A PPO or Preferred Provider Organization is a segment of health insurance that can be provided by an accredited health insurance company or provider. If you’re already familiar with an HMO or Health maintenance Organization then you have a good start in regards to what a Preferred Provider Organization actually is and can provide to a consumer seeking health insurance. The reason for this is because the Preferred Provider Organization is very similar to an HMO based on the fact that they have contractual agreements with many of the health insurance companies. The biggest difference is based on the fact that the Preferred Provider Organization doesn’t have as many limitations or restrictions when compared to the traditional HMO. Generally speaking this favors the consumer or individual seeking health insurance coverage through a provider’s health plan.

The advantage that a Preferred Provider Organization offers its clients is the ability for them to freely choose their own health care doctor or physician. This is particularly beneficial for an older person that has seen a regular doctor for many years. Naturally a bond of familiarity and trust builds up between a doctor and long time patient allowing for a comfortable feeling to take place during a routine medical appointment. The PPO allows this professional relationship to continue to exist ensuring better medical treatment. However, while the opportunity to seek medical care from the family physician or local doctor sounds nice it does usually mean that a higher out-of-pocket cost will be incurred by the individual consumer, although a referral isn’t normally needed to see a medical specialist.

As you can expect HMO’s are usually much cheaper due to the restrictions they place on who an insured patient can see and how they go about obtaining a referral to a health specialist for additional medical treatment. The PPO does offer more control over the providing of an individual’s health care needs so in this instance your health as opposed to money may be the final determining factor in regards to which health care plan you choose to apply for.

The Preferred Provider Organization’s main goal has been to provider health insurance coverage to large groups at a lower then normal rate or premium. They have been extremely successful at this endeavor by providing better information to the PPO network of doctors and by providing cheaper rates for medical insurance. In fact they were so successful that the PPO was the main driving force behind a dramatic drop in medical expenses throughout the last decade.

Based on the complex nature of the current health care system any plan, such as the Preferred Provider Organization, is a welcome sign of relief for many consumers needing and wanting adequate health insurance coverage at a very reasonable and affordable price.

By: Sharlene Raven