A health care network provider is a doctor or medical facility that your existing health insurance company has contracted services with for a discounted fee. Network providers agree to be on a list of acceptable providers in any given local or regional area that patients can see and expect to pay reduced co-pays. With most PPO health insurance plans you can still seek health care with a doctor or medical facility that is not on the list of preferred providers or listed on the network provider list. However, if you seek medical attention outside of your insurance company's list of network providers you will be charged a higher co-pay and can expect higher fees for needed medical services.

If you already have a health insurance plan and want to go to a doctor or medical facility on the network provider list to save co-pays, you will need to know how to find network providers with your existing health insurance plan. You can find network providers on a list that your existing health insurance plan will have a copy of. When you signed up for your health insurance plan you should have been given a copy of this list. If you do not have a copy of the list of network providers you can call your insurance company and request one.

Once you have a copy of this list of preferred providers you can choose which doctor you would like to make an appointment with. Depending on how your health care plan operates, you may be able to find a list of network providers on your health insurance company's website too. Patients who do not have access to the Internet should request a copy of the network provider list which can be mailed directly to their home. If you have access to the Internet you should go to your health insurance website and use their search engine to look for the preferred provider list if you do not wish to have one mailed to you. Most major medical insurance plans have a website now with such a list that can be easily accessed by members.

Going to the doctor can be stressful enough without having to worry about who you can and cannot see. If you have PPO health insurance or an HMO health insurance be sure you find out if the doctor you prefer is on the network provider list. If you are not happy with a network doctor then you can refer to the list to find another one who may be more suitable for your health care needs.