Network

Your health insurance company has a network of hospitals and doctors that it works with. Your coverage often depends on whether your doctor is in the network or not.

In-network doctors, hospitals, labs, and other facilities have contracts with your health insurance company to offer their services to you at lower, pre-negotiated rates. If you have an HMO plan or an EPO plan (opens in new tab) like Oscar, your plan will only cover care you receive with in-network doctors and facilities, except in emergencies. So it's very important if it's not an emergency to check if your doctor is in the network so your care will be covered by your plan.

Out-of-network providers and facilities are outside your health insurance company's network. They don't have a contract or a negotiated rate (opens in new tab) in place. So when you get care with a doctor who isn't in the network, the prices are likely going to be much higher and your plan may not cover the bill at all. PPO plans (opens in new tab) typically offer some coverage for care with out-of-network doctors, but most HMO and EPO plans, like Oscar, don't cover out-of-network care.