June 19 2008
Point Of Service Health Care Plan
Tagged Under : Health Insurance, Point Of Service Health Care Plan
The third health care plan in the U.S. is the Point of Service Plan, or POS. The POS plan is a combination of HMO and PPO plans. POS requires that patients pick a primary care physician that is in their network. If a patient chooses to go to a doctor outside of the network the patient will have to cover the majority of the cost. The plan will cover a minimal amount of the outside cost, but the patient is responsible for a large portion of it. The POS plan also requires that patients get a referral to see a specialist. If a patient is referred to a doctor outside of their network, the plan will cover the cost.
Some larger companies offer their employees a choice in what plan they would like. Many times small company’s can not afford to offer their employees the choice of plan.
Whether you choose a HMO, PPO or POS depends greatly on if your doctor of choice is part of their network. If the HMO that is being offered does include your doctor, please remember that the network can change. While your doctor may be on the list this year, next year he or she may not.
