Health Insurance Plan Comparison
PPO’s HMO, POS’s WTF’s….. No one is born knowing what these acronym’s mean. It almost seems like health insurance companies use these just to confuse you. When looking through a health insurance plan comparison it’s important to realize the restrictions between each. Each plan listed below has a list of doctors (except for the indemnity plans). Qualified indemnity plans are very rare and very expensive in Nevada.
By using the doctors on the list, you will pay the least amount for medical services. On Nevada Health Link for 2014, you will ONLY find HMO plans. When you compare health insurance plans on NV Health Link, please be aware of the doctors covered by each insurance plan. Through the link is a full list of doctors covered by each insurance plan.
HMO
Do I have to have a primary care doctor assigned? – YES
Do I need a referral to see a specialist? – YES
Does it cover doctors who aren’t contracted? – NO
Are these plans affordable? – YES – The cost may increase proportionally with the size of the doctors’ list and the number of co-pays.
PPO
Do I have to have a primary care doctor assigned? – NO
Do I need a referral to see a specialist? – NO
Does it cover doctors who aren’t contracted? – YES (but it’s not ideal)
Are these plans affordable? – YES – They are usually slightly more expensive than HMO’s but for those who like the flexibility in doctors list it’s a great choice.
POS
Do I have to have a primary care doctor assigned? – YES
Do I need a referral to see a specialist? – MAYBE
Does it cover doctors who aren’t contracted? – YES
Are these plans affordable? – Generally MAYBE – Because of the large flexibility of being able to see any doctor (advantages of PPO) and the large number of co-pays (advantage of HMO) it may be costly. Many insurance companies have come out with affordable prices for these plans.
Traditional Indemnity Plan
Do I have to have a primary care doctor assigned? – NO
Do I need a referral to see a specialist? – NO
Does it cover doctors who aren’t contracted? – YES
Are these plans affordable? – NO
It’s important to conduct a thorough Health Insurance Plan Comparison before choosing. Call us for details.
