Is My Health Insurance PPO Or HMO? 
There are several ways to determine if your health insurance plan is an HMO or PPO : 1 . Sometimes that information is shown right on your insurance card or in the plan name 2 . You can look up your plan information online or go through the material your carrier sent you 3 . Last resort is to contact your agent or the carrier and ask them ! HMO 's require you to use network doctors and specialists and `` most '' require a referral to a network specialist from your Primary Care Physician -LRB- PCP -RRB- , who is also in the network . If you are in a PPO , you `` may '' be required to have a PCP , but you are not required to get a referral to a specialist : you can go to any specialist you choose , as long as they are in the PPO network . In either case , you `` may '' be responsible for up to 100 % of the expenses if you go to a doctor that is not in the network . Best bet is to call your agent or carrier ! 