Majority of Americans relies heavily on health insurance schemes to pay for their medical expenses. As there is no National Health scheme or any nationally designed health insurance scheme for the average person, Americans have private and not- for- profit health insurance. 84 percent of Americans have health insurance, out of which 60 percent get it through their employers, 9 percent get it directly while various government agencies provide coverage for the rest.

Health insurance is a must as medical fees are very heavy and it is very difficult for an average person to pay through his pocket. There are several health insurance schemes. Public programs cover senior citizens and low-income groups who meet certain eligibility requirements. These public programs are Medicare, which is a federal social insurance program for seniors and some disabled persons. Medicaid covers certain very low-income children and their families and SCHIP (State Children’s Health Insurance Program) serves children who do not qualify for Medicaid but are also not capable of paying privately. Other public programs include TRICARE, which is United States military health care plan for military personnel and their dependents.

There are also other programs for low-income people. One of the oldest forms of organized health care is the Health maintenance Organization, which gives its members a wide choice of health care benefits, which also include preventive care. Doctors here are employees who operate from a centralized clinic of a medical center and the patients go there for treatment. The patients can also select doctors from the Individual Practice Associations (IPA) where the doctors have contracts and agreements with the HMO and have their own consulting rooms where patients can visit. If the insured person needs specialized care he can coordinate with the primary care physician and this would mean co-payment of the expenses.

Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) has contracts and agreements with hospitals and other medical service providers who charge less for the insured persons than their normal rate. Some people prefer self-referrals whereby they utilize the services of doctors from outside the PPO network but in this case the payment would be reimbursed by only seventy percent.

In the case of another facility called the Point of Service, the patient has to do all the paperwork himself. Completing the documents, preserving the medical bills and keeping a tab on medical care receipts have to be done by the patient himself in return for the facility of self direct care to the insured patient. The primary care doctor can be chosen from a network of doctors who will take care of the patient.

All these medical insurance schemes have their own plus and minus points. Every individual has to go through the documents and the paperwork meticulously and choose the best and the most suitable one. Some offer payments only for medical treatments and not for other procedures like plastic surgery or body sculpting unless there is a strong medical reason for the procedures. One has to think and plan carefully before signing for the insurance schemes.

The employers and the organizations of the individual offer some; some have to do it on their own. But medical insurance is a must for all, in the face of exorbitant medical treatments.