All health plans are designed different. There is no golden middle for all these plans to make them good for everybody. The most suitable plan for one person may not work at all for another. The best plan for you is determined by several factors: the kind of health care you need, whether you have family members and what their needs are, and a few other personal factors.

Which Health Insurance Plan is Right for You?

Features, options, special aspects of offered services vary widely among types of plans. Speaking about the difference among companies the main thing to mention is cost. Taking into account your personal needs and circumstances, the rates calculated for you by different companies may range from less expensive to more expensive. Overall, it does not require much of your time and efforts to figure out which plan type is best for your needs.

Looking for a job it is important that you should ask your possible employer of health benefits they provide. Some employers may seem favorable as they offer more options in respect of health insurance.

If you know exactly what your health insurance plan must include, you will not have to be spending much time on choosing among all of them.

Health Maintenance Organization (HMO)

HMOs are the oldest providers of managed care, besides they are considered to be the least expensive. Paying fees on the monthly basis you receive a range of benefits. However, HMO plans aren't based on deductibles, but oblige you to make co-payments for the services performed. For instance, the co-payment for doctor visits may be $20. Another important thing is that HMO plans require you to get a referral from your Primary Care Physician before they will cover treatment by a specialist (or cover your hospitalization, X-ray and lab work). You have the right to choose a primary care physician from a list of participating doctors, which belong to a certain medical group. It is a primary care physician who acts as authorization for services to be covered by your HMO.

Keep in mind, however, that you also may have to pay co-payment for each office or hospital visit. The sum does not depend on the services cost.

Services such as emergency room, mental health and chemical dependency services, may also require extra fees.

Preferred Provider Organizations (PPO)

PPO plans suggest that you should use any physician when you need one. However, there is valuable advantage of choosing a Preferred Provider from the list of participating providers: the company will pay for a higher percentage of the costs. If you are treated by a Preferred Provider a PPO plan may pay for 80% of the medical expenses, and only 60% if you are treated by a Non-Preferred Provider. Using Non-Preferred Provider, you may happen to be responsible for any amount billed over customary and reasonable charges.

Before enrolling in PPO you should make up your mind on the kind of plan that meets your needs, because it is only during annual "open enrollment" periods when you can make any changes to your plan. You will also receive a list of participating medical professionals, which you can use to find health care. But you can prefer anyone you already use.
As it is with HMO you may have to pay co-payments. And 'co-payment' is a portion of the cost for each office or hospital visit you may have to pay regardless of costs.

You may have to pay extra for some services like, the emergency room, mental health and chemical dependency services, for example.

Point-Of-Service

Point-of-service plans combine characteristics of HMOs and PPOs. You choose a primary care physician who controls all aspects of care, including referrals to specialists. All care received under that physician's guidance, including referrals, is fully covered.

Care received by out-of-plan providers is partially reimbursed, but you have to pay a significant co-payment or deductible. In other words, point-of-service plans enable you to decide each time you need medical care whether you want to use your plan as an HMO or a PPO.

Major Medical

Major Medical can be characterized as the least restrictive of the all main health insurance plans. This plan allows you to see any licensed health care professional for anything covered by the insurance. When enrolling you choose a deductible and other option, which will like that for you and any dependents you enroll in the plan.

The deductibles you choose apply to each person enrolled in the plan. If you and some one in your family enroll and set a $250 deductible, each of you must pay $250 in medical expenses before your plan starts paying further costs each year. However, companies set a maximum of two or three deductibles per family.

If you exceed your deductible, a coinsurance plan will cover the cost. This means that you and the insurance company share the cost for services covered by the policy. With an 85/15 provision, for instance, the insurance company pays 85% and you pay 15%. After you meet your deductibles, coinsurance maximums apply that protect you from skyrocketing bills.

As it is for all health insurance plans, you may have to pay extra for emergency room, mental health and chemical dependency services, and others of the kind.

After taking a decision on what coverage is suitable for you, make sure to use InsWeb.com's online health insurance questionnaire to compare health insurance quotes online.