Aren’t there different kinds of managed care programs?
Yes, there are three types of managed care programs: Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs), Preferred Provider Organizations (PPOs), and Point-of-Service (POS) plans. HMOs are the least expensive, but also the least flexible of the managed care health plans. HMOs may be comprised of a series of medical clinics (e.g., Kaiser Permanente) or consist of a network of individual medical practices and hospitals (e.g., Centura Health, Health South, HealthOne, Exempla, etc.). HMOs require small (or no) co-pays and minimal paperwork, but require patients to receive medical services and treatment from health care providers within their network. Specialists may be consulted only after getting a referral from a Primary Care Physician (the doctor the patient chooses). PPOs are similar to HMOs, but offer more choices and flexibility. Patients pay small co-pays ($10-$15) every time they see a health care provider. When patients receive medical services outside their prescribed network, they pay a hi
