Generally, the greater the emphasis on in-network care, the lower the premiums and the more comprehensive the benefits will be. Consumers and employers make tradeoffs, deciding which is more important: a greater choice of providers or a lower premium.
If you are enrolled in a PPO or POS plan, your out-of-pocket expenses will be less if you use a provider who is part of the plan (a network provider). However, you will still get some reimbursement if you receive a covered service from a provider who is not in the network. In this case, your reimbursement will be at a lower level than if you used an in-network provider.