Health insurance can be complicated because of the differences between individual plans. While receiving treatments covered by your managed care insurance plan, you must see a doctor or hospital that is part of your plan's approved network. If you go to a doctor or pharmacy that isn't part of your insurance's network, you may have to pay more out of pocket, or the insurance company may refuse to cover anything at all. You'll need to select a primary care physician (PCP) to coordinate your care and recommend specialist visits under these HMO plans. For individuals with a comparable PPO plan, going to a provider outside the network will incur somewhat greater charges, but would still be covered.

Care preauthorization may be required in specific situations. If the right procedures aren't followed, insurance companies can refuse to pay for these expenses. There are cases where insurers will not pay for a brand-name medicine because a cheaper generic alternative is available. On your first consultation with an agent, they will go over these guidelines with you and you should be able to read them in the paperwork they provide you to take home afterwards.

One thing to keep in mind is that most insurance policies will still require you to pay a premium. You might have to pay a set amount out of pocket for each service, or you might have a deductible to fulfil before your insurance kicks in, or you might have to pay a set percentage of the whole cost through coinsurance. Low-deductible plans typically have lower monthly rates than high-copay plans.

Because of their reduced premiums and deductibles, high-deductible health plans (HDHPs) are increasingly becoming the preferred choice for many people. If you go with this plan, you can also set up a health savings account into which you can put money before taxes to cover medical costs.