If you are applying for a Kaiser Georgia Personal Advantage Plan late in the month and you want your coverage to start on the 1st of the next month, we recommend choosing “Pay by Credit Card” for your payment option. Kaiser Permanente Georgia requires that the payment for your first month’s premium be received before your coverage can become effective. This late in the month, the only way to be sure your payment will be received on time is to pay by credit or debit.

If you are applying farther in advance of your desired effective date, you may choose to pay by electronic funds transfer or by monthly invoice. If you choose either of these options, you will need to send in a check for your first month’s premium. Just be sure that Kaiser Permanente receives your check in advance of your desired effective date. If you choose electronic funds transfer, you will also need to include a voided check.

Note: Once your application is submitted, your coverage will be subject to underwriting approval.

Posted: August 27th, 2008 under Georgia Individual.
Comments: none

That’s the problem with Individual and Family Plans. The people that need them the most often get denied. When applying for Individual and Family health insurance coverage in California, if you have serious pre-existing health conditions, you will probably get denied. However, unless you’re pretty certain you’ll be denied it’s usually worth a shot to apply. If you get denied, you may not be able to apply again for 6 months. That’s really the only drawback.

If you have pending treatment or surgery, it may be in your best interest to get that taken care of first and then try applying for an individual plan. If underwriters see you have need of certain medical procedures, you will probably be denied. If you can afford it, go ahead and pay for those procedures out of your own pocket. Get them taken care of. Then apply!

If you have been denied or are concerned you may be denied for pre-existing conditions, I recommend looking into small group health insurance. If you are self-employed or you own a business, you may qualify. Group plans are issued automatically without any medical questions. Click Get Group Quotes or call 1-877-752-4737 and select Option 3 to speak with a Kaiser group health insurance specialist.

Posted: August 20th, 2008 under California.
Comments: none

Kaiser Permanente is growing in the Antelope Valley area. As California’s Antelope Valley community grows, so does the Kaiser Health Plan membership. Kaiser is adding 34,000 square feet to facilities to expand existing urgent care and specialty care services at the Antelope Valley Medical Offices. This means peace of mind for Kaiser Insurance individual and business members, knowing that they have access to more urgent care exam rooms and observation beds, expanded specialty care, and additional parking.

Download the Antelope Valley Flyer for more information. Expanded services are expected to become available in phases beginning in September of 2008.

Posted: August 14th, 2008 under California.
Comments: none

You can do what I did: Get yourself and your employees on individual plans. Each person does have to apply. Use the Kaiser Permanente Online Application, and it will take you about 10-15 minutes per person.

When I first started a business, we put all our employees on individual plans. I thought it was less hassle. As the business owner, I wanted to contribute to their health plan costs, so each month I gave them each a check for $92 written out to “Kaiser Permanente”. When they paid their bill, they included this check. For some of my employees, $92 covered their entire bill, but others had to add a second check to cover the difference. I deducted those checks ($92 X 6 employees = $552) as a business expense.

Posted: August 11th, 2008 under California Group.
Comments: none

When applying for a Kaiser Permanente Georgia Personal Advantage Plan, you have three payment options:
1. Credit Card/Debit Card - Fastest way to get coverage in place!
2. Auto Draft
3. Monthly Invoice

We recommend Option 1 where you can pay by credit card or debit card. This is the fastest way to get your coverage in place because this method does not require sending a check. If you choose Option 2 or 3, you must submit a check by mail for your first payment before your coverage can become effective. Many applicants who choose the last two options end up not getting the check in on time and have to wait a month for their coverage to start.

Posted: August 8th, 2008 under Georgia Individual.
Comments: none

If you’ve already applied recently for a Kaiser Permanente Individuals and Families Plan, Do not apply again! Underwriting usually takes 2 to 3 weeks to process applications. If you apply again, your second application will most likely be disregarded. Beyond that, you may add unnecessary confusion to the enrollment process.

Once you have submitted your application, wait 3 weeks from the date you applied in order to hear from underwriting. You will receive notification by mail. Most applicants receive their status in two to three weeks. If it has been at least 3 weeks, you will need to call to speak with an enrollment specialist.

Posted: August 7th, 2008 under California Individual.
Comments: none

I recommend applying earlier in the month if you want your coverage to begin on the 1st of the next month. The Kaiser Permanente deadline is the 23rd of the month for California Individual and Family Health Insurance Applications. However, underwriting usually takes between two and three weeks to notify you of your status. We get a lot of angry customers who apply right on the deadline and expect to know whether or not they’re approved by the 1st or 2nd of the month.

Plan on underwriting taking three weeks to evaluate your application and apply earlier in the month. If you apply by the 8th of the month, you’ll probably be notified between the 22nd and the 29th. On the other hand if you wait until the 23rd of the month, you may not find out your status until somewhere around the 14th of the next month. When customers find out half way through the month that their coverage began two weeks earlier, you can see why they get frustrated. For this reason, I highly recommend applying earlier in the month. Don’t wait until the deadline if you don’t have to.

Posted: August 6th, 2008 under California Individual.
Comments: none

Those who wish to compare health insurance carriers in California may find helpful a study put out by The California Office of the Patient Advocate. This research ranks eight different California health insurance carriers. In short, Kaiser Permanente and Health Net of California had the highest company ratings. Each health care carrier was rated on two items:

1. For Meeting National Standards of Care
2. For Member Satisfaction

The following California HMO individual and group health insurance carriers were evaluated: Aetna Health of California Inc., Blue Cross HMO - California Care, Blue Shield of California HMO, CIGNA HMO, Health Net of California, Inc., Kaiser Permanente - Northern California Region, Kaiser Permanente - Southern California Region, PacifiCare of California, and Western Health Advantage.Health care carriers could receive between one and four stars for ratings of Poor to Excellent. 

• Excellent   ««««
• Good          «««
• Fair              ««      
• Poor              « 

The highest ranking received by any of the HMO health carriers was 3 Stars. Only three medical insurance carriers received a ranking of 3 Stars in both categories: Kaiser Permanente Southern California, Kaiser Permanente Northern California and Health Net of California. For additional information on specific carriers, insurance quotes, and enrollment applications, use the links below:

Posted: August 4th, 2008 under California.
Comments: none