10 services insurers are least likely to cover

Insurers frequently don't cover 10 common medical services, according to a new analysis from HealthPocket.

The company analyzed more than 11,000 health plans and found "significant consistency in what insurers are not willing to pay for." Almost all of the surveyed insurers (98 percent) don't include long-term care or cosmetic surgery in their plans, while 94 percent don't cover infertility treatments and 93 percent don't cover weight loss programs, the analysis found.

Meanwhile, 92 percent of insurers don't offer private nursing care, acupuncture or children's dental check-ups in their health plans. Rounding out the top 10 services least likely to be covered are weight loss surgery (90 percent), children's eyeglasses (87 percent) and adult dental services (81 percent).

"A lack of insurance coverage for widespread conditions like obesity and infertility affects millions of people across the United States," Kev Coleman, Head of Research and Data at HealthPocket, said in a statement. "Given that most of the medical service exclusions within the Top 10 list can continue after the implementation of health reform, it is vital that consumers closely examine their benefit coverage options when they shop for health insurance this October." 

Some of these services will become covered under the reform law when insurers sell plans on health insurance exchanges. Children's dental visits and eyeglasses, for example, must be included as essential health benefits in any plans sold through the online marketplaces, FierceHealthPayer previously reported.

To learn more:
- here's the HealthPocket statement and analysis