Choosing your health insurance plan can be a beast

You have met the monster, and you are ready to do battle. You have your sword and your trusty shield. But when you finally face this dragon, it can be a little more hair-raising than you first realized.

Why is choosing a health insurance plan so difficult? The answer lies in the many different decisions you must make to slay this beast.

You don’t have an army

If you’re looking for personal health insurance for yourself and your family, you may not have an employer, company or union-sponsored plan (a.k.a., your army) to enter into this skirmish with you. This has its pluses and minuses. On one hand, costs aren’t as controlled as they might be. On the other hand, your choices for a plan may be expanded if you’re paying out-of-pocket or under the Affordable Care Act.

There are a lot of soldiers

There can be a lot of soldiers (a.k.a., types of health insurance plans) from which to choose, making the decision even more difficult. Do you need and/or want an EPO, HMO POS, PPO or different plan? And what do those initials even stand for anyway?* It can really help to have someone explain to you which are the foot soldiers, the cavalry and other kinds of warriors you’ll find on the health insurance battlefield.

You aren’t in this battle alone

Think you’ve got to be a knight in shining armor, choosing a health insurance plan all by yourself? Not so! You are not alone – this isn’t one-on-one combat. A health insurance broker can be your trusty squire. They can arm you with information when you need it. Because when you make the best health insurance choice possible, victory over the beast … will be yours!

And in case you’re wondering:

EPO=Exclusive Provider Organization
HMO=Health Maintenance Organization
POS=Point of Service
PPP=Preferred Provider Organization