the Price of Health Insurance from an HMO

I pay $45 out of each check to pay for my HMO. I get paid twice a month. The money is taken out of my paycheck on a pre-tax basis. My employer does pay a portion of the premium but I'm not sure how much. My HMO covers medical care and vision care. I also receive a discount on dental care. I have a co-pay of $10 for most medical appointments. If I am out of the area and don't have pre-approval I am not covered except in an emergency situation.

So far I've had a good experience with my HMO. I haven't had to use it much. I did have to get a physical for a sports team I pay for. Finding a doctor was a little bit confusing but once I called my HMO 800 help line they did a good job of helping. My co-pay for the physical was $10. I also had a work related injury to my wrist. I went to my doctor and he took a look at it and x-rayed. Shortly thereafter it was deemed to be covered by worker's comp and I had to go a worker's comp doctor so there was no follow up with my doctor.

My provider has very strict rules about getting medical attention when you are out of your network. If you're traveling be sure to understand the rules in case something happens to you.