Fee-for-Service Plans in Arizona

Of all the available managed health care plans, the Fee-for-Service (FFS) plan most closely resembles traditional health insurance. FFS plans provide much more freedom for individuals to choose their own healthcare providers than any other managed healthcare plan. FFS plans do include a provider network, but it is typically much more extensive than that of most other plans. Under an FFS plan, you pay a low monthly premium, and can choose to visit almost any doctor or healthcare specialist, including those in other states.

Each time you visit a doctor or specialist, you pay a certain amount of each fee—typically around 20%—while the insurance company pays the remainder. A deductible is applied each year.  A typical plan might have a $250 deductible for each individual member of a family, with a combined deductible of $500 for the whole family.

Fee-for-service plan deductibles do not carry over each year, meaning that you must cover the full deductible yourself every year. However, most FFS plans also cap the amount you must pay for medical expenses each year. If your cap is $1000, for example, once you’ve paid $1000 of your own money in a single year, the insurance company will cover 100% of the remainder of your medical expenses (providing they are covered by the policy).

Learn more about fee-for-service health plans today. See if they work for you.

Fee-for-Service Plan Types

There are two different types of FFS plans, each of which cover different types of medical expenses. Basic plans typically cover the costs of doctor visits, hospital expenses, surgery, and healthcare visits that are related to the surgery. Some out-patient and diagnostic services may also be covered. Under a Major medical plan, expenses for chronic illnesses are covered. Comprehensive plans provide coverage for everything offered by the Basic and Major plans, in the same policy.

The main disadvantage of FFS coverage is that preventative healthcare is not covered by any of the three different types of plan. This means services such as vaccinations and routine health check-ups are not covered.

FFS plans are preferred by many people because they offer the greatest flexibility of all the managed healthcare plans currently available. However, they also tend to be among the most expensive of the health insurance plans for people who use healthcare facilities often, due to the co-payment requirement. FFS plans are most suited to people who don’t visit doctors frequently, but want some form of insurance in case they need specialized medical care in the future.

Wondering if a fee-for-service health policy will be your best option? Find out with a free quote.