductibles, co-insurance, and co-payments	Inpatient and outpatient hospital care Inpatient and outpatient doctor visits Prescription drugs Diagnostic tests Preventive care, including routine immunizations Chemotherapy and radiation therapy Maternity care	Family planning Durable medical equipment, orthopedic devices, and artificial limbs Organ and tissue transplants Inpatient and outpatient surgery Physical, occupational, and speech therapy Outpatient and inpatient mental-health care