For those that don’t know what an HMO is, it stands for health maintenance organization, a type of managed care organization. An HMO sets out guidelines for their affiliated physicians to work with in terms of care to provide and price structures. Is that a good thing for you? In some respects, it may very well be, but it’s a decision you will need to make, based on your personal preferences.

Generally speaking HMOs have lower monthly fees when compared to other alternatives. In addition, the fees are deducted from a paycheck. Keep in mind that this requires a co-pay or the amount paid during a treatment that is deductible from the overall cost of the medical bill. This isn’t to say the rates are the same for every doctor in an HMO, as this is not the case. Each doctor’s office bills out according to their office hourly rate, what tests they may conduct, or treatments they handle for you at the office; e.g., giving needles, taking blood pressure, examining ears, etc.

Here is the most crucial question you will want to ask though and that is how can an HMO offer less expensive health care? The first way this is possible is because they do business on a volume basis, as in they have millions of people as subscribers. They also deal directly with health insurance companies and thus get a better deal, based on volume.

The second reason HMOs are able to offer better rates is because one of their main focuses deals with preventive health care and to that end they work to inform their clients of ways to better enhance their health. This tends to involve, among other things, proactive communication with patients by using handbooks and health guides.

There are some other points you will need to know about HMOs prior to deciding if they are for you. For instance, you will need to pick a primary care physician because that is compulsory if you opt to be in an HMO. Primary care doctors may be GPs, pediatricians, internists or family doctors, and they are more or less the first person you seek medical care from; call them the gatekeeper of medical services or the first port of call.

The idea here is that this doctor figures out what treatment the patient needs or doesn’t need, and will step up to bat to handle all other health care issues, unless there is a need to send the patient to a specialist. You can’t go directly to a specialist without a referral from your primary care doctor. If you opt to choose something called an open access HMO, then you would be able to go to whomever you choose for doctoring. The costs of an open access HMO is higher when it comes to expenses such as co-payments and co-insurance.

Some cons of choosing an HMO involve the quality of the service provided; the lack of tests offered even though they are called for by the doctor; HMOs that refuse to pay for treatments even if the doctor does recommend them; and how little time the doctor has to spend with patients when they go for an appointment.

What you choose will be what you think works for you. Check out both sides of the debate when it comes to choosing an HMO or not. An informed decision is better than one made without any information.

Evan Tunis is with FloridaHealthcareInsurance.com, the leading provider of Florida health insurance quotes. To learn more about Florida health insurance, Florida health insurance quotes, Florida life insurance,Florida life insurance quotes, Florida group health insurance visit Floridahealthcareinsurance.com.

I don’t know how many times I have heard this refrain from people trying to buy insurance online: “I hate talking to insurance agents on the phone.” While that might be the case, if you get a quote from an online insurance company, it only makes sense to pick up the phone and call them. Who better is there to answer your questions?

Sure it’s sometimes difficult to just talk to a stranger about your personal health conditions, but if you need insurance, this is what you have to do to get what you want. If you want a health insurance package that makes sense for you, or for you and your family, calling the broker to get more in-depth information is a smart move.

You want to get a quote from a professional looking website; one that is clean and easy to navigate and has lots of interesting information on it. But more that than, you want to get an instance quote; a quote that is relevant to the area in which you live. Why focus on the area where you live? Quotes from health insurance brokers/agents where you live are much more relevant in terms of being tailor-made to your needs.

Big box insurance companies online can still sell you policies, but they have no clue, and could care less, about what hospitals in your area are the best, which doctors provide various services in demand and which don’t; and more importantly, who pays their claims on time and who does not. This is insider information that a local agent would have.

The local agent knows their area inside out, and once they know what you are looking for in terms of a reasonable health insurance package and they know your medical concerns, they can find you the best deal locally. It’s very smart to do a deal for health insurance locally, and then be able to get personal service later. Those are the two things for which people surfing the Net for insurance want to find: a good package for a reasonable price and personal service.

So the next time you happen to be surfing online for a health insurance broker, choose a site that really has a professional presence, has good information that you can use right away (even if you don’t buy insurance yet), offers you good service and is local. Calling that local broker will be the best financial decision you ever made.

Evan Tunis is with FloridaHealthcareInsurance.com, the leading provider of Florida health insurance quotes. To learn more about Florida health insurance, Florida health insurance quotes, Florida life insurance,Florida life insurance quotes, Florida group health insurance visit Floridahealthcareinsurance.com.