Brought to you by Health Insurance Choice, your source for Free Health Insurance Quotes Your Health Plan Affects Many Things - Who will care for you (doctors and other health care providers), and how much choice you will have.
- What kind of care you will receive (for example, which preventive services are covered?).
- Where you will receive your care (which hospitals, for example).
- When you will receive your care (will you receive it when you need it?).
- How you will be cared for (the quality of care you receive).
- How much you will pay.
What Are Your Choices?
The two major types of health plans are "fee-for-service" and "managed care." Managed care plans can go by many names: Health Maintenance Organization (HMO); Preferred Provider Organization (PPO); Individual Practice Association (IPA); and Point of Service (POS) plan, to name a few. But different groups do not always define these names the same way.
Do not be confused by whether the plan is a "fee-for-service" plan, or whether the plan is one of the many kinds of managed care plans. What you need to understand is not the plan's label, but the characteristics of the plan. Research shows that it is important to understand your options and how they affect your choice of providers and services, costs, and quality of care. Health Insurance Quality Guide Part 3 |
