Health Insurance: POS Plans

POS refers to "Point of Service." How the plan pays depends on where you go for medical care, your "point of service".

POS plans are a hybrid of an HMO type plan and a Fee-For-Service (Indemnity) plan. You can receive care within the company's network as if it is an HMO. If you want to go outside the network, you can choose any provider you want. However, you pay a portion of the cost of the service.

A POS plan is more flexible than an HMO and more costly as well. It is less costly than a Fee-For-Service Plan. For additional advantages and disadvantages of a POS type health insurance policy, click here.

Do what you can to keep your health insurance. With your health history, health insurance is one of your most important assets.

• If you have insurance through work, you can continue your insurance through COBRA and HIPAA. Before automatically using COBRA, it is advisable to check the individual policies available in your state to see you can get cheaper premiums and/or better coverage. For information about what is available in your state, see: www.HealthCare.gov
• If you are having difficulty paying the premiums and other health care costs, see Health Insurance: Financial Assistance To Pay Premiums, Deductibles, CoPays, CoInsurance and How To Deal With A Financial Crunch.

Learn how to maximize use of your POS health insurance plan.

For additional information, see:

• How A Pos Type Policy Works
• Advantages and Disadvantages of a POS Type Policy
• How To Maximize Use of a POS Type Policy
• • When choosing a plan, given a serious health condition, it is preferable to choose more protection instead of lower premiums
• Financial
• • Financial Assistance To Help Pay Premiums, Co-Pays, Deductibles, Co-Insurance
  • How To Deal With A Financial Crunch Or Crisis
• Changing plans: How To Keep Your Doctor When You Change Health Plans
• Claims
• • Insurance Policies Are Not Set In Stone (you can negotiate for services)
  • How To File An Appeal With The Best Chance Of Getting A Yes
  • Health Insurance Claims When You Pay Part Of The Bill
  • How To File A Claim When You Have More Than One Insurance Coverage
  • Health Insurance Claims When You Are Covered By A Managed Care Plan
  • Appeals
  • • Arguments To Use Against An Insurer's Denial Of A Claim (Different reasons)
    • Off Label Use Or Experimental Treatment