Do you need International Health Insurance?

International Health Insurance ~ I am excited to introduce you to an insurance product (that is new to me) that is brought to you by "HTH Worldwide".

HTH (Highway To Health) Worldwide understands that (inspite of the President's recent $trillion Health Insurance reforms) domestic (US based) health insurance still (& always will) ends at the US border. HTH also understand that every country, city and hospital in the world has their own unique way of handling international travelers who find themselves in need of Medical Care.

How will you get home to the US if you are too injured to travel?
How will your family get to you if you are too injured to travel?
How many days will you spend in the hospital if you have your emergency surgery in Russia?
Where do you go in Switzerland to refill your migraine medication?
Should the Chinese Doctors inject your injured knee with stem cells?

If you are planning a trip overseas for any of the following reasons or any amount of time, you will definately want to investigate your options for International Health Insurance:

1wk-6 mos Vacation ~ Are you planning to spend July spectating the 2010 Tour de France & need to insure your luggage and your health?

6-12 mos Vacation ~ Are you planning an extended back pack or bicycle tour of Europe in search of yourself and need to know where to go in Italy for Allergy meds or to refill you Insulin prescription?

12+ mos Relocation ~ Are you planning to move to your 2nd home in Italy as you seek permanent employment and need to know that you have full medical insurance in the event you discover that you have cancer or are injured in a car accident?

Foreign Exchange students
Atheletes
Corporate Employees
Missionaries
Globetrotters
Immigrants

Whatever your reason for being overseas, however long you plan to stay, PLEASE do NOT buy your plane ticket without securing either a short-term or long-term International Health Insurance Policy!

Please click on the International Insurance links provided on the left side of this screen to get started now!

Thanks for asking!!
Julia Cross
0B28378

New Premier PPO Plans for Spring 2010

Anthem Blue Cross is excited to offer the PREMIER plans. These plans offer many benefits before the annual deductible including preventive care and prescription drugs! With the lowest level of coinsurance (25%) across all deductibles, the Premier PPO Plans offer added value over other plans we offer.

Some important Plan features:

• Unlimited doctor office visits with predictable co-pays ($30 for primary/family physicians and $50 for specialists) that are not subject to the annual medical deductible.
• A broad range of preventive benefits before having to meet the annual deductible helps focus on keeping you healthy. This includes an Annual Physical Exam, Routine Mammogram, Pap, PSA and Well Child Care with a $30 co-pay.
• Annual routine eye exam.
• $7 million lifetime benefit per member.

This is a great plan designed for busy families that need a variety of benefits.

Please email me for more information on these plans or to apply for coverage now.

Cheers ~ Julia
julia@crossins.com

More Health Care Reform Proposals

How much government control is too much?

Just in time for Thursday's White House health care Summit, President Obama wants the goverment to have the power to:

a) "deny or roll back egregious insurance premium increases that infuriate consumers"
b) "require most Americans to carry health insurance coverage".

Really? Yes, really!!

The complete article can be found at http://abcnews.go.com/m/screen?id=9905984&pid=74
Additional related articles => http://fluentnews.com/s/23490126


Cheers ~ Julia

March 1st Rate Increase Postponed to May 1st

Anthem Blue Cross Life and Health Insurance Company has agreed to a request by the California Dept of Insurance to postpone their March 1, 2010 rates to May 1, 2010, pending an additional third-party review.

The review will be conducted by Axene Health Partners, LLC, retained by the Ca Dept of Insurance.

Anthem Blue Cross "...welcomes the additional scrutiny by the commissioner..."

Anthem BC is sending pre-recorded messages & mailing written notificiation to all existing clients with an individual/family policy beginning Feb 16th with addtional details. FYI ~ ABC is calling me now and I am listening to the pre-recorded phone message while I type this. :)

As of March 1st, all clients will be billed at their prior rate of premium. A system of refunds will be established for those who have already paid their March 1st premium at the higher rate.

If you have any questions, please contact me at julia@crossins.com or call Anthem Blue Cross directly at 1-800-333-0912 (you should expect a longer wait time for calls).

Please note: This action does not affect any Senior or Group Products!

Cheers ~ Julia
0B28378
Authorized Blue Cross Agent since 1998

New Family Leave Regulations

New FMLA Regulations Expand Military Caregivers' Coverage

The Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 ("FMLA"), which applies to employer groups with 50 or more employees and all public agencies, has an indirect impact on health insurers and group health plans.

In 2009, Congress enacted new legislation, HR2647, which became effective on October 28, 2009. It applies to all FMLA leave requests submitted on or after that date.
Specifically, HR2647 does the following:
· Expands the exigency leave entitlement to include family members of the regular Armed forces, who were not entitled to exigency leave under the prior law;
· Expands the military caregiver leave entitlement to include veterans, who were not covered under prior law; and
· Expands the military caregiver leave entitlement to include leave to care for a service member or veteran whose preexisting serious injury or illness was aggravated by active duty service.

More information on FMLA and HR4986 legislation is available online at http://www.dol.gov/whd/fmla/finalrule.htm. Employer groups requesting more compliance information on FMLA should be referred to their own legal counsel.

2 New Individual Anthem Blue Cross Products

Anthem Blue Cross is pleased to announce 2 new Individual Insurance Products for 2010!

Anthem’s “Clear Protection” and “Core Guard” have been designed to give you the coverages that are most important to you and your family without breaking the bank.

Is “Clear Protection” the right plan for you? Are you looking for a lower cost plan with immediate coverage for some doctor visits and long-term coverage for other benefits you may need? Clear Protection could be the right plan for you with 3 deductibles to shoes from and moderate cost-sharing helps lower your monthly premiums. Clear Protection offers up to $4 million per member in lifetime benefits.

Is “Core Guard” the right plan for you? Are you looking for a simple plan designed with some of our lowest rates? Core Guard could be the plan that’s right for you. Core Guard offers a wide range of deductibles and higher cost sharing designed to lower your monthly premiums. Core Guard offers up to $4 million per member in lifetime benefits.

With both plans, you have some choice and flexibility to change the plan to better meet your needs including Deductible, Coinsurance and other Optimal Coverages.

Please click on the Quote/Apply links on the left and chose your coverages now or email me immediately for additional information!

Click HERE for an outline of Anthem's traditional policies.

Cheers ~ Julia

Doctor says universal health care plan necessary....

"Dr. Steele offered some prescriptions for controlling individual (health/medical) costs.

The top three were control weight, quit smoking and get active.

“The No. 1 determinant of health care spending is weight,” he said."

The complete article can be viewed in the Oct 29, 2009 edition of the Bangor Daily Newspaper.
rhewitt@bangordailynews.net

Free Health Care in LA thru Tues 8/18/09

Free, comprehensive health care available
August 14th, 2009, 6:00 am · 3 Comments · posted by Courtney Perkes
From the OC Register ~ http://healthyliving.freedomblogging.com/2009/08/14/free-comprehensive-healthcare-available/9059/

Remote Area Medical, a Tennessee-based nonprofit, is offering free medical, dental and eye care through Tuesday at the Forum in Inglewood.

It’s the first time the group, which has been featured on “60 Minutes,” has provided care in a major urban area. And huge, LA-sized crowds are clamoring for eyeglasses, mammograms and root canals.
All services are provided by volunteer doctors, dentists and nurses. Here’s the rundown:

DENTAL: Cleanings, fillings, extractions, and root canals. Everyone receives a free dental exam. Pediatric dentistry is available.

VISION: Vision exam and free prescription glasses made on site. (NOTE: May not be able to make glasses for everyone.) Cataract surgery.

MEDICAL & WOMEN’S HEALTH: Mammograms and Pap smears; pediatric exams; adult physicals & medical consults (including diabetes and hypertension); chiropractors; acupuncture; blood lab work; chest X-rays; medication assistance; and many other medical specialties available.

The massive clinic opens each morning at 5:30 a.m.
Wait times are long. Read more here on what to expect.
The Forum is located at 3900 West Manchester Blvd., Inglewood.

A New York Times article on the clinic includes an Orange County family, with health insurance, who visited the clinic because they can’t afford their dental insurance deductibles. The dental services are particularly valuable with California’s July 1 cut to Medi-Cal’s adult dental program.
Good oral hygiene is important for overall health in areas as varied as heart disease and pregnancy

Pay the rent or keep the Health Insurance?

Friday, July 10, 2009
Health coverage or rent? O.C. residents must choose
BY COURTNEY PERKES
The Orange County Register

It's nearly impossible to grasp a number like America's annual $2 trillion medical bill.
So as Shari Carter avidly follows news from Washington on the summer of health care reform, she thinks about $1,059 — the monthly amount that cost Carter her HMO.

"I've never gone without insurance," she said. "It's scary. I'm at the age where they want to get rid of you real bad."

<<click here to read the complete story>>

Medical Bankruptcies on the Rise

Medical bankrupties on the rise
June 9th, 2009, 6:00 am · 4 Comments · posted by Courtney Perkes

A new study from Harvard University finds that 62 percent of bankruptcies are caused by medical bills - a 50 percent increase since 2001. Based on that rate, medical bankruptcies this year will total 866,000 and involve 2.3 million Americans – about one person every 15 seconds.

The complete story can be found in The OC Register.

Cheers ~ Julia

Anthem Blue Cross Suspends Part D Products

CMS Orders Temporary Suspension of our Medicare Advantage and Medicare Part D Products.
On January 12, 2009 the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) ordered Anthem Blue Cross to temporarily suspend enrollment and marketing of our Medicare Advantage (MA), Medicare Advantage Prescription Drug (MAPD) and Prescription Drug Plan (PDP).

We have been working with CMS for several months to resolve issues identified as a result of a recent CMS audit, our own self-audit, and issues stemming from our members’ ability to access their pharmacy benefits. Our plan is to continue working with CMS to make the necessary business improvements in our operations and processes as quickly as possible so that we can re-enter the market in a position to better serve our current and future Medicare members.

The MA, MAPD and Medicare Supplement members we currently serve can continue to count on us to provide their health benefits. We will continue to sell our Medicare Supplement products.

Westcliff Labs accused of overcharging.

Friday, March 20, 2009
Medical lab sued by the state of CA for overcharging. State says Medi-Cal was billed as much as six times the price for testing.
By COURTNEY PERKES
The Orange County Register

The state Attorney General on Friday said it has sued a Santa Ana lab accused of overcharging Medi-Cal, the insurance program for the poor.

Please see the OC Register for the complete article.

The Uninsured Crisis

Local community clinics and public hospitals see big jump in uninsured patients
By Sandy Kleffman
Contra Costa Times
Posted: 02/24/2009 08:00:00 AM PST

Growing waves of uninsured patients are flooding local community clinics and public hospitals, increasing pressure on the East Bay's frayed health care safety net.
Many of the newly uninsured lost their health coverage when they lost their jobs.

Julia

Blue Cross of CA Settles Claims

Anthem Blue Cross (of CA) is agreeing to a settlement with California regulators, the latest pact reached by insurers over the issue of canceling insurance plans after patients got sick.

http://blogs.wsj.com/health/2009/02/11/anthem-blue-cross-settles-over-canceled-coverage-in-california/

The insurer, owned by WellPoint, has agreed to pay a fine of $1 million and to offer new coverage to 2,330 after they incurred big medical bills, the Los Angeles Times reports. The company will also reimburse them for medical bills they paid after their coverage was dropped, at a cost Anthem said could hit $14 million, the newspaper adds.

http://blogs.wsj.com/health/2009/02/11/anthem-blue-cross-settles-over-canceled-coverage-in-california/

Please see the Wall Street Journal (Feb 11, 2009) for the complete article.

Julia

2009 HSA Contribution Limits

HSA contributions for 2009 ~ HSA contribution maximums (for January 1, 2009 effective dates) are not limited by either your plan's provider or your plan's deductible.

They are set & adjusted annually by the IRS:
$3,000 for individuals
$5,950 for families

Julia

Presidential Healthcare Debate....

Barack Obama and John McCain couldn't disagree more on what is needed to fix the nation's health care system. Obama believes government still needs to be heavily involved in making sure people have insurance. McCain wants a system rooted in the free market.
read the complete OC Register article 11/2/08

Medical bills take toll on personal finances

According to researchers at Harvard University, medical bills contribute to roughly half of all bankruptcies. They also say the chain of events leading to bankruptcy is often easy to trace – an unforeseen illness or accident that leads to the loss of a job, and with it, the double whammy of losing health insurance and income.

While most Americans will never file for bankruptcy, paying for health care is a source of worry for many.

The complete article was printed in the Orange County Register on 7/12/08.

Have you ever been sick?

Friday, April 11, 2008
Have you ever been sick?
Insurers face increased scrutiny for picking apart clients' medical records and canceling policies after expensive treatment.
BY COURTNEY PERKES
The Orange County Register

Contact the writer: 714-796-3686 or cperkes@ocregister.com

How to: Get Better Cheaper Health Care w/o Insurance

How to: Get Better, Cheaper Health Care Without Insurance (25 Tips, Tricks and Resources)
Published on Wednesday March 19th , 2008
By Christina Laun
Health care has been at the forefront of political and popular debate more than ever as costs continue to rise in the face of an unstable economy. With rising energy costs, falling real estate prices, and no national health care system, many people simply have to learn to do without the medical care they need. There are, however, ways to save on health care costs without having to sign up for a pricey insurance plan. Here are a few tips for saving your healthcare dollars, as well as a number of information sources for localized, low-cost healthcare.

Click Here for the complete article.

Julia

Little assurance for insurance firms

http://www.ocregister.com/news/ciga-williams-presentation-1976851-jacobson-board
BRIAN JOSEPH
Register columnistCAPITOL WATCHDOG bjoseph@ocregister.com
Comments 0 Recommend 0
SACRAMENTO – The California Insurance Guarantee Association may be the most important bureaucracy you've never heard of.
Founded under legislation in 1969, the association acts as a sort of insurance for insurance companies. If your provider goes broke, CIGA picks up your claim.

"Without CIGA, we would have been in an absolute financial disaster when the workers comp crisis hit," said Michael Mattoch, an executive with USAA Financial Services. He describes CIGA as crucial piece of California's infrastructure.

So would it worry you that CIGA is $1.6 billion in the red and plagued by infighting and potentially gross mismanagement?

http://www.ocregister.com/news/ciga-williams-presentation-1976851-jacobson-board

CIGA says it ran into trouble when the workers comp crisis forced it to pick up thousands of claims, but a recent audit by an Alhambra CPA suggests another culprit: misconduct.

In November, accountant John F. Williams made a PowerPoint presentation to the CIGA board that described an organization in disarray. He found contracts awarded without bidding, claims paid without review, a vendor the association should terminate "ASAP." Williams concluded that of $66 million spent on bill review fees, CIGA had overpaid $55 million.

"My jaw was on the table," said Dan Jacobson, an Orange County attorney who was appointed to the CIGA board by then-Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi in June 2006. "Before Mr. Williams' presentation, I had a sense there were some things that needed to be fixed at CIGA. I had no idea it was this horrible."

Williams, who was hired by CIGA management to conduct the audit, declined to speak with me, but I obtained a copy of his slideshow.
Marked "Confidential," the presentation states "contract negotiations [are]ad hoc, personal, and informal" and adds, "Some relationships have no contracts." It recommends that CIGA implement the most basic of procurement policies, such as bidding for services.

Williams' presentation also focuses on independent companies, or so-called "third-party administrators," employed by CIGA. Third-party administrators handle claims for CIGA and the slideshow suggests that not only did CIGA enter into bad agreements with them but also that some may have business relationships which could allow them to bleed CIGA.
The presentation states CIGA's "bill review fees are very high" because instead of paying the administrators a flat fee, they are paid a percentage of the savings they uncover.That practice is so questionable that Joe Coto, chairman of the Assembly Insurance Committee, is introducing a bill to outlaw it.

The presentation adds that a couple of the third-party administrators are affiliated with the very vendors billing CIGA. That means, effectively, that the same companies billing CIGA are also ensuring that the bills are accurate.

http://www.ocregister.com/news/ciga-williams-presentation-1976851-jacobson-board

"It seemed to validate my concerns raised at my first Investment and Audit Committee meeting when I discovered that they were not auditing the billing and substantive case handling of their compensation defense firms," said Steve Testan, a founder of a national workers comp defense firm who was appointed to the CIGA board by Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez in June 2007.

"As to the entirety of Williams' presentation, I was shocked. The association is dealing with public assessment monies."
Testan and Jacobson, two of newest members of the 13-member board, were obviously troubled by Williams' report, but say the board's chair and vice chair and CIGA management have blocked them from doing anything about it.
http://www.ocregister.com/news/ciga-williams-presentation-1976851-jacobson-board

In letters to numerous state officials, including Núñez, Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner, Attorney General Jerry Brown and Orange County Sen. Lou Correa, Testan and Jacobson allude to "Herculean efforts … undertaken by the powers that be" to prevent them from speaking with Williams and add that CIGA may have paid more than $200 million in unaudited legal fees.

One letter concludes that the actions of CIGA leadership suggest "waste and mismanagement" if not "something more sinister."
The infighting has become so fierce that the vice chairman, Jim Sevey, even asked Jacobson to resign after Jacobson raised concerns about a potential conflict of interest involving CIGA's legal counsel. Jacobson declined.

http://www.ocregister.com/news/ciga-williams-presentation-1976851-jacobson-board
"When I've tried to access simple information that I need to perform my job – like Mr. Williams' phone number – I've been met with a management brick wall," Jacobson said.

I can understand their frustration. I tried to attend a CIGA meeting last week at the high-rise Bankers Club of San Francisco, but I was thrown out almost as soon as I arrived.
I had barely removed my coat and sat down when the executive director, Wayne Wilson, glared at me from across the room. Who are you? he demanded as he loomed over my chair. This meeting is private, he said.
I explained that I thought I should be allowed to stay because CIGA was established under statute, its members are appointed by elected officials and it's funded by assessments on California insurance policies.

Wilson didn't care about my reasons and didn't care when I identified myself as a Register reporter. He wanted me gone.

My research had indicated there is some disagreement over whether open meetings laws apply to CIGA, so I asked Wilson to cite the authority for making me leave. He refused, then told me to get out.
I later spoke with Wilson after he returned to CIGA headquarters in Glendale. He told me there are "substantial question marks surrounding" Williams' presentation and suggested that the auditor didn't fully understand CIGA.

http://www.ocregister.com/news/ciga-williams-presentation-1976851-jacobson-board
For example, he said CIGA doesn't bid for services because when an insurer goes bankrupt it has to react quickly.
"You can't stop paying benefits to an injured worker," Wilson said. "That's one of the issues Mr. Williams never got a grip on."
Wilson dismissed allegations of overspending as one man's opinion and added that the claims of some CIGA critics may prove to be "over the top."
"There's nothing sinister … going on," he said. "The board is actively and aggressively working on issues that have been identified."
I also tried to speak with Jim Sevey, the vice chairman, and with Chairwoman Linda R. Smith, but both referred me to Wilson.

Not everyone is silent, however. At the same meeting where I was tossed, Testan announced that he had offered his resignation to Núñez because of "irreconcilable differences" with certain board members.
"Information uncovered during my tenure … suggests that CIGA, to put it mildly, has some very serious issues to deal with," Testan wrote in a letter to Núñez. "Californians need a properly functioning CIGA."
Sen. Correa, meanwhile, has taken an interest in CIGA. Last week, he asked the Joint Legislative Audit Committee to launch an investigation.

"This is scary stuff," said Correa, a Democrat who represents Santa Ana. "This thing makes its living off an assessment on businesses. I only hope that they're applying best business practices," he said.

I don't think we've heard the last of this. Stay tuned.
Brian Joseph covers Capitol issues for the Register. His Capitol Watchdog column focuses on government practices. To reach him, call 916-449-6046 or e-mail bjoseph@ocregister.com.
http://www.ocregister.com/news/ciga-williams-presentation-1976851-jacobson-board