Book Opener

employees who have been laid off pay their own premiums but can shiftto another group plan upon starting a new job.Who Paysthe Bill?Lizzie is insured by ahealth maintenanceorganization (HMO)that provides a list ofauthorized doctors.While visiting hergrandparents over thesummer, she broke herfoot and was taken tothe emergency roomat a hospital for treatment.Because thedoctor and hospitalwere not part of theHMO, the HMO refusesto pay the hospital bill.Do you think the HMOshould pay all or part ofthe bill? Should an HMObe able to restrict whatdoctors Lizzie can see inan emergency?Individual Plans People who work for a company that does not offerhealth insurance or who are self-employed can buy individual healthinsurance. This insurance is more expensive than group insurancebecause the cost cannot be spread among a large group of people.HMOs and PPOsWhen you sign up for health insurance, you often have a choicebetween enrolling in an HMO and PPO plan.Health Maintenance Organizations Health MaintenanceOrganizations (HMOs) contract with doctors and other healthcare professionalsto provide healthcare services for their members. Memberspay monthly premiums and must choose from a list of doctors providedby the HMO. HMOs encourage their members to have regularcheckups, immunizations, and other forms of early treatment. In thisway, it is hoped that people will be less likely to require more expensivekinds of treatment. Many different kinds of organizations sponsorHMOs, including doctors, community groups, insurance companies,labor unions, and corporations.DISABLEDDisability insurance paysbenefits when thoseinsured are unable to work.What is the differencebetween partial and totaldisability insurancecoverage?760 Unit 7: Planning for the Future