Having a health plan also referred to as health insurance, is almost a necessity these days. Medical costs keep going up, and without some type of health plan in place, a medical emergency can be a major financial hit for most Americans.
While you may think that health insurance is all the same and that health plans simply provide some financial coverage of medical costs, the truth is that there are some stark differences in the various types of plans available. Understanding these differences can make a big difference between choosing the right plan and ending up with the wrong plan.
Savings and Insurance
Some of the more popular health plans offered by employers as benefits included health savings accounts (HSAs) and preferred provider organizations (PPOs). If you take a look at an HSA and PPO comparison, you’ll see that these two options provide vastly different coverage options for medical costs.
The major thing to take note of in an HSA and PPO comparison is that an HSA is a savings account that sets aside tax-free money to pay for medical costs. A PPO is a health insurance plan that covers certain medical costs within a network of healthcare providers. Essentially, these two options serve two different purposes.
Health Maintenance Organizations
Another type of health plan is referred to as a health maintenance organization (HMO). Like a PPO, an HMO relies on a network of care providers. The difference is that an HMO does not offer coverage for out-of-network provider services while a PPO does. Also, members of an HMO must see their primary care physician first before seeing a specialist, while a PPO member is usually able to see a specialist without a referral.
What Does Your Employer Offer?
Because most people obtain health insurance through their employers, you’re encouraged to speak with your human resources department to discuss your options. You may not be aware that you have various choices in health plan offerings through your workplace, and it’s important to know how to change your plan if you find that your needs change over time.
Author Resource:-
Daniel Stewart has been helping people with their money management and personal finance with over 15 years’ experience in business finance. You can find his thoughts at invest HSA blog.
