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Because health care is so expensive, it is very important that
you have health insurance to help you pay for it. If you have
health insurance, it is more likely that your family will get
health care and be healthy. Medicaid is a health insurance
program for low-income persons.
Today, for many people, the way their families get health care
has changed. This change is known as managed care. The most
common type of managed care program is a Health Maintenance
Organization or an HMO. HMOs help the government lower the
cost of providing health care. HMOs change the focus of health
care from treating people only when they get sick, to trying
to keep them healthy.
If you are enrolled in an HMO, you are not allowed to go to
any doctor or hospital you choose. You will have to choose from
the doctors and hospitals that are part of the HMO plan. Your
doctor and the HMO will decide how much care you need, and how
you get that care. Most Medicaid recipients in Wisconsin have
to be enrolled in HMOs.
Since the way families receive health care has changed so much,
it is important for parents to be advocates for their family’s
health. Parents need to be able to get their children the health
care services they need without trouble. This Healthy Family
website will try to inform parents about their rights before and
after entering into this new health care system, which will be
referred to as a Medicaid-HMO.
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