. But what does this really mean to those who are shopping around for insurance and those who are currently insured by one. An HMO is usually less expensive than a standard health insurance policy and this is one of the reasons that more people decide to try out an HMO each year, the overall savings is a big plus.
There are however some reasons that people steer clear of HMO's and for the most part this has to do with the availability to select your own doctors and not really in the cost. Most people rely on those health care professionals that they know and trust. Changing doctors can be very traumatic for some people and this is why many people stay away from HMOs.
Essentially the HMO offers a health care plan with its own set of doctors. You will designate a primary care physician but one that is within the Health Maintenance Organization. This doctor will be the one that you go to first as he must refer you to specialists for treatment. When he does refer you he will usually provide you with a referral to another doctor within the network.
Since everything must go through the primary health care provider you are restricted by his decisions on your health and some people are not happy with a health insurance plan that limits their freedom of choice. While most HMOs do offer patients the option of seeing any physician that is outside the plan they usually do so at an increased out of pocket expense to the patient.
This lack of choice is one of the primary reasons that people stay away from HMOs and choose more traditional health care plans. If you are a person in need of an insurance plan and are looking to reduce your our of pocket expenses however, an HMO is a good place to begin the search. They will offer you full benefits usually at a much lower rate than a standard health insurance policy although they are somewhat restricting if you are wrestling with your insurance premiums and don't have a lot of money to spend an HMO can truly be the answer you are searching for.