Health Insurance

When you have health insurance you share the cost of your healthcare with your insurance provider. This will continue until a certain point when you hit your our-of-pocket limit. Once you hit this limit, health insurance will pay 100% of your health care costs.

The features of your plan are your deductible, your copayment, your coinsurance, and your out-of-pocket limit. Click any of the links to learn more about each of these features and what they mean.

You will need to choose a primary care physician (PCP) that is in-network for an HMO plan. Your PCP will arrange your care, and if you need to see specialist you will need to receive a referral from them. This type of plan is perfect if you have a family physician that you trust and you do not plan to travel on a regular basis. One drawback of HMOs is they do not cover any out-of-network health care costs.

Typically, an HMO plan will have cheaper premiums than other types of private health insurance plans.

Alternatively, a PPO plan will allow you to receive care from outside the plan's network and you will have access to a wider network of providers. The main advantage of this type of plan is you will be able to visit a physician nearly anywhere in the country. You will have the option to see an in-network doctor, who can provide care at a lower cost, or if necessary, you can see an out-of-network doctor at a higher cost. You do not need a referral to see a specialist, though you may still choose a primary care physician (PCP) (some states, like California, may require that you have a PCP).

PPO plans typically have more expensive premiums than other types of private health insurance plans.