What Is a POS Health Insurance Plan?

A POS, or point-of-service, health insurance plan is a form of managed care (HMO) with more flexibility. Here's what you should know about POS health insurance.

A point-of-service health insurance plan, or POS, operates like a health maintenance organization (HMO), except you have more choices. Unlike in an HMO, you can see a healthcare provider outside your network, usually at a higher cost.

POS health insurance is a form of managed care with flexibility — a hybrid, or middle ground, between an HMO, in which your primary care doctor directs your care, and a preferred provider organization (PPO), in which you have more choices.

POS plans are usually cheaper than PPO plans but more expensive than HMOs.

Like an HMO, you may need to choose a primary care doctor (you don’t necessarily need one in a PPO). This doctor will make referrals to specialists when you need them.

You may have copayments, coinsurance, and deductibles, usually for out-of-network care. Many POS plans do not have deductibles for in-network care. In-network copays, meanwhile, can run between $10 and $25, depending on your plan.

In a POS, your in-network doctor, hospital, pharmacy, and other healthcare providers will have contracts with your insurance plan to provide you with service at a negotiated rate. Some plans offer a choice of doctors within the network without making you choose a primary care doctor.

But you may need prior authorization from your insurance company for certain drugs, medical equipment, and services. Many preventive services, meanwhile, are covered according to federal law.

These plans aren’t nearly as restrictive as HMOs. You can travel and visit a doctor anywhere and have some level of coverage; in an HMO, you may have to pay the full price for out-of-network care.

A POS plan may be useful if you need to go outside your network to see a specialist, particularly for outpatient medical services like counseling.

On the other hand, POS plans can be confusing. Each type of health service may have different deductibles, copays, and restrictions. Your out-of-network deductibles can be very costly, specifically because your insurance plan wants you to seek care with specialists in your network.

POS plans come with a lot of paperwork, especially for out-of-network care. You may have to pay up front to see that outside specialist, then submit paperwork to your insurance company, asking for reimbursement. You may have to wait a while, up to 3 to 6 months by some estimates, before you get any money back.

It is very important to understand all of your in-network, and out-of-network, costs before you sign up for a health insurance plan. You should always consider all of your anticipated healthcare costs, as well as plan for unanticipated healthcare costs, before choosing a health plan.

Carefully read your open enrollment health insurance marketplace, employer enrollment plan, or Medicare or Medicaid options before choosing the right plan for you and your family.

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