Health Insurance Coverage Options
Health insurance coverage is amazingly versatile, allowing policyholders to customize their coverage to accommodate their medical needs as well as their budgets. You can choose health insurance policies based on the level of flexibility you desire, the doctors you prefer, the premiums you wish to pay, and many other factors. Read on for an explanation of the most common types of health insurance coverage options.
- Family health - family health insurance coverage is a policy that provides medical coverage for all members of a family. For example, your family could be defined as you and your spouse, often called "subscriber and spouse" coverage, or you and your children if you are a single parent. Typically, families obtain health insurance policies for their dependents through their employers, as this is the cheapest option. If you are divorced, you can maintain your health insurance using COBRA coverage.
- Group health - this is one of the few health insurance coverage options that is not purchased by individuals. Rather, group health insurance policies are purchased by an employer and offered to qualifying employees and their family members. Group health insurance coverage is usually offered as part of a benefits package for working for a certain company.
- Student health - student health insurance coverage is intended to pay for the medical expenses of full- or part-time college students while they finish their educations. Most student health insurance policies are offered through a partnership between an insurance carrier and the student's school. The care provided usually centers on the school's student health center.
- Short-term health - short-term health insurance coverage options fill gaps between traditional insurance policies. Short-term policies are ideal for people between jobs or those waiting for health insurance benefits to begin. Normally, short-term health insurance coverage lasts anywhere from six months to one year. This is the type of coverage you would want if you are considering purchasing visitor health insurance.
- Individual health - individual health insurance is purchased out-of-pocket by a policyholder instead of through an employer. Individual health insurance plans offer comprehensive health coverage and long-term protection.
- POS - essentially, a POS (point-of-service) plan is a combination of two health insurance coverage options: an HMO and a PPO plan. As with an HMO, you must choose an in-network doctor as your primary care physician (PCP). POS health insurance policies allow members to choose out-of-network providers and facilities, but they will have to pay most of the cost of those services unless their PCP specifically referred them to an out-of-network provider.
- PPO - a PPO is more flexible than an HMO in that it offers discounted rates for the use of in-network doctors and facilities, but it will also provide substantial coverage for out-of-network care. PPO health insurance coverage also does not require a referral from a primary care provider in order to visit a specialist.
- HMO - an HMO requires members to choose physicians and facilities included in the HMO's network. Policyholders can receive in-network care for a very small cost. On the other hand, most HMOs will not pay any benefits for out-of-network care. HMOs also require members to receive referrals from their primary care providers before they can see a specialist.
Depending on your quality of health, it may be difficult to find insurance coverage at a reasonable price. For instance, if you have been diagnosed with cancer, heart disease or various other medical conditions, you may be charged higher premiums. In addition, health insurance does not cover all medical costs. Infertility treatment and caesarean section are examples of a medical procedures that may not be covered by most health insurance companies.
