Managed Health Care and Indemnity Health Care

For individual and family health care policies, there are two basic forms of coverage. The health insurance consumer has a choice between indemnity health insurance or managed health insurance plans. When requesting an online health insurance quote, it is important to understand the difference. Online health insurance carriers offer both forms of coverage. The most distinctive differences between the two forms of coverage pertain to the handling of the out-of-pocket expenses are how the actual health care service bills are paid.

One of the advantages of indemnity health insurance is that these plans offer a broader selection of health care providers than do managed care plans. This allows the family or individual to select specialists or treatment facilities from a wider base. One of the disadvantages of indemnity health plans is that invoices for services must be paid for by the consumer who then forwards the invoice to the health insurance provider. Many consumers are uncomfortable with this feature.

Household cash flow often does not permit a family to wait for reimbursement from the provider for these necessary expenses. As everyone knows, there is no convenient time to be sick or to need health care.

There are many managed care health insurance plans. These more popular models include HMO, PPO, and POS plans. Each plan is different, but the managed care concept evolves around the provision of “in-network” services with allowances and standards for “out-of-network” services. Under these plans, a group of physicians and facilities is formed. This becomes the nucleus for the network. All services within the network have pre-arranged costs.

Online health insurance quotes include both indemnity and managed care plans. Consumers seeking individual, family or group coverage will do well to receive online quotes. The online providers have vast pools of health insurance companies to draw from and find the best prices for policies through their competitive resources. Online health insurance quotes are processed rapidly and the consumer is under no obligation until an appropriate policy is selected. Online health insurance is another way the internet can serve consumers.

In addition to the cash flow advantages of managed care plans, consumers find that managed care plans generally require much less paperwork. While the out-of-pocket expenses are lower, the insured needs to be very aware of any deductibles and exact co-pay requirements. This information is explained in the online health insurance quotes and again in the policy itself.

Like many of 21st century services, the internet is the place to shop and receive information about this critical household concern. Begin your search for individual, family or group health insurance with an online quote.