Not many of us take much care in choosing a healthcare program that suits our needs; we often go with the one that is offered without thinking about how good an option it is for us personally. We do know that a HMO is cheaper than a PPO, so that would tend to make the former more attractive than the latter, but there’s more to either of them than just the cost factor.
A HMO healthcare plan is a good option if:
• You’re the kind of person who hardly falls sick and who rarely needs to see a specialist.
• You’re young and generally healthy.
• You don’t have any chronic illnesses that run in the family and that could affect your health anytime in the near future.
• You have a fixed income and cannot spend too much on healthcare.
• You’re ok with seeing the doctors chosen by organization
• You’re ok with visiting or being admitted to the healthcare facilities that fall within the umbrella of your HMO’s healthcare plan.
• You get a good primary care doctor who is genuinely concerned about your health and is not just seeing you out of a sense of duty. When you’re in a HMO plan, you must see your primary doctor first in the case of any illness, and only if he or she thinks it’s necessary, you’ll be allowed to see a specialist.
• You’re ok with waiting for approval for diagnostic tests instead of having them done the moment you want them to.
• You don’t expect any hospital stays or plan to have any surgeries. Since you cannot plan for medical emergencies, you must be prepared to be hurried out of the healthcare facility because there’s going to be pressure on your doctors to minimize the cost of your in-hospital stay.
A PPO on the other hand is a good option if:
• You can afford to pay more for healthcare
• You prefer to choose your own doctors and healthcare facilities
• You prefer to have more choice in deciding the kind of treatment options open to you.
• You’re willing to pay for a part of your hospital visits and any diagnostic tests that you may need to have.
• You want to see a specialist any time you choose without having to go through your primary care provider.
• You have or are prone to illnesses that make it necessary for you to see a doctor every now and then.
You may need to change your healthcare plan if your circumstances or your health changes, either for the better or the worse.