These are common acronyms for different types of plans. Let’s go over what they mean.
HMO stands for health maintenance organization. This is named for the overall goal of this kind of plan — which is to help maintain your health.
PPO stands for preferred provider organization. The name refers to its network of contracted PPO providers. With this type of plan, there are preferred providers who can offer care at the lowest out-of-pocket cost (compared to out-of-network providers).
EPO stands for exclusive provider organization. This refers to the rule of this type of plan that requires members to get care within the plan’s network of select providers. If you get care outside the EPO network, you’ll likely have to pay the full cost of that visit.
POS stands for a point-of-service plan. With this type of plan, each time you need health care (the time or “point” of service), you can decide to choose network care and allow your primary care physician to manage your care, or you can decide to go outside of the network and seek care from a doctor of your choosing.
HDHP stands for high deductible health plan. It’s a type of health insurance plan that offers lower premiums in exchange for higher out-of-pocket costs. With HDHPs, you’ll pay less each month, but more when you get care compared to other health plans.