The high cost of health care in the country has brought up the average cost of family health insurance to more than $10,000 per year. But there are still ways to get affordable family health insurance if you just know where and how to look for it. There are several types of affordable family health insurance from which to choose from. The two most common types of family health care insurance (?) are HMOs (Health Maintenance Organizations) and PPOs (Preferred Provider Organizations). If you are insured with an HMO, you will be assigned to a network of health care providers whom you must see for your medical needs. Co-payments are usually around $5-$10 per visit. Usually, you do not have to pay any deductibles, which is the amount you are supposed to pay before the insurer pays a claim. You will have to choose a primary care physician who will respond to your health care needs and who will refer you to a specialist if needed. Under PPO, you will also be assigned to in-network health care providers but you will be allowed to see non-network providers if you wish but for an etra fee. Co-payments under PPOs are usually $5-$10 while deductibles may be between $500 and $2,000. PPOs are known to be less restrictive but might be a bit epensive compared to some family health insurance plans. You must choose an HMO if you want the cheapest premiums and out-of-pocket epenses. But if you want to see your preferred doctors who are outside the network, you are better of with a PPO plan. In general, the best way to get affordable family health insurance is to research on available plans in the market. That way, you will be able to compare several types of plans, cost and providers. Insurance comparison websites are really helpful with comparisons and finding the best plan for you and your family. -- June 30, 2009 @ 12:21 pm
Answered: May 02, 2010
