PPO, HMO, POS
There are many different health insurance plans to choose from. There are PPO plans, HMO plans, along with many other plans that offer different attributes and distinctions. The correct plan for you is dependent on many different factors.
PPO Health Insurance Plan
The PPO Health Insurance Plan stands for Preferred Provider Organizations. The PPO insurance plan is a combination between a traditional service and an HMO. A traditional service is one that is a fee-for-service plan. The PPO is a plan where you present a card and do not have to fill out forms. And, with a PPO, you need to choose a primary care doctor to serve as your permanent physician. If you don’t choose to go with a PPO doctor, you are still able to get a discount of your medical care. And, for some services, you may have to pay a co-insurance and/or a deductible.
HMO Health Insurance Plan
The HMO Health Insurance Plan stands for Health Maintenance Organization. This particular insurance plan is a prepaid plan. You pay a monthly premium for doctor’s visits, hospital stays, emergency care, surgery, laboratory tests, x-rays, and therapy. HMO’s are beneficial because they don’t require claim forms, but instead the patient presents a card, similar to a credit card. There are sometimes small co-pays for each office visit that the individual needs to pay. With an HMO insurance plan, you are either assigned to a HMO doctor or you may choose your own doctor as your primary healthcare doctor.
POS Health Insurance Plan
The POS Health Insurance Plan stands for Point of Service Plans. The POS health insurance plan is on a referral basis from a doctor, where your doctor can refer you to another provider within the plan or you can even refer yourself to another doctor. The POS health insurance plan is through an HMO insurance plan.