Aetna Insurance was created in 1850 and submitted itself into the pool of different health insurance coverage in the early 1900s. They are best known for their variety of different types of health insurance plans they have all different plans that range from plans that are similar to HMOs to plans that are similar to PPOs. One question that many people ask when trying to figure out what health insurance plan to use is what is the difference between a HMO and PPO?
First lets talk about what they mean, a HMO stands for health maintenance organization, and PPO stands for preferred provider organization, they both are different in a few ways and you really have to look into them and the type of Aetna family health insurance plan you have in order to choose what is right for you and your family. They both have many benefits so choosing the right one will take research and time but make sure you put that time in to figure out what would be the best for you. With an HMO plan people have to choose a doctor who is a HMO member physician, this physician will be in charge of all of your medical needs and will have to write you referrals for any type of additional medical attention you may need such as going to see a dermatologist, these specialists who you will go will have to be part of the HMO as well.
A referral is similar to a short letter or even a short sentence that your HMO physician will send to the specialist in order to give them permission to treat you. One of the benefits of having a HMO is they only provide coverage when you are being treated by a HMO physician, if isnt you normally have to pay on your own for the visit. There are special circumstances where people have been allowed to see other doctors but this is normally during emergency circumstances where another doctor cannot be reached. One of the best things about HMOs and especially when using Aetna family health insurance is that there is no individual deductible to reach each month or year, there is just a very low co-payment that you have to pay each time you go to the doctors office.
Now lets talk about a PPO, a PPO allows you to see a specialist or a physician without a referral, they do not have to stay within only PPO providers but many people do because they are normally reimbursed for the money they may spend on the appointment. This is the best type of plan to have when you are very set on the type of doctor you want, or if you know a doctor very well. One of the great benefits of having a PPO is that you are reimbursed at least 40-50% if you see doctors outside your PPO coverage, which means no matter what doctor you see you will be gaining some type of money back.
