How Can I Get PPO Health Insurance? 
PPO is not a type of health insurance . It is an abbreviation for Preferred Provider Organization -LRB- PPO -RRB- which describes the network provider contracting approach associated with whatever health insurance plan you are purchasing . PPO network based health insurance products have dominated the marketplace for many years so it is not unusual for the consumer to blend the two . After January 1 , 2014 you will want to have your health insurance agent check for you , or if you are a `` do it yourselfer `` do someresearching online to determine the type of provider network associated with health plans you may be interested in . The traditional features of PPO plan designs have been to have office visit & prescription copayments , lower deductibles , higher co-insurance levels and lower out-of-pocket financial exposure for using in-network PPO providers while still having coverage for voluntary usage of non-network providers at reduced benefit levels . PPO plans are the dominant network arrangement in the current health insurance marketplace . However , changes brought about by the Affordable Care Act -LRB- ObamaCare -RRB- , are causing insurance carriers to re-design their products and this does extend to the design of their provider networks . This is especially true of the health insurance products sold in the government health insurance marketplaces where the consumer may encounter multiple network or sub-network type provider arrangements in this environment . For instance , here in Tennessee , the BC/BS plan offers essentially the same insurance products with pricing based on your choice of 3 different PPO networks at 3 different price points . The larger the PPO provider network you choose the higher the insurance premium associated with the product . In fact , the smallest of the 3 BC/BS network options is offered only in the government marketplace . So , these are words of caution , there are degrees of difference even within what are technically PPO based products these days . Do n't just assume that a provider is going to be in-network with an insurance carrier based upon your past experience . Verify with both the insurance carrier and the doctor 's office that they are a participating provider . Also , especially in the individual health insurance marketplace starting in 2014 , you will want to be aware of the growing move back to Point-of-Service -LRB- POS -RRB- , Health Maintenance Organization -LRB- HMO -RRB- and Accountable Care Organization -LRB- ACO -RRB- based provider delivery systems associated with a growing number of health insurance products . These other variations on the theme apply more stringent guidelines to provider access in a variety of ways -LRB- reduced network sizes , gate keeper referral arrangements , sharply reduced or no out-of-network coverage -RRB- and introduce entirely new considerations for the consumer . 