Some people have problems HMOs, while some people love them. The thing you must always remember about an HMO health plan is that you have a Primary Care Physician (PCP) and you'd have to go through your PCP if you need to consult a specialist or anything. Some people find it troublesome to have to go through a \gatekeeper\' to get a referral, which is necessary if you don't want to pay for the visit yourself. PPOs allow their members to see the doctors they want, whether in-network or out-of-network without needing referrals. The thing is, PPOs cost more than HMOs do and if you really don't mind going to a PCP, then getting an HMO health plan is the more practical option in your case. Some people are happy with HMOs because they're relatively the most affordable of the health insurance plans. If they're not comfortable with their PCPs, all they have to do is just switch doctors. In your case, I think whether you'd regret the decision of switching health plans or not doesn't really depend on the HMO's bum rap. It depends on how you like to go about your doctor's visits. Also, it'll be best if you read all the fine print on the HMO health plan you're switching to first so you know what to epect. - July 3, 2009 @ 4: 35 pm'