PPO vs. HMO. Benefits and Disadvantages of PPO and HMO Health Plans

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1 Keywords: PPO Rehab Treatment, PPO Detox Treatment, PPO Mental Health, PPO Substance Abuse, HMO Rehab Treatment, HMO Detox Treatment, HMO Mental Health, HMO Substance Abuse, PPO vs. HMO, Choosing Insurance Coverage, Choosing Mental Health Coverage Description: It may be confusing when it comes to choosing between PPO and HMO coverage. If you need help with substance abuse or mental health care, you want to choose the best. We help you learn more about PPO and HMO for mental health and substance abuse care. PPO vs. HMO So it s time to pick medical coverage what is the best way to go? What if you need help for something a little more specific, like drug and alcohol treatment? Substance abuse treatment can be quite expensive. When it comes to your life- well, you only have one. You want the best treatment available for you and your family. You want to pick the best coverage possible for mental health care, but it often isn t very clear which plan is the best for you. Benefits and Disadvantages of PPO and HMO Health Plans Typically when people are trying to decide between HMO or PPO health plans they focus on the network. Your network includes all of the doctors and hospitals that you can see on your health plan. HMOs tend to have smaller networks, or fewer doctors you can see. Also your primary care doctor has to refer you to any additional care such as specialists, hospitals, treatment centers and rehabs. With a PPO, you have the freedom to choose any additional care on your own. Plus, there are usually more doctors and hospitals in your network to choose from. However with that freedom, there are drawbacks. Various state laws prevent HMOs from charging high deductibles (what you must pay out of your pocket) and they cap the amount of money you will pay out of pocket in a year. With a PPO you could face thousands of dollars in up-front costs and end up spending much more on treatment. PPOs are much more popular right now than HMOs. But why? Most people truly do like the freedom to choose their doctors. But your employer might prefer for you to have a PPO as well, because with a PPO your employer can shift more of the cost on to you as well. Let s recap. PPOs usually offer more doctors, hospitals and treatment centers to choose from than HMOs HMOs usually have a smaller network of doctors, hospitals and treatment centers to choose from than PPOs. PPOs allow you to choose additional care and pick the treatment center, rehab or hospital you prefer. HMOs require a referral from your primary care doctor before you to go treatment, rehab or a specialist. HMOs generally cost less than PPOs- with lower deductibles and copays PPOs are known to change policy and agreements with their network of doctors, so you ALWAYS need to check first before you select a treatment center or hospital.

2 Help Finding Drug or Alcohol Treatment with your PPO or HMO If you or a loved one is struggling with drug or alcohol problems, you need help now. No matter what your coverage is, we can help you find the best treatment available. Our trained counselors are available 24-hours a day and can help you with everything from finding (any paying for) detox, interventions, therapy, treatment centers and family assistance. All of our calls are completely confidential. Call now to have a caring, live counselor help you learn more about your options.

3 Keywords: United Health Care, UnitedHealth Group Coverage, United coverage, UnitedHealth Substance Abuse, UnitedHealth Drug Rehabilitation, UnitedHealth Drug Rehab, UnitedHealth Drug Detox, UnitedHealth Alcohol Treatment Description: Learn more about your UnitedHealth coverage of mental health and substance abuse, drug and alcohol rehab treatment. We offer a live helpline to connect you to the UnitedHealth services you need. United Health Drug Rehab Coverage UnitedHealth Group Incorporated is a billion dollar company based in the United States. United Health Group is the parent company for seven businesses, including: UnitedHealthcare AmeriChoice OptumHealth Prescription Solutions Ingenix Uniprise Ovations You may have insurance through UnitedHealthcare (often misspelled as United Health Care). Although some people debate it, most sources agree that UnitedHealthcare is the second largest insurance company in the U.S. United is such a huge insurer that they often take a corporate-wide strategy to filling claims. This means that they typically cover services and do the same things in one state as they do in another. For instance, UnitedHealthcare patients in New York may have the same or similar coverage to United patients in Texas. Benefits of UnitedHealth Care Coverage for Drug and Alcohol Treatment United HealthCare is a very large company, so that means that they have one of the biggest networks of providers in each market. United has programs in place to follow up with patients to ensure that they do not end up back in the hospital or rehab after they go through treatment. This means that United has ways to support you. Disadvantages of UnitedHealth Care Coverage for Drug and Alcohol Rehab Because United is such a large company, they often change policies and procedures. Before you enter treatment, it is very important to verify your coverage. The best way to do this is to have a trained insurance counselor help you make a case for the coverage you need. In other words, United often changes the facilities that they cover, sometimes dropping certain facilities off of their network and then adding new facilities with little fanfare. You definitely want to verify your coverage before you end up paying more for treatment that was once covered and now is not. What is Mental Health Parity and how are UnitedHealth Care clients affected?

4 The Mental Health Parity Act went into effect in 2010 under the Obama administration. The act states that if you have health insurance that includes mental health care, then you should pay the same amount for your mental health and rehab care that you pay for your regular physical health care. This means that you should pay the same amount for the following: Copays Deductibles Fees These amounts should be the same if you are receiving mental health, rehab, substance abuse treatment or physical health care treatment. It is very important to note that you should always check your benefits before receiving treatment. Help Understanding your United Coverage and Finding the Best Treatment Available When you and your family are facing a drug or substance abuse problem, the last thing you need to deal with is the hassle of figuring out health insurance. Plus, health insurance is changing every day, with new policies and procedures around every corner. We offer a toll-free 24-hour helpline to guide you through the insurance process. We are part of a nationwide network of mental health, substance abuse and dual diagnosis specialists. Our calls are all completely confidential and based here in the United States. Let us help you learn more about your coverage and your possibilities. We can assist you in finding and paying for everything from interventions, counseling, treatment centers, hospitalization, detox, rehab, family therapy, substance abuse awareness and more. Give us a call today.

5 Keywords: CIGNA Drug Rehab, CIGNA Alcohol and Drug Treatment, CIGNA Coverage, CIGNA Mental Health Benefits, CIGNA Substance Abuse Benefits, CIGNA Substance Abuse Coverage Description: Let us help explain CIGNA coverage and offer a helpline to guide you on your path to recovery. CIGNA Drug Rehab Coverage If you or someone you love is struggling with a mental health disorder or a drug or alcohol problem, trying to figure out how to pay for treatment is the last thing you need to worry about. In this article, we help explain CIGNA coverage and offer a helpline to guide you on your path to recovery. What s the difference between CIGNA policy and other insurance policies? Every insurance policy is different. That s why it is important to get all of the facts up front. There are two ways you can receive health insurance from your employer: If you work for a small company (with less than 500 people) your small company will usually contract with a large insurance company like Blue Cross Blue Shield. In these situations, the insurance company takes the risk. In large companies, the company is large enough to assume the risk of the employee s health. This means that they hire a different type of insurance company, like CIGNA, to simply administer the claims. So, in most cases, CIGNA just administers the claims while your employer assumes the risk. If you have CIGNA insurance, then you probably work for a large company. The good news is that this usually means that you can find healthcare in more places and at more treatment centers. You may have better coverage than most people in the U.S. The bad news is that your company might have quickly glossed over all of your coverage information. Since your company is responsible for the expense every time someone goes into a hospital, they may have been less likely to take the time and effort to clearly explain your benefits. Learn More about Your CIGNA Policy Before You Enter Treatment Some questions you want to ask when seeking treatment are: What will my out of pocket maximum expense; how much will I have to pay? What is the maximum that the insurance company will pay for my treatment? What is my deductible- the amount I have to pay before the insurance will cover me? What about copay? What do I have to pay in order to receive extensive care? This may sound like a lot. Don t worry, we can help you. Help Getting the Drug and Alcohol Treatment You Need We offer a toll-free, confidential helpline to help you understand your treatment options. We can help you find a treatment center, rehabilitation, supportive living, intervention, counseling, family counseling, therapy, psychiatry or any other mental health facility.

6 Our counselors are trained to help those in need of both substance abuse and mental health care. All of our staff are located in the United States and we are affiliated with a large number of U.S. and Canadian treatment centers. From everything to basic counseling to luxury Malibu rehab, we can get you connected and help you get your needs covered by insurance. Give yourself this opportunity for wellness and happiness. Call today.