Mississippi Health Insurance
Despite the fact that Mississippi serves about 600,000 of its poorest residents with Medicaid coverage, the state still has a lot of headway to make in terms of health care quality. One of the challenges facing Mississippi is the fact that many of the distressed residents of New Orleans, after Hurricane Katrina, migrated to Mississippi. As a result, the hospitals are becoming crowded and overbooked, and quality of care has declined.
A good way to improve the quality of your care is to ensure that you have choice. Mississippi has a wide range of hospitals, some that provide better medical care, but also may cost more. A PPO health insurance plan may be your ticket if you want choice of hospital and provider. If you are just beginning your search for health insurance, you can start by looking to your employer. Check to see if you are eligible for any of their health benefits and if you can afford any of them. The most affordable employer health plans tend to be from managed organizations like the HMO and PPO.
Health Insurance Options
With the HMO, or Health Maintenance Organization, you are given a low flat-rate premium and a network of doctors to choose from. You are only able to choose one of their doctors who will then be your Primary Care Physician. Your PCP will be the one to take care of all of your medical needs and will refer you to other specialists you may need. If you choose to use an out-of-network physician, you will have to pay for the medical expenses on your own. You are required to make co-payments for doctor visits as well.
The PPO option is a bit more flexible and a little more expensive. It gives you the freedom of choosing an in-network or out-of-network physician. It would be cheaper to choose an in-network doctor because you'll receive higher reimbursements.
Along with whichever employer health plan you decide to go with, you may want to consider getting COBRA. This is an option that will extend your health plan coverage in case you were to lose your job or plan, allowing you some time to look for another job or health plan.
You can also look into getting an HSA, Health Savings Account. This is a tax-deferred account that acts as an IRA. You withdraw and deposit money for medical expenses and when you reach retirement age, you can withdraw the money without penalties.