Find the New York Health Insurance Plans Right for You
New York health insurance plans can be found in many formats but most health care insurance packages can be categorized into one of three main types. The categories are HMO (Health Maintenance Organization) plans, PPO (Preferred Provider Organization) programs and Indemnity coverage, each with different requirements, benefits and restrictions. Each of these categories offers reasonable levels of health coverage for most individuals, but the plans vary in requirements, coverage, approved health providers and premiums.
With an HMO, only health services received from a network-affiliated health service provider will be reimbursed under the plan, and any specialized health care must be referred by a primary physician in order to be a reimbursable service. With a PPO plan, health care is covered at a greater percentage when you use an in-network provider with negotiated network rates, but you may also go to out-of-network health providers and receive less reimbursement of your health care expenses. With an Indemnity insurance plan, you may select any health service provider you wish, and you should receive an established percentage reimbursement of your covered health care expenses. Out of these different programs, HMO packages will have the least expensive premiums, while Indemnity coverage plans are the most comprehensive and are based on the most expensive premium rates.
When selecting from an HMO, a PPO or an Indemnity plan, you should initially evaluate whether your preferred doctors, labs and hospitals participate in the HMO or PPO network. Next, you can determine how much flexibility you might want in choosing health specialists should you need specialized care. Finally, you will want to consider the trade-off between more freedom in choosing doctors, labs and hospitals versus the significantly higher premiums associated with having more choices and flexibility.