Health maintenance organizations (HMOs) offer health care to subscribers within a pre-determined network of hospitals and doctors. HMOs are generally low-cost health insurance plans, and subscribers usually pay a monthly fee and little or no extra fees with care.
HMOs are usually used by members of group insurance, such as insurance provided by an employer. Individual HMOs are also available, but they are less common.
HMO costs are relatively low in most cases. HMOs typically charge subscribers a monthly fee, which is sometimes covered by an employer with an employee''s health benefits.
Also, whenever subscribers see a doctor, there may be a co-pay fee required, though these are usually low if they are required at all.
The main pros of having an HMO are that costs are low and there are plenty of doctors and locations from which to choose.
Cons of HMOs, however, include flexibility: Subscribers cannot choose any doctor they wish to see. Rather, they must choose from doctors within the HMO''s network of doctors. This can be problematic for people who really like their existing doctors or who want to stick with a familiar doctor.
It can be difficult to find a new doctor you like, but HMOs do offer many options for doctors and locations, so subscribers can usually find a doctor who meets their needs.
Additionally, many HMOs require subscribers to go through general doctors before being allowed to visit specialists. This can be difficult for many people, as this means fitting extra appointments into a busy schedule.
While many people don''t get to choose the HMO they sign up with because their employer offers only one HMO, others may get a choice through their employer or through individual plan searches.
When searching for an individual HMO plan, people have a great number of choices. There are a great many companies to choose from, and each company will usually offer more than one HMO plan option as well.
Some things to consider when searching for an HMO include:
Get recommendations from friends and family members on health insurances plans and companies. Customer service of specific companies should also be taken into consideration.
Reviews, complaints and more can also be found online, but keep in mind that positive reviews are more difficult to find. Many people only feel strongly enough to review a company that has wronged them in some way.
Request information from a few different companies, whether online or by phone. Health insurance companies have packets that outline their HMO plans'' benefits, costs and more in easy-to-understand language and tables that are easy to scan and compare to other companies and plans.
Free Dictionary (2007). HMO. Retrieved October 18, 2007, from the Free Dictionary Web site: http://www.thefreedictionary.com/HMO.
Quick Quote (2007). Types of Health Insurance. Retrieved October 18, 2007, from the Quick Quote Web site: http://www.quickquote.com/hitypes.html.