You select a plan once a year, with probably as many as 7 to 10 alternatives in an area such as Southern California. The approved plans in the state might include such providers as: Kaiser Permanente: a health maintenance organization with its own staff of salaried doctors and its own medical centers. Blue Cross: A managed care network, made up of doctors and hospitals providing services at a negotiated fee schedule. Aetna: A network of doctors and hospitals assembled by a large insurance company. Other competitors such as Prudential or Metropolitan Life also would be in the market. Fee-for-service: Resembles traditional medicine, in which you have a much broader choice of doctors and hospitals but pay more.

Family Description: Single person without insurance now and who can't get coverage because of current illness Gains: Assured coverage despite existing illness Losses: Some payroll deductions

Family Description: Retiree relying on Medicare Gains: Additional benefits, including some coverage for prescriptions and in-home care Losses: New restrictions on payments to doctors and hospitals could limit access to care for Medicare beneficiaries