Dana B. Smith

An indemnity insurance plan is quite commonly recognized as a traditional health insurance. Although it is quite expensive to have this kind of health insurance, it does cover many illnesses that are often not included in other insurance plans. But, this kind of plan is not without its drawbacks as it will not cover some aspects that other plans cover like physicals towards preventive health care. Also, these plans will not cover the entire bill that is incurred and will only foot a percentage of it. So, make sure to understand about the advantages and drawbacks to this kind of insurance plan before you opt for it.

But, it is essential to keep an open mind and not just look at the drawbacks as there are several important pluses to this kind of health insurance. Though the premiums you need to pay in this plan might be more along with having to bear some upfront expenses and to put in all the paperwork for claims, the coverage will actually be more and also the deductibles will be better controllable. Also, not all health insurance plans will bear many types of expenses that indemnity plans will cover.

One of the biggest benefits of an indemnity insurance is the patient is allowed to consult the physician of their own choice and not be restricted to visit the physician or the hospital the insurance company will advise to go to as is more common with other types of insurance plans. Although this might not be of great importance to some people, this is a great advantage and convenience to many people. This also ensures that you can opt to consult a specialist without going through a primary care physician.

In total, it can be inferred that an indemnity health insurance will provide the best facilities towards covering emergency medical care. Other insurance plans usually follow a preferred provider organization (PPO) or a point-of-service (POS) format it usually brings down the options one has by having to visit within a restricted group of hospitals or physician. But, indemnity insurance plans do not restrict the patient as he/ she can opt to visit any physician or hospital of their choice. This goes to say that a person in lieu of any emergency can visit any hospital or physician anywhere within the country without having to worry about coverage or expenses.

There have been prior occurrences where patients have sought emergency medical care from hospitals or physicians that are not within the preferred provider organization network and the particular hospital or physician have either refused to provide treatment or has made the patient liable to bear the expenses incurred with only a part of it being supported by the health insurance plan. This kind of a situation is risky for the physician or the hospital as they might have to take the brunt if the patient is unable to bear the expense. But, this does not happen with an indemnity health insurance as the expenses are covered wherever the patient makes a visit. While choosing a health insurance plan, bear all the pros and cons of an indemnity insurance plan and the other options available to you before making a decision.

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