Maryland Group Health Insurance

The Benefits of Group Insurance

Maryland group health insurance is available to businesses with two or more employees. The employer purchases one insurance policy and all of the employees are included under that umbrella. For profit businesses purchase group insurance but so do other people including churches and other non-profit companies. Since there is such a large group of people, group insurance usually costs much less for each person covered.

Some companies will actually pay for the entire policy cost for their employees. Then the employees are only responsible for co-pays and other uncovered costs under the Maryland group health insurance plan. The majority of employees pay for their benefits out of pocket and the employer deducts it straight from their paycheck before they ever see the money. It actually works out nicely because it’s not as much of a sting when it’s taken out (but really it’s not a sting compared to what you could be paying with a different type of insurance, it’s worth it).

There are many benefits that come with having Maryland group health insurance. One benefit enjoyed by many is that there isn’t usually a physical required in order to obtain coverage. This means that if you have pre-existing health conditions, you’ll probably be able to receive the treatment you need under the health plan whereas with other insurance policies you may be denied services or any coverage at all. Once you do have group insurance you’ll either be given a PPO or HMO plan (sometimes you can choose which you want). Regular doctor’s visits are covered as well as things like hospital stays and other rehabilitation needs such as physical therapy. Prescription medications are covered as well. For doctor’s visits and prescriptions there is, more often than not, a small co-pay each time that benefit is used. Fortunately mental health benefits are included as well.

Depending on whether you subscribe to an HMO or PPO Maryland group health insurance plan, the flexibility of your benefits will vary. With HMOs you’re assigned certain doctors you can see (or given a pool to choose from) and need to get a referral in order to see a specialist. With a PPO you have a choice of which doctor you’d like to visit and you it’s not necessary to have a referral to see a specialist. HMOs are known for costing less out of the employees pocket and PPOs are known for being more flexible in what is permitted. Under both of these plans, dependents are usually covered as well which is great for families.

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