Yes, Medi-Cal in California is essentially the state’s implementation of the federal Medicaid program. Medicaid is a joint federal and state program designed to provide health coverage for eligible low-income individuals and families. While the program is called Medicaid at the federal level, it is administered by individual states, and each state may use a different name for its Medicaid program.

In California, the Medicaid program is known as Medi-Cal. So, when people refer to Medi-Cal in California, they are essentially talking about the Medicaid program specific to the state. Both programs operate under the same basic framework, offering health coverage to eligible individuals and families with low incomes.

HMO (Health Maintenance Organization) plans typically have lower monthly premiums. You can also expect to pay less out of pocket. PPOs (Preferred Provider Organization) tend to have higher monthly premiums in exchange for the flexibility to use providers both in and out of network without a referral. Out-of-pocket medical costs can also run higher with a PPO plan.

In general, the biggest difference between PPO vs. POS plans is flexibility. A PPO, or Preferred Provider Organization, offers a lot of flexibility to see the doctors you want, at a higher cost. POS, or Point of Service plans , have lower costs, but with fewer choices.