"Which hospitals are in my Arlington Texas group health insurance plan's network? " 

This is a very important factor in selecting an Arlington group health insurance company, because the rates are much higher and the annual deductibles if an employee must go to an out of network hospital.  As an example, a company that offers a group plan with a $1,500 employee deductible plan is very commonplace in the Dallas area.  For most plans, that means that the family deductible is $4,500.  But for many Arlington Texas group health insurance plans, the "out of network" deductible would be three times that amount, or $4,500 or $13,500 for indivdiual or family.  Also, any medical care would be billed at the much higher out of network rate.

Most group health insurance carriers in Arlington, Texas use a preferred provider network  (PPO), which then contracts with indivdual doctors and hospitals in the area.  As shown in the above example, going to a hospital that is "in the PPO network" could save an Arlington employee's family tens of thousands of dollars in expenses vs. going to an out of network provider.

The problem is taht each group health insurance company has its printed and online directory of hospitals that are in their PPO network.  But there isn't any one place that we know of where Arlington employees or employers can see which  hospitals that every major group health insurance company accepts in their PPO network.  

In an emergency, this information could save a company's employees several thousand dollars.  And at renewal time, when a company decides when to change group health insurance carriers, this information can even assist employers decide whether to change companies. 

Selecting your Arlignton company's group health insurance carrier solely on the basis of who has the lowest group health insurance rates in Arlington, Texas could get your company in trouble and could cause poor morale. 

Let's say for example, that your company's Arlington group health insurance broker has recommended that your company consider a health insurance plan for your company simply because it offers very affordable group health insurance quotes in Arlington, Texas. 

But if your Arlington group health insurance agency does not advise you which hospitals are in the recommended carrier's network, this could lead to your selecting a carrier with only a few, distant, or only undesirable hospitals for your employees to visit. 

And if employees as a result had to visit better or closer hospitals that were not in the insurance plan's network, employees could suffer the big financial penalty of out of network rates.

So as a community service and for the convenience of our Dallas group health insurance clients we will post from time to time an unauthorized list of the preferred "in-network hospitals" for many of the most popular group insurance plans in various communities around Dallas Fort Worth, Texas. 

This list is unofficial and is based on the information that we obtained from the group health insurance company websites themselves, but it is subject to change without notice, so we take no responsibility for this information. 

But it is as accurate a list as is available in the community.  Individuals are urged to check with their insurance plan or their local hospital to confirm this list prior to seeking care.  The phone number and address of every general hospital is listed for convenience, so call first to confirm.

This weeks post focuses on Arlington, Texas and we are listing which PPO currently accepts each hospital in network:

1. Arlington Memorial Hospital, 800 W. Randol Mill Rd., Arlington, TX 76012, (817) 548-6100. 
   1. Aetna
   2. Beech Street
   3. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas
   4. Great West
   5. PHCS
   6. Unicare
   7. United Healthcare
2. Medical Center of Arlington, 331 Matlock Rd., Arlington, TX 76015, (817) 465-3241.
   1. Aetna
   2. Beech Street
   3. Great West
   4. PHCS
   5. United Healthcare
3. USMD Surgical Hospital of Arlington LP, 801 West I-20, Arlington, TX 76017, (817-472-3000. 
   1. Aetna
   2. Beech Street
   3. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas
   4. Great West
   5. PHCS
   6. Unicare
   7. United Healthcare
4.  Kindred Hospital Arlington,   1000 N. Cooper St., Arlington, TX 76011, (817) 548-3000.
   1. Beech Street
   2. Great West
   3. Unicare
   4. United Healthcare

If your Arlington group health insurance plan utilizes another PPO other than the above, please let us know so we can update the above listing.

Here are some suggestions on how to get affordable health insurance in Dallas and surrounding communities such as Fort Worth, Plano, Richardson, Arlington and Irving.

If you are looking for health insurance for your business, you should consider working with a Dallas group health insurance broker that specializes in group health insurance.  Many property and casualty firms or your home or auto insurance brokers may be able to offer your company plans from one or two companies, but chances are they do not have the expertise nor do they represent a wide number of health insurance companies to be able to advise your company and to recommend to yuo the best coverage for your business. 

And even health insurance agents may only specialize in insurance plans for individuals and families, or specialize in senior health insurance, or represent only a few different companies.  A group health insurance broker who specializes in helping companies find affordable health insurance in Dallas Texas, and who represents several different companies is best suited to assisting your business.

The affordable group health insurance brokers at TexasGroupBenefits.com specializes in group medical insurance in Dallas for small to mid-sized businesses.  We also assist larger businesses with large group fully insured insurance plans, self-funded insurance plans and partially self-funded insurance plans.

Many companies today use the internet for research for potential suppliers.  Companies should beware of filling out online forms from out of state websites that promise to provide them with health insurance quotes.  The company information that you provide is often sold and resold by the website to as many as forty to fifty insurance agents of various degrees of expertise who will in turn call the company and request an appointment.

If your company is looking for affordable health insurance in Texas, contact Mike Chapman at TexasGroupBenefits.com, 214-764-6315 or toll-free (888) 398-6246. 

You will be asked a short list of questions and for information about the company and ages of employees and employees that you can be assured will be kept confidential. 

Within less than three days, you will be presented in person with an initial survey of available plans and rates from "A" rated insurance carriers, as well as recommendations that meet your company's objectives. This assures that you are getting the best advice available for your business before you purchase a group health insurance plan.

If you are in Texas and are self-employed or are looking for affordable health insurance for yourself or your family, you should also be cautious of sharing your contact information on out of state websites, as your contact information will be sold and resold to possibly hundreds of agents who will by law be allowed to contact you for the next ninety days and will try to sell you health insurance. 

If you want a safe, confidential resource that you can trust their advice, you can follow this link for and get individual health insurance quotes for affordable health insurance in Dallas Texas.  Once you complete the form, you can review rates and plans from several different insurance carriers, including Blue Cross Blue Shield Texas, United healthcare/Golden Rule, Aetna, Unicare, Humana and many others. 

You will then be contacted solely by an employee of Texas Group Benefits who can help you select the best health insurance plan based on your health and budget.  Be sure to leave a valid email address and phone number and the best time for you to be contacted so that we may assist you.

Texas Group Benefits is dedicated to supporting the needs of our clients.  We know our market, and we know how to provide our clients the best insurance plan designs that meet a range of needs and budgets.  We can help your business provide the employee benefits plans that will serve your business needs and will best meet the needs of your employees.  We are certified as Chartered Benefits Consultants and the training, expertise and experience your business deserves.

We offer consultation and support in addition to group health insurance and group medical plans from a rated companies, group dental insurance, group life insurance, group disability insurance, and voluntary benefits or supplemental benefits.  We can provide our clients Texas small group and fully insured health plans, as well as self funded and partially self-funded medical plans for larger businesses. We also help our clients develop affordable 401K retirement plans with very low administrative costs.

For more information, contact us at 214-764-6315, or (888) 398-6246.