5 free essential health benefits for kids | Oscar Rx | hioscar Blog | Oscar
5 free essential health benefits for kids
While you can’t protect your kids from everything, you can invest in their health with regular check-ups and shots.
Benefits Oscar Health Insurance
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If you’re a parent, there are few things more gut-wrenching than seeing your child battle a health issue. Even when your kid is 100% healthy, there’s always that nagging fear in the back of your brain that he or she might get sick or injured.
While we can’t dial down the internal worry machine for you, we do have good news. Your Oscar plan provides a variety of preventive health benefits to keep your kids healthy throughout the year and catch any potential issues early.
From checkups with your pediatrician to preventive vaccines and labs, there are a variety of essential health benefits for kids that you get for free with your health plan – so why not use them? Here are five of the most important ones you can cash in to maintain peace of mind about your child’s health.
1.Well-baby and well-child exams
Well-baby and well-child exams are a free benefit for children from birth to age 18. These regular visits with your child’s pediatrician will give you the opportunity to check in on your child’s overall health, stay on top of vaccinations, receive lab work, and spot issues early on. Plus, they’ll help you establish a relationship with a pediatrician who can treat your child throughout the year whenever things come up.
During these visits, children of all ages will receive a:
Newborns may receive up to six free well-baby visits before their first birthday. In addition to the services listed above, well-baby visits also include an autism screening and a one-time hearing screening if your child wasn’t tested at the hospital after delivery. Well-child visits are covered twice a year for children ages 1 through 4, and once a year for children ages 5 through 18. These visits may also include:
Developmental screening.
Oral health risk assessment.
Sexually transmitted infection (STI) prevention counseling for adolescents at higher risk.
Cervical dysplasia screening for sexually active females.
Depression screening for all adolescents.
2. Lab testing
Preventive lab testing is covered-in-full (opens in new tab) by your health plan when completed during a well-baby or well-child exam. While some tests may be performed at the doctor’s office, labs are typically sent to a laboratory to be processed. Be sure to have your doctor send your child’s labs to a Preferred Lab (opens in new tab) over any other in-network labs. (BioReference, LabCorp and Quest Diagnosticsis are our preferred partners) – otherwise, you may be responsible for their cost. If your doctor chooses to run additional tests, you may be responsible for a portion of their cost if you haven’t met your deductible (opens in new tab).
Free preventive lab testing for children includes:
For newborns: Hemoglobinopathies (sickle cell) screening, hypothyroidism screening, and phenylketonuria (PKU) screening.
For young children and adolescents: chlamydia screening, gonorrhea screening, hepatitis C screening (for children at higher risk, including children born to HCV-positive mothers), and HIV screening.
3. Vaccinations
During your child’s exam, your pediatrician will determine which shots your child may need based on their age, the season, and certain risk factors. Your health plan will pick up the tab for these preventive vaccinations when they’re administered during a well-baby or well-child exam:
Whether on the playground or in the classroom, healthy eyes are an important part of your child’s development. Routine eye exams can help you spot vision issues early on and correct them with contacts, glasses, or other treatment when necessary.
Basic vision exams are included in all well-child exams from the first well-baby visit onward. Based on your child’s needs, your doctor may send your child to an eye doctor for further testing. While basic vision screenings are free with your health plan, coverage for exams with specialists and eyewear must be purchased separately or included in the plan you buy, depending on what state you live in.
5. Dental services
Keeping those pearly-whites in tip-top shape can be a challenge for kids – even if you’ve taught them great dental hygiene. The good news is that dental coverage is an essential health benefit for children ages 18 and younger. While all Oscar plans include pediatric dental coverage, parents can purchase additional pediatric dental coverage for their child through the Marketplace (opens in new tab), or directly with an insurer. Most pediatric dental plans offer free cleanings and coverage for orthodontics, fillings, and X-rays.
Still have questions about pediatric health benefits? Call your Concierge team at 855-672-2755, or send a secure message through hioscar.com (opens in new tab) or the Oscar app. We’re here to help!
