A Health Maintenance Organization or HMO is a type of health insurance provided in the United States and in Switzerland. Doctors, hospitals, and other health care providers have a contract with the HMO and care is provided according to a set of guidelines. The idea is that in this model the health care providers receive more patients and are thus able to provide care at a lower cost.

HMO's typically charge lower monthly premiums than other forms of insurance but have fallen in for criticism as members of the plan are required to select doctors from a list of those associated with the plan and must pass all medical decisions through a primary care physician who acts as a "gatekeeper" for the overall plan of treatment.

Consequently many individuals are left to feel they have little to no control over their own health care and a sense that they are being denied all the potential range of treatments and care options available. For many people in the United States, however, an HMO is the only health care plan they can afford.

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