Insurance Information

Health Insurance Plans and their Differences


Health insurance plans have changed dramatically over the past ten years, and American's currently have several different options to choose from- including HMO's, PPO's, fee-for-service plans, MSA's and major medical. There are two main categories of health insurance plans that each of these policies is classified as; managed care plans and indemnity care plans. The differences between each of these plans mean the differences in how you will receive health care when you need it.

Managed care health insurance plans, mostly the HMO's, focus primarily on prevention, and people with these types of policies pay less for their coverage. The drawback is that you are limited to specific health care providers. Indemnity plans, also known as fee-for-service plans, will cost you more- but you are completely covered no matter what illness or accident might occur. Indemnity plans place an emphasis on patient choice, allowing you to choose where and when you are treated.

The newest options in health insurance plans include the PPO (preferred provider organization) plans. These are somewhat a hybrid between the managed care and indemnity categories. Due to their flexibility, these plans are becoming the most popular. PPO plans are similar to managed care plans in that they encourage preventative care, such as routine check ups which are covered under the plan, but you are allowed more of a choice over what doctors you can see.

So how do the different plans effect how you receive health care? When you are part of an indemnity plan, you are typically able to choose the doctor you want to see when an unexpected illness occurs. You will have to fill out paperwork to submit claims, and keep track of your receipts and medical bills. If you are covered under the managed care health insurance plans, you have a higher chance of having your routine check ups covered, since they believe strongly in preventative medicine. You typically are required to choose a health care provider from a list of participating providers, but most of the paperwork required to process your claim is the responsibility of the insurer.

***************************************
Brad Triggs provides more information and
free insurance quotes at his website:
My-Insurance-Quotes.com - Health Insurance Plans
***************************************


MORE RESOURCES:

The Money Times

Great Florida Bank Offers $50 Million in Federal Deposit Insurance ...
MarketWatch - 21 hours ago
announced today that customers can now access up to $50 million in FDIC insurance coverage at Great Florida Bank. This additional coverage is available as a ...
FDIC learns it ignores bloggers at its peril Bizjournals.com
Self-help guide for consumers Reuters
Heading off Panic Mail Tribune
Reno News & Review - Times Herald-Record
all 231 news articles


WELT ONLINE

EMC Insurance Group Inc. Reports 2008 Second Quarter Results
MarketWatch - 1 hour ago
Premium income was down 1.7 percent in the property and casualty insurance segment during the second quarter of 2008 as new business premium was not ...
SeaBright Insurance Holdings Reports Second Quarter and Six-Month ... WELT ONLINE
WR Berkley Corporation Reports Second Quarter Results MarketWatch
Montpelier Re Reports Second Quarter 2008 Operating Income of $63 ... WELT ONLINE
WELT ONLINE
all 30 news articles


Pittsburgh Post Gazette

Small Pickups Falter In Side-Impact Crashes
Wall Street Journal - 4 hours ago
In side-impact crash tests carried out on five small pickups by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, only one model -- the Toyota Tacoma -- received ...
Video: Small Pickups Panned for Safety AssociatedPress
Insurance tests raise questions about some pickups Fox 28
Shift to smaller cars raises safety questions Reuters
Consumer reports
all 205 news articles


MBIA, Ambac Sued by Los Angeles on `Unnecessary' Bond Insurance
Bloomberg - 6 hours ago
Borrowers in the $2.66 trillion US municipal market have for decades paid insurance companies to guarantee their bonds, seeking to lower their borrowing ...
LA sues financial firms, alleging fraud in bond issues Los Angeles Times
all 3 news articles


Press Conference Announcing the 2008 Farmers Insurance Group(R ...
MarketWatch - 8 hours ago
LOS ANGELES, CA, Jul 23, 2008 (MARKET WIRE via COMTEX) -- Farmers Insurance Group Angel City Classic will hold a press conference at 10:00 AM PDT Tuesday, ...


Campaign aims to get kids, adults health insurance
Chicago Tribune, United States - 18 hours ago
AP INDIANAPOLIS - An annual back-to-school campaign aimed at enrolling children in low-cost government insurance added a new goal this year: getting their ...
IN officials encourage insurance sign-ups WFIE-TV
Campaign Aims to Get Kids Health Insurance 93.1 WIBC Indianapolis
all 17 news articles


Ohio health-insurance reform panel presents recommendations to ...
Bizjournals.com, NC - 15 hours ago
A state panel on Wednesday rolled out recommendations for extended health coverage to Ohio's uninsured, a report in the works since last summer. ...
Insuring the uninsured will be costly Columbus Dispatch
Plan would require all in Ohio to have health care Cincinnati.com
State Coverage Initiative team issues report that recommends ... Wilmington News Journal, OH
all 22 news articles


New small business owner insurance program
Indianapolis Star, United States - 10 hours ago
Indianapolis based, HR Partnerships, Inc, a local human resource management company announced the establishment of a new Small Business insurance initiative ...


China Insurance International outlook raised to positive from ...
Forbes, NY - 2 hours ago
MUMBAI (Thomson Financial) - Fitch Ratings said it revised the outlook to positive from stable on China Insurance International Holdings Co. ...


Travel insurance presents its own set of risks
San Francisco Chronicle,  USA - 14 hours ago
Let's say you're a cautious soul and bought travel insurance for your trip. But when something unexpected happened - for what you thought you were insured ...

Insurance - Google News

home | site map
© 2006