What Does EPO Health Insurance Mean? 
EPO is Exclusive Provider Organization . It is similar to a HMO -LRB- Health Maintenance Organization -RRB- where they often use a Primary Physician as a gatekeeper to the specialists , where you would need a referral to see a specialist . The reason it is called exclusive is because if you are under one of these plans , you must exclusively stay in the appointed Network in order to receive benefits . There is no benefits paid if you go outside the network . If the state you live in allows EPOs , they are generally regulated under the insurance laws of the state , unlike HMOs which typically have a different set of regulations . The states that don not allow EPOs per say , will still allow the plans to be sold under the regulations of HMOs . 