How to Compare Health Insurance PPO Plans

Several factors may determine your choice of PPO plan. Comparing out-of-pocket costs, monthly premiums, provider networks and specific coverage between PPO plans will help shape your decision. Much of the comparisons can be accomplished online through websites that compare plans and provide quotes in addition to the PPO carriers' own websites.

Instructions

• 1

  Create a table with one column listing the PPO plan names and other columns called premiums, co-pays, co-insurance, deductibles, provider network and additional coverage. This table can be handwritten or created in Word or Excel. Each new row will represent a different PPO plan. When you gather new information, populate each row and column for final comparison.

• 2

  Visit a website that features comparisons of multiple health insurance PPO plans such as EHealthInsurance.com or HealthInsuranceFinders.com. These sites allow you to input basic information, answer a few questions and display information on plans that may be available to you. A side-by-side display of PPO plan information makes for easy comparison between plans.

• 3

  Visit the websites of the PPOs you are considering and complete a provider search that allows you to type in the provider's name to see if they are in the provider network. Compare which doctors are in which plan. The doctors in the PPO plan's network may influence your final decision.

• 4

  Compare monthly premiums, office and specialist co-pays, co-insurances, deductibles and out-of-pocket maximums for each plan. Consider your budget, how often you may use health insurance services and whether or not dental and vision are part of the PPO plans you are considering.

• 5

  Review PPO plans for exclusions, pre-existing condition clauses and coverage for services such as maternity, mental health and prescriptions. These specifics may vary greatly by plan and if such areas are important to you, compare availability and costs. Gather this information directly from websites like EHealthInsurance.com or the PPO carriers' sites. You may have to call the carrier for specifics if they are not listed online.

• 6

  Review your table to compare each plan and apply to the ones that best match your needs. Most plans accept applications directly on their websites.