Is my doctor or physical therapist covered by my new insurance plan?

Obamacare - Will my PT be covered?Jill Murphy, DPT, LAT, CSCS

Question: I am one of the individuals who will need to sign up for insurance next year through the Federal Marketplace/Exchange. How do I know if my doctor or physical therapy provider is included in my new insurance plan?

Answer: It is difficult as a provider to understand this new addition to our nation’s healthcare system, so we can only guess how difficult it is to select a new plan that will work best for you and your family as far as the premium amount, deductibles and co-pays, and providers on your insurance panel, much less even getting on the exchange website. Please know that MotionWorks has received no information, updates, or any communication from the federal government, state government, or individual insurance companies who provide coverage in the exchange, and those who are not participating in the exchange as of this writing. We have not been asked to be in any of the new insurance plans in the exchange, and we are not even sure if we are able to treat anyone who selects one of the plans in the exchange, since zero communication is taking place. All you can do is to click through all of the information provided on the exchange, visit the website or call the individual insurance company who is providing the care and ask if your specific provider is available through that insurance plan. Be sure to ask about the specific plan, not just the insurance company, because insurance companies provide hundreds of plans that include some but perhaps not all of the providers who have a contract with that company. You can also request that your insurance plan cover a specific provider who you would like access to see if the provider is not currently a contracted in-network provider under your plan.

If you have a question you would like a physical therapist to address, submit your Ask a PT question here.