Do you know what’s covered in your health insurance plan?

Access to high quality health care that keeps kids healthy and treats them when they are sick or injured is vital to families throughout our state. But choosing the right plan for your family can be confusing at best, if not downright perplexing!

In our state, there are hundreds of plans to choose from — and it can be hard to understand what is covered and what isn’t.

For example, one recently launched plan in our state touts its value but doesn’t tell you Children’s Wisconsin is not included in the plan at any level. While this may be great for singles or parents with adult children, it could leave families with unexpected medical costs they assumed were covered.

Imagine your child needs to see a specialty doctor only available at Children’s Wisconsin and finding out this isn’t covered. Or that your child needs hospitalization and having to fight through insurance bureaucracy to get your child the care he or she needs. Or learning your Children’s Wisconsin primary care pediatrician is no longer available to your family.

So what can you do?

First, ask: “Is Children’s Wisconsin covered in my health plan?” Once you know that, the very next question needs to be: “At what level?”

Do you have questions about your health plan or are you concerned that by switching to a new plan you may not have guaranteed insurance coverage for Children’s Wisconsin? Contact your health plan to make sure you know which Children’s Wisconsin services are covered.

Ultimately, our hope is that most, if not all, Wisconsin health plans include Children’s Wisconsin in their network of providers, because Wisconsin kids deserve the best. Knowing that isn’t always possible, families can protect themselves and their kids by demanding to know what their insurance plans cover and don’t cover — before it’s too late.

I encourage you to visit our website for detailed information on how to determine if Children’s Wisconsin’s services are covered by your health insurance plan.

Marc Gorelick, MD Former Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Children’s Wisconsin

Children’s Wisconsin is committed to advocating on behalf of children and families at the local, state and federal levels to positively impact laws that affect their health and well-being. Advocacy efforts rely on dedicated volunteers who care about kids and want to make a difference. Our Children’s Advocacy Network (CAN) connects community members to our work, offering advocates the opportunity to contact their lawmakers on important policies and helps you to be a strong voice for kids and families. Join us!