Health Insurance

A healthy body is a happy body, and in order to preserve your and your family’s health it is necessary to have health insurance policy. Medical treatments are not cheap. Without health insurance coverage you could end up paying off medical bills for the rest of your life.

Major Types of Health Coverage

There are basically two major types of health insurance policies for Illinois residents to choose:  HMO and PPO.

Health Maintenance Organization (HMO): A type of health insurance plan that usually limits coverage to care from doctors who work for or contract with the HMO. If you choose HMO plan – most likely you will have to pay office copay for doctor visits and will need a referral from family doctor in order to see specialist. Generally it would not cover out-of-network care except in an emergency. An HMO may require you to live or work in its service area to be eligible for coverage. HMOs often provide integrated care and focus on prevention and wellness.

Preferred Provider Organization (PPO): A type of health insurance plan where you pay less if you use providers in the plan’s network. You can use doctors, hospitals, and providers outside of the network for an additional cost. PPO network is much larger than HMO. No referrals needed if you need to see a specialist.

These health insurance plans help cover your medical, surgical, and hospital expenses. They may even cover dental expenses, mental health services and prescription drugs, depending on the coverage you choose.

Common Health Insurance Terms

Deductible — the amount of money you pay toward medical bills before your insurance coverage begins.

Copay — a specified amount of money you pay upfront for doctor visits and prescription refills.

Co-insurance — the percentage of medical bills you pay after meeting the deductible.