What is a POS?

Host: What is a POS?

Bob Hurley: POS plans are a Point of Service plans and they are very different. They are a combination between a PPO and an HMO and basically, the idea behind a POS plan was that it would give the consumer more flexibility to choose a provider and if they go out of the HMO network then they would fall under a PPO. If they stay in the HMO network they would fall under the pricing and so on of the HMO. So again, POS stands for Point of Service, the decision as to what are you be coming utilizing a PPO or an HMO is pretty much made at the Point of Service. These are originally designed to try to give more flexibility to the people that had an HMO or a maintenance organization. So it was an attempt to get them the most out of a Health Maintenance Organization or an HMO, while giving you the flexibility of having a PPO and so the pricing was somewhere in between a PPO and an HMO. I don't see many POS plans sold in the individual market. Not many individuals and families are choosing to buy a POS plan. A vast majority of individuals and family consumers who are buying health insurance for themselves are buying a PPO product.