Archive for the ‘Family’ Category
Tuesday, September 8th, 2009
The State of California has been in financial crisis as of late and now is going to hit home for many families whose children are enrolled on the Healthy Families program. This is a low cost state run plan that offers affordable medical, dental, and vision coverage for California children. Unfortunately, due to a lack of financial support from the state, they are planning on disenrolling children from the program starting October 1, 2009.
Budget cuts that totaled over $128 million dollars caused a major financial strain, and further enrollments were halted this July. This resulted in a waiting list of over 55,000 children, and a prediction of the removal of nearly 670,000 children having to be removed from coverage.
It is important to keep updated on these proposals, to ensure that California’s children maintain comprehensive medical, dental, and vision care. With too many children already forgoing vital preventative care, we have to find a way to keep our future healthy. Please visit the California Major Risk Medical Board for updated information and ways to become involved.
Permanent link to this post (179 words, estimated 43 secs reading time)
Tags: health insurance, preventative care
Posted in Family, General, Individual, Resources, State | Comments Off
Wednesday, July 8th, 2009
Worrisome polls show that less than 50% of adolescents are receiving recommended preventative care. It is during these years that children can discuss health concerns and learn about healthy living habits that they carry with them for their entire lives. However, at a time where preventative care and health education are vital, most are forgoing such care for reasons such as high co pays, deductibles, or lack of coverage altogether.
If children are getting in to see their providers for their preventative visits, concern lies in the fact that the visits are not as comprehensive as they should be. Physicians receive little compensation for these visits from insurance companies, resulting in little incentive to schedule them. One on one time is not a priority, though it should be as it creates a sense of connection between the doctor and patient from an early age.
We know from experience that chronic conditions can be a financial drain, so establishing good preventative care from an early age will only result in improved health for the client and a strained healthcare system. Guaranteeing these visits for our children is invaluable, and should be at the top of the list for reform. Providing co pay free preventative care visits, and reimbursing pediatricians who provide these services, will result in healthy living habits for our future leaders.
Permanent link to this post (225 words, estimated 54 secs reading time)
Tags: Chronic Condition, preventative care, wellness
Posted in Family, Individual | Comments Off
Monday, July 6th, 2009
Recent studies show an alarming trend in California. General Practice physicians are in dwindling supply, and at the lower end of “per capita need”. As fewer and fewer younger physicians enter this field, the inadequacies will become even more dire. On the other hand, specialists seem to be in abundance, but are not distributed throughout the state in an equal manner. Both Specialists and General Practice doctors tend to congregate more in the urban areas, leaving the rural areas without the medical care they need. Add to that the insult of few new general practice recruits, and their current provider population getting older, these individuals can be in real trouble.
Hopes for getting a quick and long term recovery would mean a few things from the state. The first step, of course, would be to get more physicians to study in the field of primary care. This can be done with the help of grants, financial support, and better residency training programs in all fields of general medicine. Providing financial compensation to these new primary care providers would also help to establish care where we most need it. By making it easier to practice in the hard hit areas will ensure that no Californian is without the physicians they need. The only way to achieve this, however, is to make sure that both the patient and doctor are adequately taken care of.
Permanent link to this post (234 words, estimated 56 secs reading time)
Tags: health insurance, network provider
Posted in Employees, Employers, Family, Group, Individual | Comments Off
Saturday, June 20th, 2009
Once you or your loved one has been diagnosed with a chronic health condition, the most important thing is to become self-aware and gain the ability to manage the impact that this illness will have on your life. The first step is to understand your illness. In doing so you will gain the upper hand in preventing further complications.
Most insurance carriers offer nurse lines specific to your illness and access to support groups. Such groups can be vital for both physical and emotional support, resulting in overall improved health. Subjects covered include:
This is a preview of
Educating the Patient With a Chronic Disease
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Tags: Chronic Condition, wellness
Posted in Employees, Employers, Family, General, Individual, Resources | Comments Off
Friday, May 22nd, 2009
These days you are probably hearing a lot about “concierge medicine”. This is where physicians charge patients an annual fee of several hundred to several thousand dollars a year to ensure benefits like longer appointments, shorter waiting times and the ability to call your provider directly. It has been reported that there are over a thousand physician groups nationwide who are currently operating concierge practices.
Critics claim that these practices result in many patients being driven to emergency rooms and family doctors who remain independent, resulting in overcrowding and long stays in the waiting room. Since there are fewer doctors going into primary care, this too will only add to an already strained system.
Tags: network provider, ppo
Posted in Employees, Family, Individual, Resources | Comments Off
Friday, May 15th, 2009
When it comes to Health Savings Account health plans, one of most common questions we hear is what is a qualified medical expense? As you know, you can use your savings account to cover expenses that are not covered by your health plan, though there are limitations as to what does and does not fall under the definition of eligible medical expense. According to the IRS Publication 502, Medical and Dental Expenses, the general purpose of the health savings account is to cover “Medical expenses are the costs of diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease, and the costs for treatments affecting any part or function of the body.” Such items that would fall under this category include:
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What Qualifies as a Tax-Deductible Medical Expense?
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Read the full post (374 words, estimated 1:30 mins reading time)
Tags: health insurance, health savings accounts, pre-tax
Posted in Employees, Employers, Family, General, Individual | Comments Off
Wednesday, May 13th, 2009
We have all heard by now that the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, also known as the Stimulus Package should bring some much needed relief to the State of California. As the unemployment rate jumps to historic highs, and millions of Californians find themselves also without health insurance, it is vital that federal agencies step up to the plate. The goal is to obtain health coverage assistance, increase the quality of health care, and invest in health-related technologies.
So what does this mean for us? According to American Recovery and Reinvestment Act analysis, some of the major health care provisions are:
This is a preview of
California, the Stimulus Package, and You
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Tags: COBRA, heath insurance
Posted in Family, Federal, General, Individual, Laws | Comments Off
Monday, May 4th, 2009
Please note that while not everyone will be affected by annual rate increases, many of you will find that your rates are being adjusted by the insurance carriers. This is due to rising costs of health care, hospitalizations, and prescription drug costs. However, though your rates may be rising, this does not mean you are without options.
Sometimes the simplest answer is to raise your deductible. This means you may be taking on higher cost-sharing, but usually the premiums are reduced enough to make a huge difference.
Tags: deductibles, health savings accounts
Posted in Family, Individual | Comments Off
Friday, May 1st, 2009
You may not even be aware of this, but if you receive your insurance billing statements by mail, it could be costing you more money! In an effort to reduce administration costs as have less of an impact on the environment, many insurance carriers have implemented an additional “paper bill fee” to your current premium.
For example, Anthem Blue Cross adds on a fee of $2.00 to your billing cycle. Humana goes up to $10.00 for each paper statement. This can really add up!
This is a preview of
Is Your Insurance Premium Billing Mode Costing You?
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Tags: premiums
Posted in Family, General, Individual | Comments Off
Tuesday, April 28th, 2009
Since many carriers are either dropping maternity from their plans, or raising the premiums sky high for maternity coverage options, what happens to a woman on a non-maternity plan if she becomes pregnant?
Depending on which insurance carrier you are with, the answer varies.
Anthem Blue Cross individual plans will allow you to switch to their PPO Share 5000 plan without having to go through medical underwriting.
On some Blue Shield plans (not all of them) you can switch to their 5000 PPO plan as well, as long as you have been on your current plan for at least 12 months
This is a preview of
Pregnancy Options for Non-Maternity Plans
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Tags: maternity, ppo plan
Posted in Family, Individual | No Comments »
