Finding Affordable Individual Health Insurance Online

By Author: Dennis Anthem
Total Articles: 17
Comment this article

Health insurance is a coverage everyone should have. Often provided by your employer, health insurance covers you when you fall ill and helps off-set your medical costs. Most health insurance plans involve monthly payments which are set based on the type of medical coverage you receive. If the coverage is just for you or for your immediate family, there are different types of health plans that are available to you. Major health plans are HMO stands for Health Maintenance Organization, PPO stands for Preferred Provider Organization, POS stands for Point of Service and EPO stands for Exclusive Provider Organization. There are few other types of coverage, the plan types mentioned above and the major types.

In a Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) plan members pay a monthly fee. If you want to meet a specialist you have to get prior approval from the physician. If you visit a doctor out of the network then you have to meet those expenses out of your pocket. A member is required to pay a co-payment. A co-payment is an amount paid at the time of treatment to offset a portion of the medical costs.

Preferred Provider ...
... Organization (PPO) is more flexible than HMOs. You can visit any specialist or physician out of the network but co-payments will be more if you choose a physician out of-the network. HMO's do not cover members if they go outside of the HMO network of providers. In PPO there is no need to establish and then have all medical treatment approved by a primary care physician. In addition to a co-payment, PPO members may be required to meet a deductible.

Point of service (POS) is a combination of HMOs and PPOs. Point of service plans has no deductibles and very limited co-payments. POS plans also have a network of physicians, hospitals and other medical providers, and require members to assign a primary care physician. POS also offer limited coverage to members who choose to go out-of-network for medical care. However, the out of network coverage is significantly less than that of in-network coverage, and requires a deductible and co-payment.

EPO (Exclusive Provider Organization) is regulated by California Department of Insurance. This plan pays both physicians and other health care providers differently. EPOs covers only those expenses if you visit a physician within the network, unless it is an emergency.
Dennis Anthem leading authority in individual and group healthcare industry. Consultant for Anthem Blue Cross that provides individual and group health insurance.