WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PPOS, HMOS, HIGH-DEDUCTIBLE HSA PLANS?

You don’t limit your business to making or distributing one variety of beer, wine, or spirits. Why should you be limited to a one-size-fits-all healthcare plan?

The Michigan Beverage Collective has hand-crafted 12 healthcare plans for the beverage industry and available to members only. Our unique status as an association health plan provides us with flexibility and leverage to offer you customized Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan plans and keep costs low.

Collective medical plan options include seven PPO (traditional) plans, five high-deductible health plans, three HMO network options, and one Medicare Supplement. Dental and vision plans are available in addition to medical plans, or on their own.

Katie Gray would love to share all the details with you, and help you choose the plan that’s best for your business. In the meantime, here’s a primer on the three most common types of healthcare plans we offer.

Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) network plans contract with medical providers, such as hospitals and doctors, to create a network of participating providers. Members pay less if they use providers that belong to the plan’s network (and can use doctors, hospitals, and providers outside of the network for an additional cost). PPO plans provide the flexibility of seeing any health care professional without a referral—inside or outside of the network.

The Collective’s top-tier PPO plan provides access to 95% of the doctors and 100% of the hospitals in Michigan. At the other end of the spectrum, our targeted network plan option creates a specific local network to provide quality healthcare coverage at significant savings.

High-Deductible Health Plans with Health Savings Accounts continue to gain popularity with employers. These plans allow employers to reduce health insurance costs and provide employees with Health Savings Account (HSA) options. By law, only those covered by a plan with a high-deductible ($1,400 for a single-person plan and $2,800 for family plan) can open an HSA. Health Savings Accounts offer significant tax-saving opportunities and encourage people to save for future medical expenses.

Employees pay out-of-pocket until their deductible is met, and after that, the plan covers all expenses 100%.

Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) Network Plans provide affordable healthcare coverage and access to 6,100 primary care doctors and 22,700 specialists in Michigan. Typically, HMOs won’t cover out-of-network care except in an emergency. With an HMO plan, all healthcare services go through a primary care physician (and/or an obstetrician/gynecologist, for women), so a referral is required to see any other health care professional, except in an emergency. Visits to health care professionals outside of your network typically aren’t covered. Coordinating all health care through a primary care physician means less paperwork and lower health care costs.

We’d love to go over our plans with you. Drop us a line or give us a call today at (517) 482-5555 for more information.