PPO health insurance has come a long way since its origins outside California in the 1980's. For one, it surpassed the longstanding industry giant, HMO, in 1990 by more than 5 million subscribers. In 1999 the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) initiated accreditation of PPO health insurance - perhaps one of the main reason why HMO numbers started falling in 2000. In 2006 PPO health insurance numbers were at 108 million, while HMO numbers were down to 67 million.
Now of course the above are all just dates and numbers, but it does give you an indication of what people like - people like you and me. So why do we like it?
Well for one, think in terms of freedom. Where HMOs tend to be rather restrictive when it comes to seeing any other medical professional other than the Primary Care Physician, PPOs allow you to see who you want, whenever the need arises. Now of course it has to be someone in the PPO network for you to get full coverage.
Though thinking about coverage, what if you're not close to home or your regular healthcare expert? Would you still be covered on those occasions where you have to spend some time out of town?
On the one side we have HMOs that do allow you to see someone aside from the primary care physician, but only if it's an emergency. In any other scenario, you have to carry the cost yourself. Now contrast this to PPO health insurance : whether it's an emergency or not, you can go see anyone you want. Naturally the co-payments will be a bit higher seeing as that professional is not in the PPO network, but you're still covered for 50% to 70% of the costs. The only thing you have to take care of in this case (and only in this case), is the paperwork.
So you see, PPO health insurance is so popular because of the freedoms it provides; because its less conditional when it comes to your health. In addition, you'll be glad to know that PPO is based on the principle of reduced cost health care - hospitals, doctors and specialists all agree to offer their services for less to the members of a PPO health insurance company, in return for an increased volume in business. And that's, quite simply, what makes PPO health insurance the better choice.
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Now of course the above are all just dates and numbers, but it does give you an indication of what people like - people like you and me. So why do we like it?
Well for one, think in terms of freedom. Where HMOs tend to be rather restrictive when it comes to seeing any other medical professional other than the Primary Care Physician, PPOs allow you to see who you want, whenever the need arises. Now of course it has to be someone in the PPO network for you to get full coverage.
Though thinking about coverage, what if you're not close to home or your regular healthcare expert? Would you still be covered on those occasions where you have to spend some time out of town?
On the one side we have HMOs that do allow you to see someone aside from the primary care physician, but only if it's an emergency. In any other scenario, you have to carry the cost yourself. Now contrast this to PPO health insurance : whether it's an emergency or not, you can go see anyone you want. Naturally the co-payments will be a bit higher seeing as that professional is not in the PPO network, but you're still covered for 50% to 70% of the costs. The only thing you have to take care of in this case (and only in this case), is the paperwork.
So you see, PPO health insurance is so popular because of the freedoms it provides; because its less conditional when it comes to your health. In addition, you'll be glad to know that PPO is based on the principle of reduced cost health care - hospitals, doctors and specialists all agree to offer their services for less to the members of a PPO health insurance company, in return for an increased volume in business. And that's, quite simply, what makes PPO health insurance the better choice.
This article is provided by http://www.insurelog.com for insurance consumers. If you would like to access a large pull of knowledge on different types of insurance, please visit
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