Health Insurance Buyer?s Guide

required to cover a percentage of the total medical bill.

Point of Service (POS) Plans

A POS plan is a combination of the features offered by HMO and PPO plans.  You are required to choose a primary care physician, whose services are not usually subject to a deductible, but your PCP can refer you to out-of-network specialists whose services will be partially covered by your insurance company.  Additionally, POS plans usually offer coverage for preventive healthcare, which includes regular checkups.   Your PCP will be able to give you referrals for any specialists.  If these specialists are out-of-network you will need to pay out-of-pocket and then apply for reimbursement from the insurance company.

With a POS plan you will benefit from some of the savings of an HMO and will have greater flexibility in choosing healthcare providers, similar to PPO.

Dental Insurance

It is important to get a dental insurance plan along with your health insurance plan.  In order to keep your teeth and gums health you need regular visits to the dentist.  Without dental insurance, the cost of dentist appointments will be much higher making it difficult to keep up with the payments.

Dental insurance is similar to health insurance in that each month you pay a premium, which entitles you to certain dental benefits.  Benefits include checkups, cleanings, x-rays, and other dental services.