How do HMOs compare to PPO and “traditional” health insurance?
The key difference between an HMO and an insurer is that HMOs provide the promised coverage to the member (either directly or indirectly) while traditional insurance simply pays for care that the policyholder has obtained, after the care was rendered. In today’s world, the differences between HMOs and regular insurance can be blurry, because insurers may have restrictive practices or policy terms, or may offer financial incentives to use providers who have agreed in advance to provide care for a discounted fee. Traditional insurance usually allowed a policyholder to obtain treatment from any medical provider. The insurer would then agree to pay a certain amount, and if that was not enough to cover the provider’s fee, the policyholder would be responsible for paying the balance. In order to cut costs, insurers began to enter into contracts with providers in advance, in which the providers agreed to accept a discounted fee in exchange for being listed in the plan’s provider network. Some
