Avoiding Health Plan Hassles

The next time your company has an open enrollment period, you might want to consider switching your health plan from an HMO to a Preferred Provider Organization (PPO). That's the word from David W. Hodges, Chief Executive Officer of Diamond Certified's Hodges and Russell Insurance Services. He says while many people like many aspects of HMOs such as no paperwork and low fees, doctors are fed up with many of the plans.

In fact, many top specialists no longer participate in HMOs, so if you have a special medical problem and want to see the best expert in that field, you will likely find yourself paying for that visit out of your own pocket. The bottom line, according to Mr. Hodges, is that if you want to seek excellence in medical care, most of the time you're better off choosing a PPO over an HMO.