Health Insurance Blog

As the economy struggles and health care costs rise, more and more employers are limiting or eliminating benefits through work according to the article “How Limited Benefit Plans Can Save You Money” by Chelan David found on sbonline.com.  Because of this the practice of offering small medical health plans is growing in popularity.

Limited benefit plans charge individuals as little as $50 per month for routine medical care.  They are designed to replace major medical coverage for those who cannot afford regular insurance.  Many companies offer such options such as Go Blue Florida.  Limited benefit plans have their pros and cons.  They are very inexpensive month to month but typically major medical costs are not covered.  Another con is that mental health care is not usually covered.

It’s important to weigh the pros and cons of going with the smaller plan like Go Blue Health Insurance, or the major plans through Blue Cross Blue Shield.  It depends on your health, lifestyle, dependents, age, and financial situation which plan will work best for you.

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.

Health care reform is still a possibility according to the article “State of the Union: Renewed Hope for Health Care Reform?” by Jeffrey H. Toney on blog.nj.com.  This is at least the feel that came from President Obama’s State of the Union address to the nation on Wednesday night.

There needs to be reconciliation between the two bills “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act” and the “Affordable Health Care for America Act” and it’s worth the effort.  President Obama pointed out in his speech that the ultimate goal continues to be to lower health insurance quotes, bring down the deficit, get more Americans insured, make Medicare for seniors stronger and stop health insurance company abuses.

President Obama urged Congress to not walk away from the idea of health care reform because they are very close and a solution is in the near future.  He continues to fight hard to keep his promises and achieve the ultimate goal to better our health care system.

Humana One has valuable information on their website about special discounts that they currently offer and in today’s economy we’ll take all the discounts we can get.

Some examples of useful Humana One discount programs that will save you money are eye care and vision services, which can save you up to 35% off retail on glasses and over the counter and prescription medications which can save you up to 25%.

Humana One also offers special discounts on chiropractic, acupuncture, and massage therapy saving members up to 30%.  Discounts on health-related products and services, which also includes skin care, nutrtional supplements and vitamins, can save members about 20%.

All of these discounts add up and can mean huge savings on PPO health insurance.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama has information about a great program on their website.  “Baby Yourself” is a unique prenatal wellness program which gives expectant mothers important information about infant care and health care during pregnancy.

On the BCBSAL website, it discusses the benefits of the program.  “Baby Yourself” offers all expectant mothers support and educational materials from a Blue Cross registered nurse.  The nurse is experienced in labor, delivery, and newborn care.  You will be assigned your own personal nurse who can be contacted with any questions or concerns.  Gifts and products are available to help support health habits as well as show the importance of understanding all the changes that come with being new parents. 

The program is available to all members and is free as part of their health insurance benefits through BCBSAL.  A video is available on their website entitled “Baby Yourself, A Prenatal Wellness Program” where you can learn more.  You can enroll either online or by telephone.  This is a great initiative by Blue Cross to help support often overwhelmed new mothers and their families.

State Farm Health Insurance understands the variety of needs their customers have.  They have a marketing relationship with Time Insurance Company, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, (Assurance Health), which enables them to assist each individual.  This information was obtained from State Farm’s health insurance web page.

State Farm is offering individual medical insurance coverage, short term medical coverage and student select coverage.  They also have a high deductible health plan which can be used with a health savings account.  A health savings account is a special savings account which enables you to pay for health costs and save for future medical expenses tax free.  You own and control the money in your health savings account, and you also make decisions on what type of investments you participate in to make your savings grow.  This information was obtained from the US Treasury’s website on HSA’s. 

State Farm and Assurant health have combined company histories of 175 years which helps to make them a great team.  This alliance assists State Farm agents in fulfilling their customers’ unique needs and desires and manage the risks of life.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida (BCBSFL) offers a Medical Discount Card called FamilyBlue that provides discounts on health care.  FamilyBlue is not health insurance, but it does provide discounts on heath care services which is negotiated with providers.

As mentioned above, FamilyBlue is not health insurance, and should be viewed as a last resort only if health insurance cannot be obtained.  If you shop around and compare rates for individual health insurance plans in Florida you will find that there are many affordable health plans available.  A true health insurance plan will offer superior benefits and protect you more comprehensively should you have an accident or become ill.

There are two different FamilyBlue Plans.

• $14.95/mo.per family - discounts on doctor visits, medical services, and Rx drugs.
• $19.95/mo. per family - discounts on doctor visits, medical services, Rx drugs, as well as dental, vision, diabetic supplies, hearing, vitamins and more

More information about Florida health insurance.

Residents living in Dallas County, TX are eligible for a unique Dallas health insurance perk.  Dallas County’s prescription drug card covers pet’s medicines as well, according to the article on examiner.com by Rebecca Poling. 

The Dallas County Coast2Coast RX card offers huge savings on prescription drugs, up to 65%.  This includes pet prescriptions also.  There are no health restrictions nor are there any age or income requirements.  Both brand name and generic drugs are covered under this program. 

WalMart, Kroger, Walgreens, CVS, Sam’s Club, Target, Tom Thumb, Costco, Minyard and others are all participating pharmacies of the Dallas County Coast2Coast RX Card.  This card can mean big savings if you live in the eligible area.

According to the article “An affordable insurance quote requires careful research” on healthcare.com customers will benefit from doing their research when shopping for health insurance quotes.  You may find an affordable quote quickly, but read the fine print to prevent future issues with your policy. 

One potential issue is in and out-of-network stipulations.  PPO and HMO plans offer discounts to health providers that the insurance company has negotiated with to set reasonable rates.  Medical tests and various procedures are usually cheaper with in-network physicians.  Researching what is included in the in-network costs can save you a lot of time and money as you use the health care system.  There have been many scenarios where patients go to an in-network hospital but tests are sent to an out-of-network lab and the patient is left with the cost. 

To avoid such complications, compare options side by side and shop around for health insurance quotes.  Find out how benefits vary from providers to ensure you have the coverage best suited for your needs at reasonable costs. 

According to the article “Mexico Unveils New Travel Health Insurance Scheme to Win Back Tourists” by Karen Elowitt for petergreenberg.com, Mexico has made a bold move towards winning back tourists after the stigma of Swine Flu has left the country struggling.  Mexico will be setting up a unique health insurance plan which will be available for tourists in the case of illness free of charge.

The program is called the “Tourist Assistance Card” which can be accessed by contacting a toll-free phone number which connects them to a multi-lingual call center.  There may be applicable deductibles and patients will have to get treatment from authorized hospitals. 

The health insurance is being offered by a private company called MAPFRE and it will be available for any type of medical emergency from car accidents to the flu.  They will also offer additional assistance to those who have lost their passports or who need traveling advice.  It is still to be determined whether or not this generous offer will lure enough tourists back to Mexico to save their economy, but it’s a creative solution that could work.