Different Types of Health InsuranceHealth insurance is one of the phrases that really covers many different things. In this article, we discuss the different types of health insurance available. Different Types of Health Insurance The two main divisions of health insurance plans are Private (non-government) and Government sponsored. The Private types of health insurance can be employment based. Employee based plans are provided through the employer of an individual or a relative. Health insurance plans provided by Unions are considered as employment based. Private health insurance may also be purchased directly by the insured from an Insurance provider. Get California Health Insurance Plan Quotes The Government sponsored health insurance can be provided by federal, state, or local governments. There is Medicare for people who are 65 years of age or older. Medicaid is a plan for needy people, dependent children, the aged, blind, or disabled. SCHIP is the State Children’s Health Insurance Program. It provides coverage to certain eligible children. There are also several Government sponsored programs that are military related. TRICARE/CHAMPUS is the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Uniformed Services. It provides health care to active duty and retired members of the armed services and their families and survivors. CHAMPVA is the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Department of Veteran Affairs. This organization provides health care for eligible veterans and their families and survivors. The Veterans Administration also provides health care for certain qualified veterans. There are also several different types of health insurance plans that are under the Private insurance group. Managed care plans provide health insurance that contains certain restrictions and conditions that “manage” the health and well being of the insured. Pay-for-fee plans are the most common type of health insurance and the one with which most people are the most familiar. The insured pays are certain premium and is then covered for a set schedule of services subject to deductibles, co-payments, and maximum costs. Get California Health Insurance Plan Quotes In recent years, certain other types of health insurance plans have grown in popularity is response to rising medical costs and premiums. There are HMOs, better known as Health Maintenance Organizations. These are prepaid health plans. Point-of-Service Plans (POS) and Preferred Provider Organizations (PPOs) are similar types of Private plans. The main feature of these types of health insurance plan is the idea of a care provider network. Insured members of these plans are encouraged and sometimes required to receive services from care providers that are part of the network. This tends to hold down costs and make them more uniform for different types of care. The rules and conditions of these Private insurance plans are often quite complicated and must be carefully considered by potential customers. They are often less expensive, however, than Pay-for-fee plans. << Back to Health Insurance Information
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