As the cost of medical care continues to rise and millions of new high-risk patients enter the insurance market, it's becoming increasingly difficult for healthy individuals to find low-cost health insurance. If you're lucky enough to have access to an affordable Amerigroup health insurance plan, you have a range of primary-care providers and specialist doctors at your disposal. However, you'll still need to spend time researching each of these providers to ensure that they accept your particular plan without restriction. If you live in a densely-populated area, you stand an excellent chance of finding a local doctor who will do so.
You can find your doctor in one of several ways. First, you can call Amerigroup using the contact number in your plan documents. If you've been provided with a local phone number in addition to the company's national hotline, call the local number first. You're likely to be connected to a representative who's familiar with your local medical community and can give you off-the-cuff directions and tips.
If you haven't been provided with a local number, call the national hotline. Depending upon the time of day at which you call, you may have to wait on hold for a few moments. To avoid competing with other customers for the attention of the company's call center representatives, try to make your call in the middle of the morning or afternoon. Avoid calling during the lunch hour or early evening. Alternatively, you can mail a request for a list of providers in your area to the contact address printed on your plan documents. Of course, the list may take several days to appear in your mailbox.
You can also conduct an Internet search for a nearby provider through Amerigroup's proprietary website. Amerigroup allows you to search for in-network doctors by geographical area, medical specialty and Medicare or Medicaid eligibility. If you're looking for a general practitioner, it may be best to search by area. If you're willing to travel a significant distance to meet with a well-regarded specialist, search by specialty instead. If you require the services of a doctor who can bill you through Medicare or you currently participate in a state Medicaid program, you'll need to conduct your search according to those criteria. In any event, you'll receive the contact information and office location for each in-network doctor that your search uncovers. Use this information as the basis for further research.