California Medical Quotes.com

The most unselfish gift a person can give to another is the purchase of life insurance. The insurance does nothing to help the insured. It is a gift of love to the beneficiary.

I rarely speak with my clients about their life insurance; instead I’ve been focusing on their health insurance benefits. But I lost a client who lived in Southern California recently and his life insurance was completely inadequate to care for his wife and two young children.

If you haven’t reviewed your insurance lately I strongly urge you to do so. Term insurance for most people is quite affordable and the new plans even will return all your premium at the end of the policy term if you don’t die.

Please give me a call at 800-550-0155 and allow me to show you how inexpensive it is to give a gift of love.

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If a doctor has requested a LEEP procedure, it’s because the annual Pap smear indicated the presence of abnormal cervical cells, or cervical dysplasia. It’s important for you to remember that having cervical dysplasia does not mean that the patient has cervical cancer. However, treatment of the abnormal area is imperative to prevent abnormal cervical cells from developing into cervical cancer.

I receive requests for health insurance from women who have had the LEEP procedure and many carriers will decline to issue for a period of time. Below are the underwriting guidelines for some of the major California health insurance companies:

Health Net Must have two normal subsequent cervical cancer screenings; annual follow-up to be considered.

Blue Shield Two normal Pap test 6 months apart following the abnormal Pap. Possible eligibility at higher rate.

Anthem Blue Cross Most cases when followed by 2 consecutive normal Paps (6 months apart). Possible coverage at Tier 1 (standard) Rating

Aetna this is from experience, not from underwriting guide With one normal Pap 6 months after LEEP procedure, can consider at a higher rate. Two normal Paps 6 months apart, likely standard.

About a month ago, I was contacted by a young lady who was paying about $550 per month under Cobra. She had one normal Pap about 7 months after the LEEP procedure. I recommened that she apply for the Aetna policy and received a quote from the company for about $185 per month for an HSA plan. This was a 50% rate up from standard but clearly a much better alternative than continuing her Cobra. My suggestion was to apply now and get something in force.

She chose to wait and see what her next Pap which was scheduled for December would show. Hopefully it will be normal and she can receive a standard rating. But what if it was abnormal? Now she will not only have to continue paying the high price for Cobra, but perhaps has jeapordized her ability to get individual insurance in the future.

Not only is it important to seek out the expertise of a professional insurance agent, but it is just as important to take his or her advice.

I certainly hope this woman has no further issues.

To review your insurance, please go to www.califorinamedicalquotes.com. If you are approaching Medicare or know someone who is confused as to choices, go to www.californiamedicareplans.com.

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The “guru” of health insurance, Paul Zane Pilzer discusses how to protect yourself from catastrophic healthcare costs without going broke.

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Article Link: http://www.webmd.com/medicare/news/20080925/medicare-warns-part-d-changes

Medicare Warns of Part D Changes
Seniors Urged to Check Their 2009 Drug Coverage
By Todd Zwillich

WebMD Health NewsReviewed by Louise Chang, MD Sept. 25, 2008 - Medicare officials on Thursday urged beneficiaries to scrutinize their prescription drug coverage, warning that coverage in the plans may change significantly in 2009.

Kerry Weems, the head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), said seniors and disabled beneficiaries “may see significant premium increases or changes” in their plans.

It is unclear how drastic the changes will be. Drug plans vary state to state and even county to county. Most of the hundreds of private drug plans nationwide won’t release benefit and cost information until the middle of next month, according to CMS.

But Weems said beneficiaries may see “significant premium increases” in their plans, as well as reduced coverage in Part D’s “gap.” That’s where Medicare stops paying drug benefits after spending reaches $2,510 and doesn’t pick up again until most beneficiaries have spent $5,726 on their medications.

“We encourage individual beneficiaries to review how their plans are changing and what other options are available to them to determine which plan best meets their needs,” Weems told reporters.

Officials said beneficiaries in every state would be able to purchase plans that cover drugs in the gap. The fast majority of those plans cover generic drugs, with only a handful covering a wide range of brand-name drugs.

Vicki Gottlich, a senior policy attorney at the Center for Medicare Advocacy, said “a huge number” of Medicare beneficiaries will end up having to change their plans or confront reduced coverage or higher costs in their existing plans.

But she said it was too early to know how many patients would need to change.

“Its difficult for folks to have to go through the process of having to go through the whole process every year,” said Gottlich, whose group is a critic of Part D’s private-based drug insurance.

Plans are required to notify beneficiaries of changes to their coverage by Oct. 31.

Medicare has two general types of Part D plans: standalone plans and plans that are part of Medicare Advantage managed care packages.

CMS said the average monthly premiums for standalone plans would be $28 in 2009, up $3 from this year. Drug plans folded into Medicare Advantage are set to rise from an average of $16 dollars this year to $17 in 2009.

Open enrollment for new beneficiaries to sign up for Medicare’s Part D prescription drug plan begins Oct 1. It’s also the time, up until Jan. 1, for current beneficiaries to change plan.

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A brief video on why HSA plans can be very beneficial.

You can do a comparison and run quotes of all medical plans at www.californiamedicalquotes.com.

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COBRA allows you to temporarily continue your employer sponsored health coverage (albeit at a relatively high cost) in the event that you are laid-off or otherwise become out of work.  However, while continuing health coverage may be right for some people, there are other options that you can and should consider.

COBRA will likely be the best option for you if:

1) You or a member of your family is currently pregnant.

or

2)  You or a family member have a pre-existing condition that would make it difficult to be accepted in an individual health policy, or would include a rider that would not cover treatment related to the health condition.

However, If you and family members seeking health insurance coverage are relatively healthy there are other options that you should consider that will likely be much more affordable and with a comparable set of benefits.

Alternatives

1.) You can compare individual and family health insurance plans side-by-side here at www.californiamedicalquotes.com and select the plan that best fits your needs.

2.) If you alone have a pre-existing condition, you can stay on COBRA, but enroll your other family members in an indiviudal health plan to save money.

3.) If you believe that you will be unemployed for a short period of time (less than 6 months) you can enroll in a short term health plan.  However, this is a more risky proposition if your unemployment lasts longer than expected.

4.) Research whether you can get health coverage through any association groups for which you are a member.

Not all alternatives will be right for every family’s situation, but there are options available to consider.

Generally speaking, COBRA will allow you to continue coverage for 18 months.  California residents who work for smaller companies may have other rights that can include continuing coverge for up to 36 months.

It’s worth a few minutes of your time to review all the possible choices.  Call us at 800-550-0155 or go to www.californiamedicalquotes.com.

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Californians are finding it difficult to obtain individual plans that include maternity benefits. The main reason for this is the high cost of medical care for premature infants.

However, if you are planning to have a child (and are not currently pregnant), look no further than Anthem Blue Cross. Their Lumenos HSA includes maternity with deductibles and maximum out of pockets costs as low as $1,500!

You can see these plans and many others at www.californiamedicalquotes.com, or better yet, call us at 800-550-0155.

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Seventy percent of the uninsured are in families with at least one full-time worker, according to Kiplingers. Ten percent have at least on part-time worker. The reast are retired or unemployed. Here are other numbers:

* 8.4 million are eligible for government programs but don’t know they are, don’t know how to sign up or don’t have access to the required documnets.
* 10.2 million are non-citizens. About 80 percent are legal residents, but many have low-income jobs and can’t afford or don’t ahve access to insurance.
* 9.2 million have household incomes of $75,000 or higher. Some are healthy and don’t want coverage. Others cant get it because of preexisiting conditions.
* 7.5 million are ages 19-24 and either have no access to health care, lack money to pay for it or don’t think they need it because they are in good health.

In California, virtually everyone can obtain medical insurance, either through insurance carriers or the state major risk program. For those who believe insurance is too expensive, talk with an insurance agent who represents the large insurance carriers. It’s amazing that many uninsured believe insurance to be much more expensive than it is.

By using HSA plans, an individual can reduce their costs substantially, all the while keeping their out of pocket costs to a reasonable amount. You’ll be surprised how affordable insurance can be.

Please go to our main site at www.californiamedicalquotes.com and run some comparisons. Better yet, call us at 800-550-0155 and we will help you choose the plan with the best combination of coverage and premium.

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Couples who own a small business may qualify for a group plan. California (and many other states) require groups of 2 or more to be issued coverage on a guaranteed basis. In fact, if one of you is on a government plan such as Medicare, the remaining person can still be insured without regard to medical history.