Health Plan Choices?
These days, choosing between health insurance plans is not as easy as it once was. There is no one "best" plan, but there are plans that will be better than others for you and your family's health needs.
Plans differ, both in how much you have to pay and how easy it is to get the services you need. Although no plan will pay for all the costs associated with your medical care, some health insurance plans will cover more than others. Almost all health insurance plans today have ways to reduce unnecessary use of health care, and keep down the costs of health care.
Plans change from year to year, so you should carefully consider each plan, using the questions outlined in this booklet. If you get health insurance where you work, you should start with your employee benefits office. Its staff should be able to tell you what is covered under the plans available. You can also call plans directly to ask questions.
Health insurance plans are usually described as either indemnity (fee–for–service) or managed care. These types of plans differ in important ways that you must understand. With any health plan, however, there is a basic premium, which is how much you or your employer pays, usually monthly, to buy health insurance coverage.