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What is your preferred form of Medical Insurance.

Which plan would you choose?

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ALiberalModerate

ALiberalModerate

Pragmatist
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Of the 5 major types of health insurance plans available in the private sector, which one do you prefer for yourself or family. This is assuming that you actually had access through your employer or through the individual market to all 5 types of plans. There are pros and cons to each form of health coverage. Explain your reasoning for your choice.

1. Indemnity.

2. HMO - Health Maintenance Organization

3. POS - Preferred Provider Organization

4. PPO - Point of Service

5. High Deductible coupled with HSA - HSA Qualified Plan.
 
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Whatever is cheapest for me after all expenses and premiums.
 
My current plan is a voluntary-contributiuon HSA from which the first $X of any and all medical expenses are paid. After that $X, everything is covered by the plan.

There is no premium, just an elective amount contributed to the HSA each month. It is offered thru the state university where my wife teaches.

Its perfect, IMHO.
 
SouthernDemocrat said:
Of the 5 major types of health insurance plans available in the private sector, which one do you prefer for yourself or family. This is assuming that you actually had access through your employer or through the individual market to all 5 types of plans. There are pros and cons to each form of health coverage. Explain your reasoning for your choice.

1. Indemnity.

2. HMO - Health Maintenance Organization

3. POS - Preferred Provider Organization

4. PPO - Point of Service

5. High Deductible coupled with HSA - HSA Qualified Plan.

A decent explanation of how the different types of plans work is here: Types Of Insurance Overview
Click to expand...

Your link pops up with a Trojan Warning so I'll refrain.
 
Catastrophic. I am willing to pay for my own physician office visits and drugs, but would like catastrophic in case of an unexpected catastrophic illness or hospitalization.
 
Don't click on that link it indeed gives a Trojan warning.
 
PPO. I like as much control over choosing my provider and options as possible. I had an HMO and everything was a constant struggle with it. I will never have an HMO again.
 
jallman said:
PPO. I like as much control over choosing my provider and options as possible. I had an HMO and everything was a constant struggle with it. I will never have an HMO again.
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Currently I have a PPO. I have had an HMO before as well. The PPO does give you more choice on physicians, and you don't need a referral from your primary care physician to see a specialist, but on balance I liked the HMO I had better.

The reason being is that with the PPO we are constantly running into large copays with the kids when they break an arm or get their tonsils out and so on. With an HMO, there were small copays, no coinsurance, and no deductible. To me, having an HMO just gave me one less thing to worry about in life.
 
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SouthernDemocrat said:
Currently I have a PPO. I have had an HMO before as well. The PPO does give you more choice on physicians, and you don't need a referral from your primary care physician to see a referral, but on balance I liked the HMO I had better.

The reason being is that with the PPO we are constantly running into large copays with the kids when they break an arm or get their tonsils out and so on. With an HMO, there were small copays, no coinsurance, and no deductible. To me, having an HMO just gave me one less thing to worry about in life.
Click to expand...

To me, having the HMO just restricted any kind of procedures. It was a constant fight to get them to approve anything. I went 4 months with an impacted tooth because they refused to understand that pulling it into place was more than just cosmetic. (I lost my last baby tooth after the age of 30 and the adult tooth had impacted beneath it).

And try getting approval for anything remotely considered "holistic". When I was dealing with my major illness, it was like they stalled approving everything in hopes that I would just go ahead and die so they would get out of paying anything.

It was not cool. I don't have this problem with my PPO now. I would rather have the higher copays and deductibles, etc.
 
jallman said:
To me, having the HMO just restricted any kind of procedures. It was a constant fight to get them to approve anything. I went 4 months with an impacted tooth because they refused to understand that pulling it into place was more than just cosmetic. (I lost my last baby tooth after the age of 30 and the adult tooth had impacted beneath it).
Click to expand...

Maybe its different in California, but under any plan I was under, dental procedures of any kind were subject to a 500 dollar deductible, 20% copay, and a 1000 to 1500 dollar calendar year limit. That has always been the same for me regardless of what kind of plan I had.

And try getting approval for anything remotely considered "holistic". When I was dealing with my major illness, it was like they stalled approving everything in hopes that I would just go ahead and die so they would get out of paying anything.
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You have a PPO that will pay for holistic treatments?
 
HMO's shift too much of the financial risk on providers, so I don't favor them. It restricts choice for the individual, and creates a situation where the healthcare provider is only getting x amount of dollars(based on number of enrollees) for service, instead of taking into account services they use.

PPO's or HSA's are the way to go IMO. HSA's may not be great for everyone, but its the most beneficial if you can do it. Point of service is ok for small things like vaccines and what not, but for major medical issues, its highly impractical.
 
One that has NO government meddling in it.
 
None of the above.
I'd prefer that all of the insurance companies go under.
Then, install a German or French style health care system and of course, increase the federal social security taxes.
The bottom line will end up being less for most Americans, and the wealthy will, at long last, have to pay their fair share.
And this is why the conservatives are so against HCR(health care reform).
 
ronpaulvoter said:
One that has NO government meddling in it.
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Without this "so called meddling", conditions would be horrendous for the average American.
Just think how horrible things were in the 16th century, or even the 1930s.
 
earthworm said:
None of the above.
I'd prefer that all of the insurance companies go under.
Then, install a German or French style health care system and of course, increase the federal social security taxes.
The bottom line will end up being less for most Americans, and the wealthy will, at long last, have to pay their fair share.
And this is why the conservatives are so against HCR(health care reform).
Click to expand...

Wait...the wealthy's "fair share" is to pay for their own medical care. What do you think the wealthy's "fair share" is supposed to be?
 
earthworm said:
None of the above.
I'd prefer that all of the insurance companies go under.
Then, install a German or French style health care system and of course, increase the federal social security taxes.
The bottom line will end up being less for most Americans, and the wealthy will, at long last, have to pay their fair share.
And this is why the conservatives are so against HCR(health care reform).
Click to expand...

Do wealthy people use more medical services?
 
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