Managed care plans tend to be wellness driven, meaning they cover preventive care such as routine office visits and annual exams in order to avoid illness down the road. Several different types of health plans fall under the blanket term managed care .
Many people think of HMOs when they think of managed care.
In reality, though, HMO refers merely to one type of managed care plan. You typically pay a co-pay for each office visit and must get a referral from your PCP before going to a specialist. HMOs, as with most managed care plans, maintain a network of doctors for you to choose from. If you go outside this network, you are usually responsible for the entire bill . Offers more freedom of choice than an HMO plan.