Health insurance is perhaps the most fundamental armament in your financial self-defense. Without it, you leave yourself open to an onslaught of expenditures that can rob you of your savings and even your house.

But having insurance is not enough. Even with the best policy, you can end up owing gigantic sums for your medical care. And don't think that hospitals, doctors, laboratories, anesthesiologists, or even other medical providers would cut you slack just because you are ill. All of them could and do send unpaid bills to collection agencies that then hound you for payment and report you to credit bureaus and still take you to court to get the money.
Here are some of the top mistakes to avoid if you want to use your coverage for maximum advantage and minimum cost

IGNORING THE RULES

Pre-authorizations: If you're necessary to get an authorization from your plan before you have action, by all means, make sure you get it. Don't take for granted the plan would pay simply because the treatment is medically necessary. Double-check with the treating doctor to make certain that he or she has the authorization in hand.

Referrals: Know whether you have to get a transfer from your primary-care doctor before seeing a specialist. Even if you get the good referral, any treatments that arise from that visit might still require preauthorization

Deductibles: Understand how much your deductible is and what it applies to. For example, a defensive checkup might be covered even if you haven't met your deductible, but a succeeding treatment that the doctor prescribes during that visit might not be.

Deadlines: If you want to dispute a refutation of your claim or the amount of the insurance payment, you have a exact time period in which to make an appeal, typically up to six months. Know what it is; otherwise, you could lose an plea by missing a deadline.

Unless you hire an advocate or even have one at your employee benefits section who will argue your case, it's likely you'll have to do this on your own. One of the main mistakes in figuring out how to protect your money when you have health insurance is to take for granted that somebody else is watching out for you.