POS Health Insurance

An acronym for Point of Service health insurance plan, POS health insurance plans offer access to a large network of health practitioners, clinics, specialists, and other professionals. Point of Service plans typcially have affordable rates as long as you stay within the network plan.

POS plans are similar to managed care plans, just like HMOs and PPOS which means they also share similar features.

Just like a PPO, Point of Serive health insurance plans have two distinct levels of coverage, in-network and out-of-network coverage. Again you’ll pay less when utilizing medical care with health care providers within the plans network, but if you decide to stray outside of the network you will remain covered. This allows a certain degree of flexibility to get care with whomever, wherever you please while remaining covered. It’s most useful if you already have an existing relationship with a doctor who’s not within your new plan’s network; with a PPO you can see your old doctor with your new plan and still have some coverage!

Offering more coverage than a typical HMO, Point of Service health insurance plans have one noticable similarity: you still have to choose a primary care physician, also known as a PCP.

Your PCP would be the doctor that you go to for all standard medical care, this may be your “Family doctor”, but not a specialist; who you’ll need a referral from your PCP to visit.

Think of this referral as a seal of approval that allows you to be covered for all of the care you receive from that specialist.

Point of Service health insurance plans cover the following:

• Emergency Care / Urgent Care
• Hospital Visits / Servics
• Prescription Drugs
• Preventive / Routine Care