Although Indiana's marketplace doesn't offer PPO coverage, you can still buy a nationwide PPO. Let's look at how nurses based in Indiana can choose between HMOs, EPOs and PPOs while traveling for work.
Hi, I'm Sam Jaber, and I help people find health insurance. I'm licensed in 36 states and work with travel nurses who call Indiana home, from Indianapolis and South Bend to smaller communities around Terre Haute. We can handle your coverage over the phone.
If you're a travel nurse shopping Indiana's marketplace, you'll notice three kinds of networks available and one important option missing. There are HMOs, EPOs and two POS plans, but no PPOs. I'll walk you through how these networks handle care when you're working outside Indiana and why nurses who spend much of their year traveling may want to consider coverage beyond the marketplace.
This year, HealthCare.gov lists 80 individual medical plans in Indiana. Of those, 45 are HMOs, 33 are EPOs and 2 are POS plans. Not one is a PPO.
I can help you purchase a private nationwide PPO even though you live in Indiana. Your premium is calculated using the information you provide on a health questionnaire, and the network includes providers in the cities where your future assignments take you.
If you're only back in Indiana for a week or two before heading out on another long assignment, those HMO and EPO network restrictions become especially important. An ordinary doctor appointment in Phoenix or Seattle might leave you paying the entire bill.
For this situation, I'd usually start by looking at a nationwide PPO. The insurance company reviews your health questionnaire and can approve you, decline you or approve coverage with one specific condition excluded. Nurses in good health often find premiums below what they'd pay for a marketplace plan without subsidies, while doctors near their assignments are in network. I'll go through the actual benefits with you before you decide.
Next step: Give me a call and we'll compare the price of a nationwide PPO against the HMO, EPO and POS plans available where you live in Indiana.
When your agency's insurance ends, that generally qualifies as losing employer coverage, giving you a special enrollment opportunity through the marketplace that normally lasts about 60 days. You may also continue coverage through COBRA, but choosing to cancel COBRA later doesn't create another enrollment opportunity. Before picking an Indiana HMO or EPO, consider how useful its network will be if your next assignment takes you outside the state. Get written confirmation of your coverage end date from the agency because that date determines when your enrollment window begins.
Next step: Reach out before you finish your last shift, and I'll help you choose insurance that covers your break between assignments and continues working afterward.
If most of your assignments are near Indiana, or extended time off brings your annual income into the subsidy range, a marketplace HMO or EPO with financial assistance may offer the best value. Just make sure your preferred doctors participate in the network. With very little income for the year, you might also qualify for the Healthy Indiana Plan. KFF puts its income threshold at 138% of the poverty level. Have your local doctors' names handy when we talk.
Next step: Show me where your assignments take you and which doctors you see, and I'll review the Indiana coverage choices for the time you spend at home.
Start by figuring out how many weeks you'll actually be living in Indiana this year. When you're home for most of that time, a local Indiana network could make plenty of sense. But when you're only there for a few weeks, you may be buying access to doctors you hardly ever visit, making a nationwide PPO worth comparing. Your actual assignment schedule tells us more than an agency's benefits paperwork. We also need to consider anyone sharing your coverage. If your spouse or children remain in Indiana while you're working elsewhere, they still need convenient access to local providers. That could make an Indiana-centered family plan a better fit, even when you're usually away, or point us toward a nationwide PPO that serves everyone.
Straight answers, no sales pitch.
No. Indiana offers 80 marketplace medical plans across three plan types: HMO, EPO, and POS. None is a PPO. But healthy nurses can still purchase a private PPO through me.
In most cases, coverage outside the network is available for emergency treatment only.
When that coverage ends, HealthCare.gov generally gives you about 60 days to enroll. COBRA offers another way to stay insured during that time.
It's possible when your annual income falls within HIP's eligibility threshold. According to KFF, that limit is 138% of the federal poverty level.
Tell me which Indiana county you live in, where your next few assignments will be and who needs coverage with you. I'll compare the plan types for your schedule and walk you through the prices.
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