HMO or PPO.. I need to decide!?
342300
if you are relatively healthy and your family doctor is in the HMO, go with the HMO.  if you're a hypochondriac or want to be able to go to any specialist you want without a referral, go PPO.\n\nthe younger you are, the more applicable an HMO is to you, as long as you have a primary care physician you know and trust.  if you don't have one, then go with a PPO because you'll be able to switch doctors easily.
470048
I had to go shopping for health insurance recently and got a lot of quotes with all kinds of options. Private pay - like what your asking. If your not over 40, healthy, don't smoke or have any special needs, then our situations are similar and I can tell you what I was impressed with. Out of 8 bids from various national company's; The two best were Mutual of Omaha and American Family. MofO was very impressive with coverage, additional free benefits and low cost riders like glasses and dental. American family was the same with an added benefit of a high yield health savings account that can be used as a tax deduction. Both had low deductables with free well care or low co pay well care, and were well under 200 a month not including riders. Good luck.
506835
May I suggest to you Ameri Plan. They do not have any restrictions on ongoing conditions and you can start saving immediately. There is a hospital advocacy program that assigns you a personal advocate to negotiate with doctors on your medical bills.\n\nThe plan also includes savings on dental, vision, prescription and chiropractic care. I'd check them out. I'm so proud to be with them. I know I shouldn't advertise, but your need sounds great. Let me know if you have any questions. wlakin@ameriplan.net\n\nhttp://www.mybenefitsplus.com/40378118\n\nWe are currently running a promotion for just the dental, vision, prescription and chiropractic plan where you can try it out for 3 months for $23 total. This is a great service. You should check it out!
841204
When you get your own insurance you can pick any doctor that is in your network. If you pick a plan that is an HMO then you have to pick one PCP (primary care physician). If you are happy with your family doctor find out what plans he/she participates in and then it all depends what insurance your job offers to see if they have a plan that he/she participates in.
1135716
Usually Parts A and B are good enough but with the new part D that can get confusing. I work with medicare health claims, and i would suggest not getting a medicare HMO.
972712
Do as much research as possible, first you should realize that that Group coverage (which you currently have) is guaranteed issued without medical underwriting.  Individual and family plans that you purchase from agents, or directly from health companies are medically underwritten.  This means that if you or any of your family members have health conditions (or have in the past 12months) or take medications it may be difficult or impossible to obtain a plan outside of your husbands employer.  If your family is very healthy, then keep going and first ask get a list of your doctors and you should call your drs office and ask what health plans they accept.  Buying a plan that your Dr. does not accept would be worthless.  In the USA three types of plans have emerged in the last two years, 1. PPO Participating Physician Organization, you can visit any dr within the list of participating physician (normally thousands) and receive discounted rates, copays, and normally involve co-insurance. 2. HMO Health Maintance Organization, with this type you pick 1 primary care physician, and if you need specialty care, your primary care physician will refer you out.  3. HSA Health  Savings Accounts, these are High deductible plans, (perfect for self employed) these are long term strategic plans, you take control of your healthcare costs by purchasing a low costs High Deductilbe (normally 2500-10000) and you pay everything out of pocket until you have reached the deductible.  A smart consumer will open a HSA account at a financial institution (Federal Tax Exempt) earn at least 5% interest and fund it, whatever is not used up by the end of the year rolls over the following year (the money, and account belongs to YOU), Learn more at www.HSAInside.com\n\nLots to consider, I suggest you interview at least 3 or more brokers who specialize in Health Insurance and don't sell anything else.  Lots of plans to pick from, so speak to someone with experience.
498623
If health insurance is an issue (ie, you have to provide your own for yourself), strongly consider getting a C-corporation.  If not, consider an S-Corporation.  There are SO many advantages of a small business.  You can deduct your business computer, business cell phone, related auto expenses, health care expenses, etc.  It's an incredible effective tool for growing wealth.  I strongly recommend against being a sole properitor (sp) business.  You'll get eaten alive with taxes -- if you make any income).  A C-corp also lets you carry your losses forward, which is great when you may have a lot of expenses and not a ton of income (now), but when you make money (later), you'll have that loss carry forward which will wash out income, and wash out taxes.\n\nEmail me with any questions, Good luck!\n\nJared
272247
Please don't tell me you're in the O.R. and you need a tip to perform major surgery!  It must be an HMO.\n\nGood luck finding a clue.
996679
It depends on what you mean by affordable. That is, affordable could mean low monthly payments. However, if it doesn’t provide the financial protection you need or the access to the kind of care you want, having the insurance really won’t justify the lower payments. New Jersey does have a state-sponsored health insurance program called NJ Family Care (I put the Web site below). You might want to see if you qualify for that health plan.\n\nIf you don’t qualify or are not interested, many families are choosing HMOs – health maintenance organizations. They have relatively low monthly premiums and include preventive care and regular doctor visits in their plans. However, some people like the freedom of going wherever they want to go for health care, and HMOs offer full coverage only if you visit one of their participating doctors or hospitals. The New Jersey Department of Insurance puts out a Performance Report every year on HMOs. At the bottom, I’ve included a link to the 2005 report.\n\nThe best resource for health insurance information, though, is a health insurance agent. I’d get in touch with more than one if I were you because they can offer you a wide range of insurance products. MostChoice.com is a great way to get in touch with state-licensed insurance agents. You just fill out an information request form and within two days agents will contact you to talk about family health insurance. There’s no cost or obligation, and you can also view instant free quotes on health plans available near you. All you have to do is have your questions ready and tell the agents how much you want to pay and what kind of coverage you expect to get in return.\n\nYou can find it here: http://www.mostchoice.com/health-insurance.cfm\n\nHope this helps,\n\nBarnes @ MostChoice.
1147499
The best place to start is by doing what you’re doing now – asking for personal recommendations. I’d also check out Consumer Reports (link below), America’s Health Plans (link below), US News & World Reports Best Health Plans, and whatever other informational resources you can find. I’d also talk with locally licensed health insurance agents. I’ve also included a couple of articles about choosing a health plan that might be useful. They are government-authored, but they’re actually pretty good (all links below).\n\nAfter you’ve done some research, you should visit MostChoice.com. It’s a Web site that helps you shop for health insurance. They have free instant price quotes and policy information on health plans near you, but their specialty is getting you in touch with state-licensed agents. There’s no cost or obligation to buy insurance. You just fill out a short form and wait for the agents to contact you (within 48 hours). Have your questions ready and let them work until one of them delivers the plan that’s right for you. You might want to have a set amount you want to spend each month on insurance and tell the agents to work within those parameters.\n\nYou can find MostChoice here: http://www.mostchoice.com/health-insurance.cfm\n\nHope this helps,\nBarnes@MostChoice
1153851
First off,  I would not worry about the what the insurance company feels.  I would do whatever it took to get myself treated.  If it makes you feel any better, think about the $125 million a year compensation the CEO of United Health Care makes.  \n\nhttp://hcrenewal.blogspot.com/2005/05/how-can-1248-million-year-ceo-make.html\n\nSecond, you do not have a pre-existing condition based upon that definition.  Nothing has been diagnosed, treated, or cared for so therefore it is a new condition and not a pre-existing one.  Lets take an easy example,  you see a doctor and he finds that you have high blood pressure.  You probably have had high blood pressure for a while already and is only being diagnosed now.  This is a newly diagnosed condition not a pre-existing one even though you had high blood pressure before seeing the doctor.  Just because you have pain before seeing the doctor doesn't mean it is a pre-existing condition because the cause of the pain has never been diagnosed.\n\nThird,  sorry to say that your insurance sounds like a PPO  or POS.  (since you can directly go see an orthropedic doctor.)   Don't forget that even with insurance especially a PPO you have a deductable (its like car insurance).  You are responsible for the first $250,500,1000 or whatever you deductable is.  Once your deductable is met, the insurance picks up a percentage of the cost (90%/10%, 80%/20%, 70%/30% etc your share being the later percentage.\n\nSo good luck
748749
IF YOU WANT TO PAY LESS GET HMO,  AND WAIT LONGER.\nIF YOU WANT BETTER SERVICE GET PPO,  AND WAIT MUCH LESS TIME TO SEE A DOCTOR.
745888
There are plenty of group plans that allow several different employers to pool together to create a good plan.  It sounds to me like your employer doesn't want to do the research, or have to cut into his profits to pay for health insurance (Generally the employer pays a portion of the health insurance premium.  My company picks up 80%, I pay the other 20%).  I think your boss is just too greedy to want to go out and get insurance.
537019
I have medical health and dental insurance now but not always. I think that I get better treatment and have more options available to me by having insurance. I also think that it depends on how good your insurance is too. If you have crappy health insurance that doesn't cover much then you may as well not have insurance at all. It is a big game with the providers and they are all in it for the money. Some insurance companies bargain with health care facilities and will only pay a certain amount where as some insurance will cover at 100%. Which person do you think they'll kick out of the hospital faster? The one that either can't afford it or they are making little money OR the one that they are getting their whole costs paid?\nSad but true. Scandalous actually but this has been an issue for years. The cost of insurance keeps rising because people that don't have insurance usually don't pay their bills or can't pay them in a timely manner so the person who can afford insurance ends up paying for it with higher premiums or deductibles,etc...
94108
Different companies charge different amounts. It will also depend on how your health is, if you smoke, if you are over weight, etc. Start calling insurance agencies and ask for quotes. That is the only way to know who is going to be the cheapest.
968507
I used to work in HR years ago with benefits.  Do some research on the internet about HIPAA (the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) which provides protection for working Americans and their families who have preexisting medical conditions, or who might suffer discrimination in health coverage based on factors that relate to an individual's health.  Have your husband get a copy of his health insurance overview and see if preexisting conditions are not allowed.  Keep in mind, also, that most employers will not let an employee add a family member to their benefits except during Open Enrollment or change in life status (like if you got married in the middle of the year and he wanted to add you).  As for your pain, even if you have to pay for it yourself---DEFINTELY get some physical therapy.  They will have exercises you will have to do from now on, but it will keep you from being in pain.  Good luck!
279170
Irish's answer is dead-on.\nThere is a time-limit to filing an injury claim, so your best bet is to file for both, make sure you notify them that you are filing through both as you are not sure who to file with) and then follow up until one company verifies they are primary for coverages.  I would tend to lean toward the daycare as primary and your private healthcare as secondary.