Finding the right health care insurance plan for yourself and your family requires some deliberation. The best health insurance Lodi CA will be the plan that gives you access to the health care services you are most likely to use at a cost that you can afford. Here are some things that you should keep in mind during your open enrollment period.
Assess All Your Coverage Options
Most working Americans get their health care insurance through their employers. Employers are likely to offer no-frills plans, however, since they’re picking up that cost themselves. If you don’t want to sign on to your workplace health plan, you don’t have to: You can buy health insurance on your own. Be advised, though, that buying health care plans through the marketplace may cost more.
Both the federal government and California have Affordable Care Act marketplaces. You also have the option of purchasing health care coverage through a private insurance agency or through a private exchange. If you don’t purchase health care insurance through an Affordable Care Marketplace, you won’t qualify for premium subsidies even if your income makes you eligible for one.
Determine What Type of Plan Works Best for You
Health care insurance plans generally fall into one of four categories:
• Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs): HMOs are health care networks that give you access to the physicians and the health care facilities within that network.
• Preferred Provider Organizations (PPOs): PPOs are a network of health care providers who have agreed to offer services at a pre-agreed rate.
• Exclusive Provider Organization (EPOs): EPOs are similar to HMOs in that they offer access to providers and facilities within their network. No benefits are provided for out-of-network choices.
• Point of Service (POS): POS networks combine the characteristics of HMOs and PPOs.
If you want to maintain tight control over your choice of physicians, then a PPO plan may be your best option. Both HMO and POS plans will only let you see specialists if you’ve been referred through your primary physician. HMOs and EPOs generally involve the lowest out-of-pocket costs.