Question:
DOES ANYONE KNOW THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HMO AND POS?

I thought our company had HMO and PPO because those are the only types of plans that i knew of. But, we don't have PPO, we have POS. Is this coverage as good as the PPO? Our H/R lady couldn't explain the difference other than not needing a PCP for referrals, but she did say that it is not the same as a PPO plan.    — Laurie V. (posted on April 30, 2002)

April 30, 2002
The POS and PPO are very similar the main difference usually is that on a PPO you have a deductible and coinsurance requirements. On the POS you have co-pay's. If you can get the names of the specific plans being offered you can call the insurance and ask them about the differences. Don't be suprised if you get transferred to different units because generally they are separated.
   — Heather ..

April 30, 2002
With an HMO, you need to select a Primary Care Physician (PCP), the PCP must refer you to any specialist,you cannot self-refer. A POS Plan is a combination of an HMO/PPO. There are generally 3 tiers of service, HMO, In Network PPO and Out of Network PPO. You can select the HMO Tier when you have something as simple as an office visit, that way you only pay your co-payment and keep your cost to a minimum. When you want to see a specialist, you can either go through a PCP referral OR you can self refer and select a Specialist from the PPO list. Basically, Choosing the HMO option keeps your out-of-pocket costs to a minimum, Choosing a Preferred Provider allows your greater provider choice and Choosing a Non-Preferred Provider offers you the ultimate in flexibility; if there's one particular Dr. that isn't HMO or IN Network PPO, you STILL have an option to see the provider, even though your out of pocket expense is higher. A POS Plan is wonderful in that it gives you options and allows you to control how you want to use your insurance plan. I hope I've helped!
   — Rosario T.

May 1, 2002
About $6,000 for WLS, lol
   — Kathy P.