Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs) and Exclusive Provider Organizations (EPOs)

• HMOs and EPOs may limit coverage to providers inside their networks. A network is a list of doctors, hospitals, and other health care providers that provide medical care to members of a specific health plan. If you use a doctor or facility that isn’t in the HMO’s network, you may have to pay the full cost of the services provided.
• HMO members usually have a primary care doctor and must get referrals to see specialists. This is generally not true for EPOs.

Preferred Provider Organizations (PPOs) and Point-of-Service plans (POS)

• These insurance plans give you a choice of getting care within or outside of a provider network. With PPO or POS plans, you may use out-of-network providers and facilities, but you’ll have to pay more than if you use in-network ones. If you have a PPO plan, you can visit any doctor without a referral.
• If you have a POS plan, you can visit any in-network provider without a referral, but you’ll need one to visit a provider out-of-network.

High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP)

• High Deductible Health Plans typically feature lower premiums and higher deductibles than traditional insurance plans.
• If you have an HDHP, you can use a health savings account or a health reimbursement arrangement to pay for qualified out-of-pocket medical costs. This can lower the amount of federal tax you owe.

Catastrophic Health Insurance Plan

• A catastrophic health insurance plan covers essential health benefits but has a very high deductible. This means it provides a kind of “safety net” coverage in case you have an accident or serious illness.
• Catastrophic plans usually do not provide coverage for services like prescription drugs or shots.
• Premiums for catastrophic plans may be lower than traditional health insurance plans, but deductibles are usually much higher.