There is also a cultural component to the issue. Californian Latinos, for example, comprise over 35 percent of the state’s population – but only 5 percent of our physicians. Furthermore, patients and providers often have better exchanges when the patient can relate more readily to the physician. This relation can further increase the quality of primary care.

However, there are a limited few areas in California which meet the US Department of Health and Human Services’ recommendation of 85-100 specialists for every 100,000 people. These include the Greater Bay Area, the Sacramento Area, and Orange County. But even these areas’ futures in terms of primary care physicians are not necessarily secure: by 2014, the LA Times reports, the Los Angeles County may have a serious shortage of doctors across the board – even at the coroner’s department. This severe deficiency of physicians is likely to have an effect on Californians in the foreseeable future despite any progress with the health care overhaul.

The limited group plan’s network of doctors tends to run smaller than most traditional plans, which would narrow down options and potentially restrict customers for receiving full and proper coverage. At the same time, these plans are the more pragmatic option for cash-strapped businesses. They are also generally convenient for employees who tend to be normally healthy and require little in the form of medical attention.

However, the quality of these limited-but-affordable health care plans has been called into question by the public. While insurers have assured customers that the plans do not sacrifice quality coverage for affordability, it comes down upon the consumers in the end to do the legwork and ensure that they are receiving adequate coverage. These plans may prompt customers to think about buying an individual health plan to retain a wider range of providers

How do you feel about these limited-network group plans?

In the past Schwarzenegger has opposed regulating rates and, as part of the healthcare overhaul, has proposed a program to evaluate and publicize the rates. Any changes in the costs of healthcare services would also be publicized on state sites before implementation.

Schwarzenegger has sought a million-dollar federal grant to implement this program. A large portion of the money would be allotted to actuaries for the appraisal and evaluation of any premium hikes, a key requirement of the healthcare law. They would ensure that any increases in rates “reflect increases in the core cost of providing health care”, according to healthycal.com. Some of the money would also aid in educating consumers on the rate-setting process.

The Legislature is also considering allowing regulators authority to reject “unreasonable” premiums. While Democrats have supported a full regulation of rate hikes, Schwarzenegger has not indicated in his grant proposal that this is likely to happen. The requested grants will be announced in August of this year.

Once applied, Schwarzenegger’s interpretation of the healthcare overhaul law will greatly increase the transparency of insurers’ rate-setting processes and policies. It will further educate consumers and provide them a greater say within the marketplace. On the whole, the playing field would be made more level to some extent, with consumers more savvy to insurance companies’ workings.

What do you think: would you rather see the rates be capped and regulated by the government, or would you prefer greater transparency in rate changes and prices determined by the free market?

The importance of dental care is highlighted by scientific research, which suggests a potentially causal relationship between oral hygiene and cardiovascular health. Although there are certainly a variety of facets that contribute to a healthy heart, Moise Desvarieux, MD, PhD, infectious disease epidemiologist in the Department of Epidemiology at Columbia University’s Mailman school of Public health analyzed bacterial samples associated with periodontal disease from subjects’ oral cavities, and found that patients with one or any combination of these three bacteria also had atherosclerosis. Although this relationship has yet to be fully understood, Desvarieux concedes, “if a causal relationship is found, you’ll already be ahead of the game in regards to your heart health. If there is no relationship, you’ll have a healthy mouth that will benefit your overall well-being.”

The benefits of maintaining good dental hygiene are supported by science and accordingly, finding a plan that offers the best prevention is the key to ensuring your teeth live as long and healthy a life as you do. The good news is, dental plans are generally guaranteed issue; that is to say, everyone qualifies. These plans are relatively inexpensive and start at approximately $30/month to cover your basic needs. An example is this great plan from Humana – Preventive Plus.

It is originally written in the context of the consumers in the state of Texas, but most of the article is applicable anywhere across the country.

To your health,
Chini

The problem? Its not completely accurate.

1. It is correct to say that many unscrupulous brokers often position discount cards ad health insurance. This is a scam of the first order.

2. However, there are plans available in the market with simplified issue capabilities – notably Assurant’s Health Access product. There are also guaranteed issue health insurance products from specialty players such as Fairmont. These products are not meant for everyone. But they do allow consumer’s with pre-existing conditions to have some coverage as opposed to none at all and for a good price. A second type of plans — short-term plans also have simplified issue capabilities.

For the most part, consumers ought to be extremely careful about such plans — we only recommend them as a last resort and when a customer fully understands why they are buying a plan with lesser benefits than a major medical plan.

Talk to your licensed health insurance expert.

To your health,
Chini

Our own viewpoint — regulation of this sort is sometimes necessary to ensure access to necessary services. But all regulation comes at a cost. Our hope is that addition of this mandate will not raise premiums by so much that affordability becomes an issue. Health Plans in Colorado right now for a 38 year old woman begin in Denver begin at about $66/month for a high deductible plan.

To your health,
Chini

Another NPR article discusses how it is difficult for new graduates to find health insurance, although reform is now passed.

If you are a new graduate, below are some quick thoughts on how to be smart about your health insurance:

1. If you have a condition like Asthma, as one of the new graduates in this article does, you are clearly best off being in a group plan offered by a parent even if you have to wait for a few months. Individual plans that you can buy on the market are under-written, which means that there are a range of health conditions which will cause you to be declined. If you have a pre-existing condition, please check out the feature title “Will you qualify?” next to each plan at getinsured.com health insurance plan selector.

2. If you are healthy and would qualify for individual health insurance easily, usually you can save money by shopping — again it will take you less than 5 minutes to find if a health insurance quote will save you $$. Some times, it can be several hundred dollars a month.

3. If your parent’s employer offers you health insurance regardless as a free benefit — you should absolutely consider it when it is offered. Free trumps paying money

To your health,
Chini

I went to the getinsured health insurance quoting site and tried to obtain quotes for myself — zip code 94303, 40 years old with no health conditions.

Then, I looked for plans with a medium sized deductible (generally about $2,500) that support doctor visits, wellness and benefits for both generic and branded drugs.

The variation in pricing can be quite dramatic. The cheapest plan offered by Anthem was $686/month while the cheapest plan offered by Blue Shield of California was about $190/month.

Now bear in mind — both carriers offer excellent networks in California and are generally quite competitive. Yet there was almost a 3x difference in pricing — why?

It turns out that the Anthem plan offers both mental health and maternity benefits while the Blue Shield of California does not.

The lesson here? Not all plans are created equal and it helps to carefully evaluate what you really need. Perhaps you really need maternity and mental health benefits and can afford
$686/month. In that case the Anthem health insurance plan is right for you.

However, the vast majority of our customers, with stretched household budgets would likely opt for the Blue Shield plan with a premium of $190/month.

To your health,
Chini

Lets think about how to achieve this for a second — young adults tend to be healthy, which means they could probably afford plans with higher deductibles (which, in turn, would have lower premiums). At the same time, they would want the basics — a well-ness benefit and also potentially a plan that allows them to see a doctor for a fixed co-pay.

We think there is a smarter way to do this — you can save a lot of $$ by buying a higher deductible plan. At the same time, you could reduce your risk of hospitalization from a skiing or biking accident by supplementing your health insurance with a low cost accident medical insurance plan.

To your health,
Chini