PPO Health Insurance Plans

On the health insurance continuum, PPO health insurance plans lies somewhere between HMOs and pure fee-for-service plans. With PPO plans, your health care is managed (and so restricted), but you are granted a degree of choice regarding which providers you use. A PPO health insurance plan operates like an HMO in that you pay a fixed monthly premium, and, in return, the health insurance company and its health care network provide basic medical benefits to you.

However, a PPO differ from an HMO in that, under a PPO insurance plan, a primary care physician or "gatekeeper" physician is not required. As a result, seeing a specialist does not require a referral. But, If you need or want health care from outside the network, you should expect to pay a higher co-payment than if the provider were from within the PPO network.

Pros and Cons of PPO plans

* Health care costs are low when staying within the network.
* You can use any specialist, including ones outside the plan.
* Seeing a primary care physician is not a prerequisite.
* Out-of-pocket costs per year is limited.

* Paperwork is your responsibility if the care is non-network.
* Cost of treatment outside of network is more expensive.
* Co-pays are larger than with other managed care plans.
* You may need to satisfy a deductible.

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The links below will provide specific resources that will help you choose health insurance in your state, as well as multiple carriers offering online health insurance quotes.

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Ratings of the top 35 PPOs as measured by a 2001-2002 Consumer Reports study.

types of health insurance plans

PPO HMO POS Fee For Service