If you're still mulling over the alphabet soup of health coverage options, here's a quick primer.
HMO (health maintenance organization): A prepaid health plan in which you pay a monthly premium and the HMO covers your cost of care to see doctors within its network at negotiated rates. Co-pays usually apply. You must choose a primary care physician who coordinates all of your care and makes referrals to specialists. If you don't use the doctors, hospitals and clinics in your plan's network, you usually will bear the cost.
PPO (preferred provider organization): A network of health care providers that provide medical services to a health plan's members at discounted costs. PPO members typically make their own decisions about their health care rather than going through a primary care physician.
POS (point-of-service): A type of managed care plan combining features of an HMO and PPO. You can go to a network provider and pay a flat dollar amount or go to an out-of-network provider and pay a deductible and/or a co-insurance charge.
HSA (health savings account): Lets you set aside pretax dollars for future medical, retirement or long-term care expenses. The funds roll over from year to year, and you can take them with you when you change jobs. You must be enrolled in a qualified health plan with high deductibles, which you pay out of your savings
