The Accessibility and Advantages of HMO Insurance Plans

Many California residents who have been concerned about the high cost of personal health insurance may be feeling that it is hopeless for them to get quality insurance that they can afford. With the seemingly ever-rising prices of health insurance, this is understandable — but it is fortunately a misconception that Californians can’t get inexpensive good health insurance today. There are plenty of good options for someone in virtually any financial bracket.

Although it is true that there are many insurance plans in California that have sky-high rates and deductibles, there is also a rapidly expanding list of good options for those who need health insurance on a budget. Many of the Health Maintenance Organization plans, better known as HMO insurance plans, are designed for customers who need quality health insurance at prices ordinary working people can actually afford.

Companies Offering Quality HMO Insurance Plans in California

Several companies offer quality HMO insurance plans to California residents, among them HealthNet, Kaiser, Blue Shield of California, and Anthem Blue Cross. The monthly prices for HMO plans will vary from plan to plan and from one provider to another. However, HMO plans all have some of their most important advantages in common.

Advantages of HMO Insurance in California

Perhaps the biggest advantage of most HMO plans is a financial one: Plan participants will be able to get medical care when they need it without having to worry about meeting a huge yearly deductible first. Many of the PPO and other types of insurance plans available today have large deductibles, well into the thousands of dollars, which you must spend before you can begin to access the plan’s benefits. With an HMO insurance plan, you will simply be making a copayment — usually ranging from $25 to $50 — at the time you receive your medical services. With an HMO plan, you won’t have to pay thousands of dollars out of pocket for hospital stays. Just as with a doctor visit, you’ll be paying a copayment at the time you arrive for your hospital stay, with the hospital copays usually being slightly higher — HMO plan hospital copays can be in the range of $100 to $250, varying by plan and provider.

Many California HMO plan holders like their HMO plans because this type of health insurance makes it simple to find doctors, specialists, and hospitals in their networks. HMO networks in the state of California have many thousands of doctors to choose from. For example, the Anthem HMO network has more than 20,000 participating California doctors. When HMO plan holders select their doctor, they can choose any physician in the HMO network. If an HMO plan holder needs specialized care, the plan holder’s primary care physician will provide a referral to a doctor working in that specialty, and when a patient needs surgery or a hospital stay, the primary care physician can arrange the hospital stay with an in-network hospital ahead of time.

Ultimately, HMO insurance plans have multiple advantages for their participants, including lower financial cost, large networks of available doctors and hospitals, and true convenience. With an HMO, you don’t need to file claims to be reimbursed for your medical costs, and it is not necessary to constantly track medical costs in a quest to meet a deductible. HMO primary care physicians are the ones who will be largely managing your medical care, making it extremely easy and convenient to have all medical care needs met.

Californians can rest assured that their access to low-cost health care will be met by choosing the HMO plan that best fits their lifestyle and situation.