subject: Ppo Or Hmo, Indemnity Is A Thing Of The Past [print this page] No one would consider debating the importance of having health insurance benefits through their employer, or as some people might point out that these people are lucky to still have this option available to them. In the very recent past, anyone who had full time employment enjoyed the benefits of major medical and emergency coverage through an all inclusive indemnity plan. Back in the day, most employers offered these high valued types of plans to their employees and their family members at extremely low cost other than deductibles and co-pays.
However that was those days and we are in a different financial climate that is seeing the cost of health care to skyrocket and witnessing the removal of these types of benefits, especially plans like the indemnity ones that now are not affordable for even the employer to offer like they used to be able to do for their employees. Employers are now having to not only reduce health insurance coverage levels but are passing a good percent of the premium cost on to the employee if they want to enjoy continued coverage under a employer sponsored health insurance plan.
Much of the blame is being placed on the employer, insisting that the company no longer wants to spend this part of the budget on health care benefits and there could be some truth to this about many of the larger corporations, but over all and on a grander scale, health insurance for most employers is something they can no longer simply afford on their own and the biggest reason for getting help from their employees to help shoulder more of the cost burden of their health insurance policy.
The type of employer-based health insurance has significantly changed also and over the years indemnity plans have been replaced by lesser PPO and HMO plans. Initially these plans were seen as less desirable by both employees and employers simply because they somewhat limited the patient's ability to choose a health care facility or specific physician. Over time, however these health insurance plans have become the preferred way of insuring the masses very simply because they still allow a large amount of benefits but do so at a lesser cost to both employee and employer. This is by far their most attractive feature.
Regardless where or how you are getting your health insurance plan benefits, be it out of your own pocket or if you are part of a PPO, HMO or indemnity plan, you should really reflect on how lucky you still are to have health insurance coverage. This is especially true for any employee who is enjoying the benefits of employment that supplies the option to have coverage.
