Managed care
In terms of using such a plan, unlike an HMO plan, which has a copayment cost share feature (a nominal payment generally paid at the time of service), a PPO generally does not have a copayment but offers a deductible and a coinsurance feature. The deductible must be paid in full before any benefits are provided. After the deductible is met, the coinsurance benefits apply. If the PPO plan is an 80% coinsurance plan with a $1,000 deductible, the patient pays 100% of the allowed provider fee up to $1,000. The insurer will pay 80% of the other fees, and the patient will pay the remaining 20%. Charges above the allowed amount are not payable by the patient or insurer but written off as a discount by the physician.
Nonqualified deferred compensation
Often, the employee already has income above the wage base ($127,200 in 2017) for purpose of the Old Age, Survivors, Disability Insurance (OASDI) portion of the FICA tax, and won't owe the OASDI portion of the tax. However, the deferred compensation will be still subject to the hospital insurance portion of the FICA tax (referred to as the "HI" portion, or "Medicare tax") because the hospital insurance wage base is currently unlimited. The employee portion of the Medicare tax is 1.45% of wages (and an extra 0.9% for high-earners).