There are many different kinds of health insurance that you can choose from. If you are getting your health insurance through your employer, you are pretty much locked into whatever the employer offers. However, if you are on your own, then you can make your own choice about what kind of health insurance is right for you.
One of the most popular forms of health insurance is called a PPO. This stands for Preferred Provider Organization. It is a network of health care providers that include hospitals, as well as specific doctors. The insurance company has contracted these doctors and hospitals to provide health care to people who purchase the PPO insurance, for a cost that is less than what the doctors or hospitals would normally charge. It covers physical exams, diagnostic tests, and immunizations for both children and adults. You will be covered for doctor office visits, inpatient and outpatient hospital services, maternity care, and emergency medical and accident treatment that takes place in a hospital. You will have to pay a copayment when you visit a doctor.
If you choose this form of health insurance, you will be given a directory. The directory is a list of all of the health care providers who have decided to participate with your insurance company. These doctors are considered to be “in network”. If you select a doctor from the directory, you not have to pay a deductible, and your health care will be provided at a discounted rate. If you want to see a specialist doctor who is listed on the directory, you can, and you do not have to get a referral from another doctor first, before you can see the specialist. You also are not required to designate a doctor as your primary care physician. These are some of the advantages of having a PPO health insurance plan.
There are some disadvantages of PPO health insurance plans that you should be aware of. If you want to see a doctor who is out of the network, it will cost you more money than it would to see a doctor who is in network. This can be problematic if the doctor you were seeing before you got this type of health insurance is not part of the network, or if you don’t live nearby any of the doctors in the network. Seeing an out of network doctor means you will have to pay the doctor first, and then submit an insurance claim form to your insurance company, and wait to see if they are going to reimburse you.