Health Maintenance Organizations — HMO Plans, Coverage & Quotes
HMO family health insurance plans are the most comprehensive health care available to you and your loved ones. HMO health plans cover most health care expenses for your entire family; you just have to pay a monthly premium. Most of the time, your main out-of-pocket costs with HMO insurance plans will consist of co-payments for prescription medications and doctor visits; these must be paid at the time of service. The cost of HMO health insurance plans generally remains steady, regardless of the amount of health care services you use.
HMO health insurance plans focus on preventative care, such as screenings and treatments, which is especially important to families. The average HMO plan covers screenings and treatments, which allow many patients to take advantage of care sooner than those with plans that force them to cover the entire screening cost themselves. Patients with HMO health plans are likely to have illnesses that are caught earlier, before they turn serious and require more expensive care. HMO plans offer affordable family health insurance with convenience. There’s no filling out paperwork if you stay in-network!
The first step in choosing an HMO plan is picking your primary care physician, who refers you to medical specialists that will be covered by your HMO health insurance plan. These doctors must be in your plan’s network. If you or any family members have a particular preference in doctors, check the provider networks before picking a policy. Going outside of the individual HMO plans’ network can wipe out the cost savings of having HMO family health insurance. You will have to pay 100% of the cost of out-of-network medical care out of your own pocket, unless it is an emergency. Doctor visits cost less under a HMO family health insurance plan because the HMO subsidizes physicians. That could mean you pay several hundred dollars per visit, as opposed to a co-payment under $50.
When is an HMO a good value for family health insurance? It is suitable if you are satisfied with its network; coverages vary. Before selecting an HMO plan, you should find out if your current primary care physician is included in its network, along with any specialists you may be currently seeing. Some doctors (as well as hospitals, labs, and urgent care clinics) are network-exclusive, while others work with multiple networks.
If you need to choose a new doctor under your family health insurance plan, the HMO plan you choose must include providers that are a reasonable distance from your home and/or office. Make sure that you are comfortable with the doctors.
VitalOne can help you decide which family HMO plan is right for you and your loved ones. Our licensed health insurance agents can provide you with a family health insurance quote and compare various plans.
