Yelp for Health Insurance: Zocdoc

With school being remote, I haven’t been able to optimize my school insurance. The other day I was exploring my insurance provider’s list of health carriers and it was not easy. Every number I rang was either no longer operating or was not accepting new clients. Trust me, and I made several calls, just to end up with no appointments. 

Why is it so hard just to get an appointment with my insurance for an urgent matter? 

And so, like the millennial that I am, I Googled “Find doctor by insurance plan”. 

ZocDoc popped up with their heading “Find Doctors in your Network”. The Google Gods have done their magic again. I love the internet. They had a list of reputable doctors with different specialties alongside customer reviews. This is basically Yelp but for doctors! 

Simple web interface at Zocdoc.com .

There are 4 columns on the search bar: condition, zip code, date of appointment, and most importantly: insurance carrier. I must admit, their range of insurance plans are amazing, they even had my Aetna Student Plan that was unique to my college. Picking out a doctor was as easy as finding a restaurant for dinner (except that my insurance would be paying for “dinner”). 

Zocdoc’s Well Guide via iPhone App.

ZocDoc also has a checklist section called “well guide” when you have an account with them. It has all the primary concerns that should be regularly checked depending on your gender and age. Mine has skin screening, dental cleaning, vision exam, physical exam, and well-woman exam. It keeps track of the tests that are up to date and reminds me to take scheduled appointments for tests that are due. I didn’t realize my insurance didn’t cover dental until ZocDoc’s well guide! 

In response to COVID-19, ZocDoc has also launched video visits. If you’re uncomfortable with visiting a doctor in person, you can book video calls and have your doctor diagnose or prescribe medication virtually. 

So far I’ve visited 2 doctors from ZocDoc and they have both been positive experiences. One of the doctors even recommended tests I didn’t know I needed, she recommended it as a safety precaution since it was included in my insurance anyways. She made me feel very comfortable with taking the test and was not pushy at all. If you’re giving ZocDoc a try, I would highly recommend you read the reviews to make sure the doctor aligns with your concerns. 

I’ve downloaded the ZocDoc App on my phone to keep it handy and in case of any last minute cancellations. The interface is really easy to use too. It’s available on OS and Android.