Individual plans are either indemnity plans or managed care plans:
Indemnity Plans: This type of plan pays a stated amount for an incidence. Let's say you are in car wreck and you break your leg. The insurance company will pay a prescribed amount of money for that occurrence. You will need to pay the health care costs up front and apply to the insurance company afterward for reimbursement. We have several plans that fall into this category.
Managed Care Plans: eHealthInsuranceSource deals primarily with this type of plan. Specifically, these are "PPO" or Preferred Provider Plans. With PPO plans, you have the choice to see the doctor that you like. You are in control.
PPO plans work with a network provider. The network provider company has negotiated with the different hospitals and doctors and other health care providers to establish a price for different procedures.
How it works: The doctor applies a code to your paperwork after you have made a visit with him/her. These are codes that are universally known in the profession. The insurance company then pays based on the code. For example, a code for a "strep throat" visit, (a bacteria infection of the throat), will have a code assigned to it. Since the doctor and the network provider have already agreed on a payment amount for this procedure, the doctor will receive payment based on this code.
You can start by getting quotes.
Then, compare the different plans and ask questions.
Next, apply online!
