Marketplace Plans

Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs):

• A type of insurance plan that provides a local network of participating doctors, hospitals, and other healthcare professionals that you are required to choose from. For HMO plans, you are required to choose a primary care provider (PCP) in-network and receive referrals from your PCP in order to see in-network specialists. 

Preferred provider organizations (PPOs):

• This type of insurance plan differs from a HMO (Health Maintenance Organizations) healthcare plan
• There is an extensive network of participating healthcare providers that you can visit without any type of referral from a primary care provider (PCP).
• You can choose to visit out-of-network healthcare providers, but expect to pay a greater amount out-of-pocket.

Exclusive provider organizations (EPOs):

• A managed care plan in services are only covered if you use in-network doctors, specialists, or hospitals (except in an emergency)
• For this type of insurance plan, you are not required to have a referral to see a specialist healthcare provider. 

Point-of-service (POS) plans:

• A Point-of-Service (POS) plan is an interesting mix of both HMO and PPO plans, encompassing the benefits of both plans. 
• You are required to select a PCP from a pre-approved list of primary care professionals from your insurance plan
• Similar to a PPO plan, you are required to receive a referral from your PCP if you wish to consult a specialist
• However, you also have the choice to choose an out-of-network specialist if you wish to do so, like an HMO plan would allow. Note that choosing to do so would, again, likely result in a greater out-of-pocket cost. 

UT Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP):

• UT Student Health Insurance Plan is an optional University of Texas System sponsored health insurance plan which covers 100% of services at University Health Services and includes in- and out-of-network benefits for off-campus providers and facilities. UT SHIP is available to currently enrolled University of Texas at Austin students. 
• UT SHIP is mandatory for internal students however students may be eligible to waive the cost and coverage of SHIP if they present proof of an alternative insurance policy that provides comparable benefits to SHIP to the Internal Student and Scholar Services. 

To learn more about the UT System’s student health insurance plan including rates, sign-up and deadlines visit: https://utexas.myahpcare.com/ Links to an external site.