Major medical insurance cover is the name given to one particular form of what is generally referred to today as indemnity or fee-for-service health insurance.
Rising medical costs over the past few years mean that we are increasingly moving away from traditional forms of health insurance and the original indemnity health insurance plan is rapidly being replaced by various other plans including HMO (health maintenance organization) plans, PPO (preferred provider organization) plans and POS (point of service) plans.
In effect indemnity health insurance plans are designed to cover unexpected medical costs resulting from illness and injury and give plan holders considerable freedom in picking where treatment is undertaken and by whom that treatment is provided. Indemnity plan holders are also commonly responsible for paying for treatment and for subsequently reclaiming the cost from their health insurer.
Newer plans by contrast are focused much more upon routine medical care with the objective of eliminating unnecessary costs by keeping plan holders well and identifying problems at a very early stage when they are hopefully simple to treat. These newer plans ease administration for plan holders but also remove much of the freedom to decide from whom and where treatment can be received.
Most people today will be covered by the newer forms of health insurance instead of by traditional indemnity plans mainly not only because of their lower cost but also because there is a lot less administration when it comes times to make a claim against your plan. In addition, a rising number of companies who provide group health insurance plan membership to their employees are also picking these newer types of plan. Nonetheless, there is still a significant number of individuals who prefer the freedom of choice that an indemnity plan allows them and it is here that you might like to look at major medical insurance coverage.
Indemnity policies provide three forms of coverage; basic health insurance, major medical insurance and comprehensive insurance.
Basic health insurance policies vary from one medical insurer to the next but will normally cover hospital treatment (including room and board), certain hospital services (such as x-rays and medication), surgery (whether performed in hospital or another recognized surgery center) and certain doctors visits.
Major medical insurance policies by contrast are designed to cover the treatment of high cost and long-term illnesses and injuries as well as in and out-patient costs associated with such illnesses and injuries.
Finally, comprehensive cover is merely a plan that includes both basic and major medical coverage.
Not surprisingly major medical insurance plans are a popular choice as most individuals are only too happy to pay the day to day cost of medical care but are concerned about what they would do in the event of a significant accident or illness which may involve considerable medical expense that could drag on for months or years.
Unfortunately, the choice and security which is provided by a major medical insurance plan is reflected in the cost of indemnity policies in general and thus it is increasingly becoming an option that a lot of individuals would wish to select but one that is simply too expensive.