Managed Care

More than half of all Americans who have health insurance are enrolled in a managed care plan. Managed care plans usually cover a wide range of health services. With these plans, costs are lower when patients use the doctors and other providers who participate in the plan (network providers). 



In most cases, you will not have to fill out any insurance forms or submit any claims to the insurance company when you use in-network providers. Usually, you will pay a copay (typically $10 to $20 for an office visit) each time you go to he doctor or hospital or fill a prescription. Your copay may vary depending on whether you see your primary care doctor or a specialist and whether you receive a generic or brand name prescription drug. 



Most managed care plans have a list of drugs that they cover, called a formulary. Your copay for prescription drugs will probably depend on whether you are getting a generic drug, a brand name formulary drug, or a brand name drug not on the plan's formulary. For example, the copay might be $10 for a generic drug, $25 for a formulary drug, and $40 for a brand name non-formulary drug. Be sure to check the formulary of the plan you are considering to make sure it will cover any routine prescription drugs that you and your family members take. Some managed care plans have a mail-order pharmacy option. This means that you send your doctor's prescription for routine maintenance drugs (for example, blood pressure medicine, drugs to control blood sugar, and other drugs used on a regular basis) to the mail order pharmacy. In most cases, you will receive a 3-month supply of your medication by return mail. You still pay a copay, but your cost may be lower than it would be at a local retail pharmacy. 



If you choose to enroll in a managed care plan instead of an indemnity plan, you  may have lower out-of-pocket expenses for health care, as long as you see doctors who are part of the plan (in-network providers). 



There are three main types of managed care plans:

• Health maintenance organizations (HMOs).
• Preferred provider organizations (PPOs).
• Point-of-service plans (POS).

All three types of managed care plans have contracts with doctors, hospitals, and other providers. They have agreed on certain fees with these providers. As long as you get your care from a plan provider, you typically will be responsible  only for any cost-sharing your plan requires.