Four basic types of health insurance plans exist that offer everything you may require where your health care is concerned. These plans include point-of-service plans, health maintenance organizations, preferred provider organizations and fee-for-service plans. Based on your health care needs, you need to choose the best plan to suit the needs of yourself and your family. Each plan includes sub-plans or options to further personalize your health insurance plan.

Blue Cross first offered pre-paid hospitalization in the early 30’s. Health insurance became needed with the medical advances and rising costs of health care combined with the fact that loss of earnings occurred due to illness. The combination made it hard for the average man on the street to receive necessary health care, without the help of health insurance.

Fee for service is the most traditional plan where the insurance company pays the medical costs of a policy holder, who can visit any hospital of medical practitioner in the country. A deductible is payable by the policy holder before the payment of claims will commence. This plan does not cover all kinds of medical expenses. When you visit a doctor’s offices, you will complete a claims form. You need to keep all your receipts and be sure to submit claims forms. You can only claim up to a certain amount each year and when you exceed that, it is not covered by the insurance.

Health maintenance organizations offer prepaid health care plans. This is similar to the fee-for-service plan in that it offers comprehensive care for all types of medical expenses, including emergency care, tests, therapy, hospitalization and x-rays. HMOs arrange for medical care from the service providers in its own group or contracted health care providers, which limits your choices. For medical emergencies and if a specific professional is not contracted to the HMO, exceptions are made. You may need to make a small co-payment towards each medical expense, but it is still more predictable than with some of the other insurance types. Another nice thing about HMOs is that you don’t need to fill out claim forms, instead you have a medical insurance card which pulls up all the related information.

HMOs offer insurance that is indemnity-like and are referred to as Point-of Service plans. You will be referred by a primary health care provider to others within the same group. The largest portion of the bill will be covered by your insurance company as long as you visit doctors that are part of the HMO.

Preferred Provider Organizations (PPOs) combines HMO with fee-for-service plans. You get to choose from a limited number of doctors or hospitals that are part of the network and the plan covers most of your bill. You also present a card to the providers and pay a small payment at each visit. Sometimes a deductible or coinsurance may be required. You will have to choose a primary health care provider who will monitor your health. PPOs are in favor of preventative care which is covered in the plan. Doctors that are not in the network are still covered to some extent, with you paying the larger part of the bill yourself and you have to fill out claim forms.

As you can see, there are a variety of types of health insurance plans. You need to weigh up your family’s health care needs with the benefits and snags of each plan before settling on a specific plan.

Locate your Health insurance plans by heading online. Several choices of health insurance plan choices are out there to look at. Go online today and find out more.