In-Network, Out-Of-Network, and Preferred Providers – Read This Before Buying a Health Plan: One of the benefits of a health plan is decreased rates for services with certain doctors and health care providers. The terms for these relationships are:
Preferred Provider Organization – Insurance carriers establish a list of contracted health care providers that have agreed to a discounted fee schedule for their health plan members. This PPO list is referred to as a provider directory of participating doctors and health care providers.