Ben Keel: "A traditional plan is what we had in this country for probably the first 50 or 60 years that health insurance really became a viable option, and a traditional plan basically just says that there's a deductible; you pay the deductible, then the insurance company starts paying their share. Then along came PPOs and they're called Preferred Provider Organizations, or some companies call them Participating Provider Organizations, but it basically says if you use "my doctor, my hospital," you get a better deal. They started out paying 100% of the bill after the deductible, and now the most common is they'll pay 80% of the bill, and that's called Co-Insurance; that's where the individual and the insurance company share the cost. With Co-Insurance they'll pay 80%, you pay 20% or if you go out of network they don't give you quite as good a deal. You can still go see a doctor or hospital outside the network, however your deductible may double as most companies do, and instead of paying 80% of the bill they may only pay 60% of the bill; you'll pay 40%, until you hit your OOP -- Out of Pocket Maximum. Once you hit your Out of Pocket Maximum, then they pay 100% of the bill. An HMO - Health Maintenance Organization - says 'my doctor, my hospital' or you don't have coverage." There are exceptions. Click to listen (upper right) to hear more from Ben Keel, or call him today.

Click to listen as Katy Texas insurance specialist Ben Keel discusses the basics - Insurance 101:

To learn more about the insurance basics you need to know call Ben Keel today at 281-392-2900, or toll free: 1-877-Ben-Keel

Helpful Insurance Terms:
HMO - Health Maintenance Organization
PPO - Preferred Provider Organization
HRA - Health Reimbursement Account
CDHP - Consumer Directed Health Plan
RHU - Registered Health Underwriter

For more information, see this glossary of insurance terms provided by the Insurance Information Institute.

Q - Let's talk about disability insurance a bit, and what kind of insurance do you call AFLAC?
A - Click to listen to Ben's answer as he discusses supplemental insurance, disability, and compares the two: