When choosing your health insurance for the year, you must understand a few facts before you begin. One thing you need to know is about managed care and what each kind provides and what it doesn’t. In Iowa, at Brown-Hurst Insurance Agency Inc., we are experienced independent insurance agents who are well-versed in health insurance and can help you sort out the different types and what will provide the coverage you need.
There are three main types of managed care: HMO, PPO, and POS. Each has pluses and minuses, and knowing what those are will help you choose a policy that will give you the health insurance coverage you need.
HMO
HMO is short for Health Maintenance Organization. The HMO is the original type of managed care that resulted from an act of Congress in 1973. With an HMO, you must have a primary care physician who manages all your healthcare decisions. They must be within the network of the carrier you choose. You will need to get a referral to visit a specialist, and they must also be in the network. With an HMO, visits outside the network for anything but a severe emergency are not covered. HMOs are the least expensive plans.
PPO
A PPO is a Preferred Provider Organization. While a network of providers has been contracted with, patients can opt to go outside the network. Higher costs are incurred by going outside, but you can see who you want without getting a referral.
POS
POS stands for Point of Service, and it combines an HMO and a PPO. You need a primary care doctor, but they don’t need to be in the network.
Contact our Iowa insurance office at Brown-Hurst Insurance Agency Inc. when you are ready to choose your health insurance.
