Any funds that aren''t used continue to earn interest. One out of every seven workers will suffer a five-year or longer period of disability before age 65, yet many of these same people don''t have insurance to protect against such events. The good insuranceonline news is that there are more choices than ever. Even small companies with 15 or fewer employees can offer two or more plans, and there are more choices among individual policies, too. The availability of individual policies is especially critical to the growing legion of early retirees who need medical coverage There are three general types of medical insurance policies: Traditional indemnity policies aren''t very common any more. As medical costs have escalated, insurers want to contain their costs and keep premiums affordable by controlling the process.

Insurance companies hate indemnity plans. Good HMO candidates: people who are young and in good health (especially those planning to marry and/or start a family); families with children; older people (who tend to see doctors frequently, who don''t want to physically travel to different specialists and who like one-stop shopping); and those on a tight budget are all bad HMO candidates: People who can''t or who are unwilling to give up medical relationships with doctors outside their HMO. Preferred provider organizations were established as a compromise between indemnity plans and HMOs. PPOs provide managed care but also meet insuranceonline consumer demand for control over whom you see and where you get your services.

A "National Health Board" would identify insuranceonline a uniform minimal benefit package, certify plans that offer tax-deductible coverage through "accountable health plans" (AHPs), develop standards and guidelines for "health plan purchasing cooperatives" (HPPCs)--more recently termed "Health Alliances"--and establish a national health outcomes database essential for effective competition between AHPs. Within today''s health care system, a wide range of models exist and are frequently only referred to by acronym. insuranceonline This "alphabet soup" adds to the confusion and frustrations consumers encounter when attempting to "wade through" the health care system. A brief list of commonly used terms or acronyms and their meanings follows.HMO (health maintenance organization)--A health plan that contracts with providers for prepaid, comprehensive care for its members. Members are required to obtain care from providers within the HMO. Different models for HMOs include the group model, the IPA model, the network model, and the staff modelPPO (preferred provider organization)--A health plan that allows members to freely choose providers, but the insurance builds in financial incentives for members to select providers within a specific system or group FFS (fee for service)--A traditional system in which the insurer pays for services after they are received, based upon the provider''s fee schedule. Consumers have the freedom to seek care without prior approval from any provider, insuranceonline including specialists.

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