what is a pos health plan

A Point of Service (POS) plan is a type of managed care health insurance plan in the United States. It combines characteristics of the health maintenance organization (HMO) and the preferred provider organization (PPO). In a POS plan, enrollees are required to choose a primary care physician from within the health care network, who becomes their "point of service." The primary care physician may make referrals outside the network, but with lesser compensation offered by the patient's health insurance company. Patients may also go outside of the provider network for health care services, but they will have to pay most of the cost, unless the primary care provider has made a referral to the out-of-network provider, in which case the medical plan will pick up the tab