Health Insurance Plans For Family: Luxury or a Necessity?

Buying a family health insurance plan always turns out to be a wise and affordable decision, as the most the effective way of managing any forthcoming hospitalization or medical concerns with you or your family, without having to stress over finances.

The increasing healthcare expenses have made it quite necessary for each family to have a comprehensive family health insurance plan to cover their medical needs. Buying an affordable health insurance plan enables you to have your bills covered for the availed medical services – based on the dollar amount or the percentage of your medical cost that your insurer has agreed upon.

Continue reading this post to get educated and be able to leverage family health insurance plans.

Find An Affordable Health Insurance Plan in Your Community

For people who are incapable of affording any type of health insurance plan, nor are they eligible to qualify for Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program’s (CHIP) coverage – the best healthcare support option for them is to opt for cheap health insurance plans from their local community health center, located nearby.

With an available on-site location for both rural as well as urban areas – community health centers charge for family health insurance plans, based on what your current income is, and how much  can you practically afford.

The insurance health plans coverage that community health centers provide, are:

• Prenatal care
• Baby shots
• General primary care
• Referrals to specialized care, including mental health, substance abuse, and HIV/AIDS

Types of Health Insurance Plans And Their Coverage

In order to meet the distinct needs of individuals, there are several different types of health insurance plans. There are certain individual health insurance plans that would keep you confined within a specific list of healthcare providers only – while some insurance companies choose to encourage and recommend to opt for the insurance health plan’s network of doctors, hospitals, pharmacies, and other medical service providers.

Health insurance plans for family are categorized into the following categorize – Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum. You might have access to some or all of these plans based on how many and which plans are being offered in your area:

Listed below are a few examples of the family health insurance plans:

Exclusive Provider Organization (EPO)

This refers to a healthcare plan in which your medical needs will only be covered if the healthcare services are being opted from the doctors, specialists, and medical practices that lie within the insurance health plan’s network (with the exception of an emergency).

Health Maintenance Organization (HMO)

Offering integrated care and being mainly focused on prevention and wellness, HMOs require you to live or at least work in its service area, in order to be eligible for its health coverage plan. The coverage of an HMO is restrcited to get medical care only from doctors who work for or are in contract with the HMO – refusing to cover out-of-network care except in an emergency.

Point of Service (POS)

In this type of health insurance plan for family, you are given the leverage to pay less if you decide to avail the medical services from the physicians, healthcare practices, and other medical service providers that are an exclusive part of the insurance health plan’s network. Also, in order for you to consult a specialist, with POS you require a referral from your primary care doctor.

Preferred Provider Organization (PPO)

This type of insurance health plan allows you to pay lesser amount in cases where you choose the healthcare provider from insurance health plan’s network.  However, you are also allowed to avail medical services from any other healthcare provider of your own choice, even without any referral; but that would require you to pay an additional charge.

Conclusion

Individuals who are seeking affordable health insurance plans for themselves and their families, should make sure to carry out an extensive research and develop an in-depth understanding of of the health insurance policies before deciding to invest their money in a health insurance plan for family. A helpful aspect that enables you to make an appropriate decision is to compare health insurance plans, which would allow you to understand your needs as well as the available services in a much better way. 

– Disclaimer –
This blog is for informational & educational purposes only, and does not intend to substitute any professional medical advice or consultation. For any health related concerns, please consult with your physician, or call 911.