When you hear people talk about health insurance, you are going to hear a lot of acronyms. HMO. PPO. POS! FFS!! COBRA?! It’s ridiculous! It’s like the entire medical world has a code system just to confuse the rest of us. These acronyms refer to different types of health insurance plans that are available in this country. But looking at all these plans is enough to make you want an aspirin. How do you know which one to pick?

We’re here to help! We won’t tell you which one to pick, but we will break down each type of health insurance so you know what each one means and we can discuss your options. That way, you’ll have the power to choose which health plan is best for you. But, uh, just a head’s up, if you haven’t read how health insurance works you might get confused by some lingo. You can either go back and read that section, or just use your helpful personal finance guide.

Before we dive into the different types, here are some things to think about when choosing a plan:

• What services do you want covered? X-ray vision may not be available.
• What’s the cost of the plan (including premiums, co-payments, deductibles, and coinsurance)?
• How easy is it to schedule an appointment? Will you die waiting in the office?
• What’s your choice of doctors and hospitals?
• Do you have to see the same doctor each time you need something done?
• Will you have to wait a long time to get a procedure done?
• Will you have to go back and forth between different doctors like a ping pong ball?
• How easy is it to switch doctors?
• Finally, what quality care are you getting? Did they clean those needles?!

By keeping in mind what you want from your health plan, you can compare different plans like a pro. Now let’s break a leg and figure out what these plans are all about!