Using Your Coverage
Preventive care, appeals, surprise bills, and HSAs and FSAs.
Free Preventive Care: What the ACA Covers and When You Still Pay
Which screenings, vaccines and checkups most plans must cover at no cost, where the list comes from, and why a preventive visit can still produce a bill.
Read · 6 min read →Using Your CoverageAppealing a Denied Health Claim: Internal Appeals and External Review
How to read a denial notice, file an internal appeal, request an independent external review and meet the federal deadlines that apply.
Read · 6 min read →Using Your CoverageSurprise Medical Bills: How the No Surprises Act Protects You
What the No Surprises Act covers, what it doesn't, when to refuse a notice and consent form, and how to dispute or report a surprise bill.
Read · 6 min read →Using Your CoverageHealth Savings Accounts: How HSAs Work and the 2026 and 2027 IRS Limits
Who can contribute to an HSA, the 2026 and 2027 IRS limits, the new bronze-plan rule, what the money can pay for, and how Medicare changes things.
Read · 6 min read →Using Your CoverageHealth FSAs Explained: Limits, Deadlines and What They Cover
How a health flexible spending account works, the 2026 IRS limits, use-it-or-lose-it rules, eligible expenses and how FSAs interact with HSAs.
Read · 6 min read →Using Your CoveragePrior Authorization and Referrals: Getting Care Approved First
The difference between prior authorization and referrals, when approval isn't required, how fast plans must decide, and what to do after a denial.
Read · 6 min read →