Health Insurance Blog

Vista Health Plans accepts applications from nonprofit groups for VISTA Community Grants Program.  According to their website, VISTA Community Grants Program supports charities whose programs contribute to improving health in the community in the following areas:

• Preventative health
• Health education
• Disease management
• Community health outreach
• Improving Health care services
• Controlling health care costs
• Getting more people insured

Medica Health Insurance offers its members a unique pregnancy program for their newly pregnant moms.  Their aim is to assist pregnant Medica members and their children achieve optimal health throughout their pregnancy.

Some examples of the Program’s goals include early and ongoing prenatal care, access to pregnancy information, case management by experienced nurses, early identification of high risk pregnancies, and comprehensive health for mom and baby.

Medica’s pregnancy nurses offer educational phone calls, informational mailings, community information for moms, and are available to answer any questions to put minds at ease.  The program may be part of the benefits package but they can enroll members up to 32 weeks gestation.  Their website also offers a Member’s Guide to a health pregnancy, as well as a recommended routine for a healthy pregnancy.

Geisinger Health Plan has announced that they will no longer screen visitors or restrict people from entering Geisinger Medical Center in Danville.  This is great news in terms of the virus and the threat it now poses.  The cases of H1N1 in the area is very low right now and an emergence of the regular seasonal flu has yet to be seen.

Entrances at GMC and GWV will reopen to the public and kids under 12 will be allowed to visit again.  Similar restrictions have been placed in hospitals and health systems throughout the country during the peaks of the H1N1 flu season.  The Cleveland Clinic restricted children from entering unnecessarily even if they did not have the flu.  All of this was done to limit the spread of the flu virus as much as reasonably possible.

Geisinger Health Insurance still encourages all visitors of their health system hospitals to screen themselves for flu like symptoms and stay home if they are under the weather.  Some symptoms to look for according to their website are fever, cough, headache, aching joints, and sore muscles.

The children of Rock County are going to benefit from the generous donation from a local contractor JP Cullen & Sons.  They are donating $37500 over the next 3 years to the Dean Foundation so they can expand their Passenger Safety Programs which include Crash Helmet, BUCKLEBEAR and Every Ride a Safe Ride.

The President and CEO of JP Cullen & Sons, David Cullen, believes these passenger safety programs can easily identify with community families.  They are very excited to support the Dean Foundation through Dean Health Plan.

The Dean Foundation Passenger Safety Programs are well respected throughout the county.  It has been around for many years and is bringing much value to the safety of county children.  These programs will nowbe available to Rock county and along with that comes the benefit of increased education, knowledge and overall safety.

First Lady Michelle Obama launched a program called Let’s Move!, which is a national public/private partnership to stop the epidemic of childhood obesity.  According to BCBSA News, The Blue Cross Blue Shield Association along with their 39 independent BCBS companies strongly support her initiative.

With the launch of this important program the First Lady is bringing together a large range of stakeholders and building a foundation for bringing down childhood obesity.  Approximately 1 out of every 3 children is overweight or obese and this statistic is just staggering and unacceptable.  This puts them at risk for complications such as heart disease, diabetes, stroke and cancer at much earlier ages and BCBS agrees it’s time to get serious about stopping this epidemic

Many BCBS companies, including BCBSAL, have programs designed to promote health and fight obesity.  Focusing in on children is crucial since the next generation is predicted to be the heaviest ever.  The First Lady and her initiative is a great step in the right direction.

Geisinger Health Plan has an extremely useful website which offers tools for their members to better their health.  Their main goal is that their members have positive and comfortable encounters as they navigate the website and use the various services available.

Some of the tools offered on the website include health librarians available to answer questions, CareCost estimator to assist with health care finances, viewing and paying bills online, patient rights and responsibilities and help for teens and young adults.

The Teen Help option is a proactive approach to keeping teens safe.  They offer hotlines for AIDS, runaways, STD’s, suicide prevention, pregnancy care, and domestic violence.  It is sponsored by the Teenage Pregnancy Prevention Task Force and supported by Geisinger Health Insurance.  You can sign up online to receive additional information on Geisinger Health Plans and their various tools and services.

To fill the need of those looking for short term health insurance in these tough times, Humana One has extended its short term health insurance to five more states.  These states include Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Georgia, and Kansas.  With these 5 new states Humana One now offers short term health insurance to 20 states total according to their website.

This is great news for many consumers in these states as the need for short term health insurance is increasing with the unemployment rate.  The design of the program varies from state to state, but they are quality benefits throughout.

Short term health insurance offers immediate and affordable health care coverage for those who are in between jobs or in the middle of a transition.  It’s a great opportunity for students who are about to graduate, seasonal employees, recent retirees waiting to be eligible for Medicare and those who are unemployed looking for new work.  It can be a very convenient option for many and it’s worth getting Humana Insurance quotes if you are in a state of transition.

According to their website, Vista Health Plans has expanded their obstetrical and gynecologic (OB/GYN) network.  This was done as part of their Women’s Health Program located in Miami Dade, Broward and Palm Beach Counties.

Vista Health Plans has added 100 OB/GYN physicians and will provide members with access to one of the largest and quality OB/GYN networks in Southern Florida.  The members of Vista Health Plans may see participating specialists in general obstetrics and gynecology in addition to some sub-specialty fields.  These fields include gynecology oncology, uro-gynecology, maternal fetal medicine, and reproductive endocrinology.

You can get a more extensive list of specialties as well as participating physicians in your area by using the “Find A Physician” tool located on Vista Health Plan’s website.

According to Dean Care’s website there is a new Family Practitioner joining the Dean Health Plan group.  His name is Dr. Kenneth Betts and he brings over 25 years of experience to the Edgerton Clinic in Madison.

Directot Nancy Ford feels very fortunate to have such a qualified physician joining the team.  For the past 7 years Dr. Betts had his own private practice in Edgerton and is well-known in the area.  He’ll be offering comprehensive care to families with a focus on diabetes, minor skin surgery, and hyperbaric care.

Betts states that he is excited to join the Clinic because of the very friendly atmosphere and excellent doctors.  Through this clinic he is able to offer extended services to his patients that he cares about so much.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama now offers health and dental coverage for children and young adults from birth to age 24.  According to their website, your child may be eligible if he or she is a resident of Alabama, is not eligible for Medicare, and they meet certain health underwriting guidelines.

This is a fantastic program offered through BCBSAL.  The plan covers doctor’s visits, emergency room visits, prescription drugs, lab tests, outpatient surgery, hospital costs, ambulance services, physical therapy, allergy testing, mental health treatment and many more.

Ages 0-14 can get health insurance quotes as low as $76/mos and ages 15-24 can pay as little as $80/mos.  You can easily add dental coverage as well for as low as $17/mos.  During a time where individual health insurance and family plans can be challenging to find at an affordable price, this is a program that will benefit many.