Good Morning, Jack! I re-read what I wrote(above) and was relieved to see that I had said "IMHO" (in my humble opinion) since, indeed, it is only MY opinion. I HAVE to chose my own doctors. I have five physicians that I see regularly and only two of them are in the same PPO program. I do not need prior approval for any medical appointment or procedure, as long as it is prescribed by a physician.
Having been on a medical school faculty (although I am not an MD ) I am not comfortable unless I have checked out a potential doctor's education, residency, post-graduate training, and certification. Pretty picky! Have a friend who moved to a different part of the country and had to chose a new insurance plan. "Everyone" recommended Insurance XXXX since it was "so reasonable." She signed up and found herself in a PPO. She had an accident her first week in her new residence, fell, and broke her foot. A month later she had over $4000 worth of bills since the hospital and doctor that her family rushed her to was not in her plan. She later sent me a copy of the list of "approved in-plan" primary care docs and asked me to check them out and help her pick one. Of the 12 on the list, NOT ONE WAS A US-TRAINED MD! I do realize that this is an example of a pretty poor plan ....ie, "cheap," and there are many much better.
Choosing an insurance plan or supplement is a very personal decision. I guess I would change my advice to "be careful and research ALL the options" and then pick the one that most meets your needs! The friend I mentioned above is a very intelligent woman, yet she had no idea what a PPO (or even a Medicare Advantage) plan was. She just signed up for a "supplement" and assumed it would pay her bills.
I would hope that discussions such as ours would lead others to THINK about what they are buying in choosing insurance. Surely one size does not fit all!
Sara Anne