Point of Service Plans — POS Plans, Coverage & Quotes
Short term health insurance point of service plans (also known as POS plans) combines aspects of HMOs and PPOs. This type of affordable temporary health insurance is managed care that gives you greater control over your health. Despite that, most of your care is still controlled by your short term health insurance coverage under a POS. POS health plans work with a preferred network of doctors and hospitals, which have contracts that encourage them charge policyholders lower rates. However, you are allowed to use out-of-network health care providers if you are willing to pay more.
A POS insurance plan requires you to select a primary care physician (PCP), unlike a PPO short term health insurance plan. POS plans get their name from the fact that your primary doctor becomes your “point of service”. If you want to see a specialist, you will first need to seek a referral from your PCP. The doctor can then refer you to a specialist that is either in- or out-of-network. If you are referred to an outside specialist, your PPO medical plan will cover the visit, albeit at a lower rate. In contrast, a HMO would force you to pay the entire cost of the visit out-of-pocket. Therefore, a POS can be useful if your doctor suggests that seeing an industry expert not covered under your plan is ideal for your health.
Cheap short term health insurance is most effective when you stick with your POS health insurance plan’s network. POS insurance plans handle the paperwork for you if you remain within the network, so you don’t have to worry about being reimbursed for medical claims. However, you are responsible for all of the paperwork if you go out-of-network. A POS healthcare plan may also refuse to cover any visits to specialists if you don’t select a primary care doctor or ignore his or her recommendations.
With POS temporary health insurance coverage, you pay less out-of-pocket. An advantage of these short term health insurance plans over PPOs is the reduced cost of co-payments and premiums. In exchange for giving up self-referral and other flexible elements of a PPO, point of service plans have become affordable temporary health insurance solutions for many.. There is also no deductible on most POS health insurance plans, as long as you stay within the network. However, individuals can pay about $300 annually on deductibles for out-of-network care; this is on top of the increased co-payments and co-insurance percentages. A POS plan does offer greater freedom than an HMO; as a result, that benefit must be traded off with higher costs. It is the mid-range cost option in the managed-care plan market.
What is important for an individual seeking a temporary POS insurance plan? Affordable short term health insurance in a POS health plan should fit your budget. When selecting among short term health insurance plans, think about the approved providers each one covers. Take a look at the list of doctors in the POS plan’s network. Is there a specific doctor want to continue seeing? If so, make sure they’re on the list. Do the same for specialists that treat any conditions that may result from your current health status. Moreover, make sure that the primary care physician you choose is someone you like and trust. One of the main pitfalls with a POS plan is conflict with a doctor that refuses to give you a referral you need in order to take advantage of lower in-network co-payments.
Looking for temporary health insurance coverage in a POS plan? VitalOne’s licensed short term health insurance agents are to assist you in choosing the POS insurance plan that best suits your needs.
