There are many different health plans out there, but once you understand the main types of health insurance and everything will be less overwhelming. Understanding the different types of health insurance is the first step to finding an affordable health plan. The first way you can define a type of health insurance is based on whether it’s public or private, like whether the coverage comes from a government-funded program or is partially paid for through your employer.
The next most common way to categorize a health insurance coverage is plan type — how its structured and how its provider network is run. For example, an HMO plan doesn’t cover health care costs from out-of-network providers and requires referral from a primary care physician to see a specialist.