Find the Colorado Health Insurance Plans Right for You
Colorado health insurance plans may be available in many formats but most health care benefits packages can be categorized into one of three main types. The categories are HMO (Health Maintenance Organization) programs, PPO (Preferred Provider Organization) programs and Indemnity coverage plans, each with different requirements, benefits and restrictions. Each of these categories offers reasonable health coverage for most individuals, but the packages differ in requirements, coverage, approved health providers and premiums.
With an HMO, only health services received from an approved network-affiliated health service provider will be reimbursed under the plan, and any specialized care must be referred by the assigned primary physician in order to be a reimbursable service. With a PPO plan, health care is covered at a greater percentage when you got to a network provider with negotiated network rates, but you may also go to out-of-network health service providers and receive less reimbursement of your health care expenses. With an Indemnity insurance plan, you may go to any health service provider you wish, and you should receive a fixed level reimbursement of your covered health care expenses. Out of these different programs, HMO network packages will have the least expensive premiums, while Indemnity packages are very comprehensive and are based on the most expensive premium rates.
When selecting from HMO, PPO or Indemnity coverage, you should initially evaluate whether your preferred physicians and hospitals participate in the HMO or PPO network. Next, you can determine the level of choice you might want in selecting specialists should you need specialized care. Finally, you will want to consider the trade-off between more flexibility in choosing doctors, labs and hospitals versus the significantly more expensive premiums associated with having more choices and flexibility.