Health Insurance Quotes and Information

• The portion of covered medical expenses you pay is called “co-insurance,” usually 20% of “reasonable and customary charges” (the prevailing cost of a service in your area). If a provider charges more than this, you'll have to pay the difference.
• With most policies, once your expenses reach a certain amount, the insurer will pay the full reasonable and customary fee for covered benefits.
• Deductibles are the annual amount of the covered expenses you must pay before the insurer starts to reimburse you. Generally, the higher the deductible, the lower the premium.
• There might also be lifetime limits on policy benefits. Most experts recommend a limit of at least $1 million.

MANAGED CARE

Managed care health insurance quotes and plans cover health services if received from selected providers and offer financial incentives for patients to use these providers. Instead of paying for each service you receive, coverage is paid in advance (“prepaid care”).

The three major types of managed health care plans are health maintenance organizations (HMOs), preferred provider organizations (PPOs), and point-of-service (POS) plans.

In an HMO, you'll pay a fixed premium for you health insurance, as well as co-payments for certain services — for example, $10 for an office visit or prescription. Your out-of-pocket medical expenses might be low, as long as you use providers in the HMO network.

As a rule, you must receive your covered medical services through the plan. Generally, you'll choose a primary care physician who coordinates your care, referring you to specialists when needed.

PPOs and POS plans combine features of fee-for-service insurance and HMOs. POS plans usually have primary care physicians, while PPOs don't. Both types offer more flexibility than HMOs, but premiums will probably be higher. With a PPO or a POS, you'll get some reimbursement for covered services from providers who aren't in the plan, although it will cost you more than choosing a network provider.

WHAT ISN'T COVERED BY YOUR HEALTH INSURANCE?

Although HMO benefits are generally more comprehensive than those of fee-for-service plans, no health plan will cover every expense.

Very few plans cover experimental procedures, eyeglasses and hearing aids, or elective cosmetic surgery. Some fee-for-service plans don't pay for checkups; and some plans don't cover normal pregnancy or childbirth. Health insurance policies often won't cover preexisting conditions, although federal law limits these exclusions.

Because no single policy covers everything, you might consider such single-purpose policies as:

• Hospital-Surgical Policies (“basic health insurance”) provide benefits for a covered condition that requires hospitalization.
• Catastrophic coverage pays hospital and medical expenses above a deductible.
• Hospital Indemnity insurance pays cash for each day you're hospitalized, generally up to a designated period.
• Medicare Supplement insurance (Medigap) helps cover some of the gaps in Medicare coverage.
• Disability insurance provides income if illness or injury keeps you from working for an extended period.

If you are looking for a group health insurance quote, fill out the group health insurance quote (generic) and you will be contacted by a specialist that will assist you with your custom needs.