Health care plans come in a lot of different shapes and sizes and you should familiarize yourself with some of the basic terms and what it means to have a particular type of plan.

HMO – With a Health Maintenance Organization, you generally have to stick to an approved list of health care providers that operate within the HMO, with the exception of emergency services. HMOs require patients to see their primary care physician and get a recommendation before seeing a specialist.

PPO – A health plan with a Preferred Provider Organization offers a little more flexibility than an HMO in that you can choose any doctor, even if they’re out-of-network and you don’t have a referral. It should be noted that going out-of-network does cost more with a PPO.

POS – A Point-of-Service plan offers choice in much the same way that a PPO does: you can go to any doctor, but it may cost more depending on their relation to your network of preferred providers. With a POS plan, a referral is required to see an out-of-network provider.

For more information on the different types of health care plans, see this resource from Healthcare.gov.