Anthem Blue Cross recently announced that they have extended their provider network to include retail health clinics. These are walk-in clinics, albeit small, that are conveniently located in many of your local retail outlets, such as pharmacies and supermarkets. Rather than making an appointment with your primary doctor for such common illnesses as sore throats, coughs, colds, or minor fevers, you can walk into any of these clinics for an immediate exam and treatment plan. Clients who have utilized these services state that most visits take less than 15 minutes, and also include wellness and prevention services (immunization and screenings).
Archive for the ‘Family’ Category
Anthem Blue Cross Introduces Retail Health Clinics
Monday, August 9th, 2010Overage Dependent Coverage Hits a Snag
Monday, August 2nd, 2010Though many insurers have implemented the law early, which states adult dependents may remain on their parent’s plan until the age of 26, there have been a surprising number of employers who opted out of the earlier implementation of this law. Instead, they are waiting until they are legally required to do so – January 2011. Even though provisions of this law take effect September 23, 2010, employers do not have to comply with this until the New Year.
Many Important Health Care Reform Changes for Young Adults
Thursday, June 17th, 2010While many young adults faced losing coverage as they aged off their parent’s plan, had no coverage in the case of an unexpected pregnancy, or merely had the bare necessities covered by their school plans, all can breathe a sigh of relief as health care reform promises to end their fears.
As mentioned in earlier posts, the most immediate change is coverage will be extended to overage dependents, as long as they are not offered other employer sponsored coverage, up through their 26th birthday. This helps ease the burden of uninsured claims, as many of these adult children would wait over two years before attempting to obtain their own coverage.
Lack of Pediatric Specialists a Growing Concern
Wednesday, May 12th, 2010Health Care Reform promises to ensure that all Americans have access to medical coverage. The most pressing concern is the fact that many children are without coverage and the care they need now, so the bill states that by September 23rd, 2010, no child can be denied coverage due to pre-existing conditions. While this is well needed, it does bring to light the fact that there is an increasing shortage of Pediatric Specialists. With an influx of new patients entering the system, and the demand for both medically necessary and non-medically necessary treatments rising, will there be enough physicians to handle the load?
Insurers to Offer Overage Dependents Coverage Earlier Than Anticipated
Tuesday, May 4th, 2010As planned during six months following the signing of the health care reform bill, coverage will be extended for dependents up to the age of 26. This will allow parents to continue to offer health insurance coverage to their dependent children, even if those children do not live in the same household. This also holds true for young adults under 26 living out of state, and those that are married. Basically, unless they are offered employer sponsored health insurance, they can continue to remain on their parent’s coverage.
Maternity Coverage – Important Notice
Thursday, April 15th, 2010Important news for our Anthem Blue Cross clients in California who are on non-maternity plans! Prior to June 1st, 2010, if you became pregnant while on a plan with no maternity benefits, you would be offered their high deductible PPO Share 5000 plan. However, now that this is no longer the case, it is extremely important we evaluate your current situation to ensure coverage is in place when you need it.
Did you know that a C-section can cost around $30,000? Or that a premature baby can run up hospital bills in the $600,000 range? This only demonstrates the importance of making certain you are covered before becoming pregnant.
The Balance Between Age and Health Insurance Coverage
Thursday, April 8th, 2010
Health Care Reform and Preventive Care
Tuesday, March 16th, 2010Though no one knows where the health care reform bills are headed, it is of utmost importance that disease prevention and health promotion are at the top of the list. If we aim to “fix” a broken system, we need to ensure that the system is designed to “fix” us as well. This will be achieved by balancing the cost of providing medical care with providing services to help avoid the need for such services in the first place. Some concepts for prevention strategies are (notes from San Francisco Chronicle):
- a yearly personalized prevention plan for Medicare patients
Public Views on Health Care Reform
Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010A recent poll shows that 57% of Americans do not like any of the proposed health care bills, and agree that Congress should start fresh, rather than attempting to piecemeal a model from scrapped ideas. Trying to reach a bipartisan agreement as to what needs to be done is not an easy task, but it is vital to ensure that resolution is achieved. These polls shows interesting trend among voters as to how they feel now, as compared to a year ago in regards to health care reform:
• 53% said they strongly or somewhat oppose the legislation in both House and Senate plans
California's Timely Access to Medical Care
Sunday, February 14th, 2010Recently, the California Department of Managed Care has released some new guidelines for HMO patients, in order to create a more efficient and comprehensive level of care for these patients. Among the new rules:
• A physician appointment within 10 business days of a request
• A specialist appointment within 15 business days of a request
• An urgent care visit within 48 hours of a request
• Telephone access to a health care professional at all times.
