Health

A Plan offering a Point of Service product (POS) has features of both a Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) and a managed Fee-for-Service (FFS) plan. A few years ago, we began permitting plans to offer POS products as part of their benefits packages. Think of it as a hybrid of the two types of plans. In an HMO, the POS product lets you choose to use providers that are not part of the network of providers affiliated with the plan. There is a cost associated with choosing non-plan providers, usually in the form of substantial deductibles and coinsurances that are higher than the copayment you would normally pay for using a plan provider. You will also need to file a claim for reimbursement, like in a FFS plan. The plan wants you to use its network of providers, but it recognizes the desire of some enrollees to see a provider of their choosing on some occasions. In the case of a POS product of a managed Fee-for-Service (FFS) plan, the opposite is true. The plan's normal benefits include deductibles and coinsurance. But in some locations, the plan has set up a network of providers similar to that you would find in an HMO. The plan encourages you to use these providers, usually by waiving the deductibles and applying a copayment that is smaller than the normal coinsurance. Normally, there would not be any paperwork when you use a network provider. Check the FEHB Guide on this website to see where the FFS plan offers a POS product, and what you must do to elect to participate in the plan's POS product.