Unit 2 What's the matter? 文化背景知识介绍

xingkong

广东省教育厅教研室





In the U. S., the medical treatment that you receive and the doctor or hospital that you can visit depends on the health insurance coverage that you have.



The two kinds of insurance are fee-for-service and managed care.



Fee-for-service: You go to the doctor of your choice. Your insurance company only pays for specific services, not for everything.



Managed Care: There are three types of managed care.



A. HMO (Health Maintenance Organization): You can only receive care from one hospital, for example.



B. PPO (Preferred Provider Organization): You can only receive care from specific doctors, for example.



C. POS (Point-of -Service): This plan is a combination of an HMO and PPO.



To see a doctor, you should call the doctor's office or the hospital to make an appointment. If it is an emergency, you can visit the emergency room of a hospital or make an emergency appointment with a doctor, according to your insurance coverage.



When you see a doctor, the doctor will give you a prescription for your medication. You must go to a pharmacy and give the prescription to the pharmacist in order to receive your medication. The pharmacist will often explain to you how to take the medication.



You can also purchase medication, which does not require a prescription. Such medication is also referred to as over-the-counter (OTC) drugs.