| Health Insurance costs have gone through the roof in | | | | the option of choosing their own doctor and hospital or |
| recent years, but finding an affordable health insurance | | | | staying with a network doctor and hospital. |
| plan may not be as hard as you think. Here are simple | | | | Choosing an Affordable Health Insurance Plan |
| explanations of the four basic plans and you can save | | | | The first thing you have to do is to figure out which |
| money on them. | | | | health insurance plan is best for you. |
| Health Insurance Plans | | | | If you want the most flexibility, then a POS plan is your |
| There are four basic types of health insurance: | | | | best bet. If you want the cheapest plan and don't don't |
| 1. Indemnity - This is the most expensive plan. It allows | | | | mind your doctors being chosen for you, then an HMO |
| you to choose your own doctor and hospital. It's the | | | | is what your looking for. If you want more freedom of |
| most flexible plan because it allows you to make your | | | | choice than an HMO and are willing to pay a little more |
| own decisions about your health care. You pay your | | | | for your insurance, then a PPO is a good choice. And |
| bill after services are rendered and are then | | | | if you're a senior and want to supplement your |
| reimbursed by your insurance company. | | | | Medicare insurance, then a Medicare supplement is |
| 2. Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) - This is the | | | | what you need. |
| cheapest plan. It provides you with a network of | | | | After you choose a plan, the best way to find the best |
| doctors and hospitals chosen by your insurance | | | | rate is to go to an insurance comparison website |
| company. You pay a monthly fee for this plan and all | | | | where you can compare rates from a number of |
| visits and prescriptions must be approved by your | | | | different companies. The better sites even have a |
| HMO. | | | | chat feature where you can talk online with an |
| 3. Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) - This is the | | | | insurance expert and get answers to your questions. |
| most popular plan. It's similar to an HMO, but you pay | | | | (See link below.) |
| for medical care after it's received instead of paying a | | | | Visit or click on the following link to get free health |
| monthly fee. You also have the option of seeing | | | | insurance plan quotes from top-rated companies in |
| out-of-network doctors. Visits within the network | | | | your area and see how much you can save. You can |
| require a small fee, while out-of-network visits may | | | | get more health insurance tips by checking out their |
| require a deductible payment and a co-payment. | | | | "Articles" section. |
| 4. Point of Service (POS) Plan - This is more | | | | The author, Brian Stevens, is a former insurance agent |
| expensive than HMOs and PPOs but much cheaper | | | | and financial consultant who has written numerous |
| than an idemnity plan. It's for people who want to have | | | | articles on affordable health insurance plans. |