October 1st Changes to California Group Plans
Kaiser Permanente California group health insurance plans are undergoing many changes due to the passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). We want to help you keep informed about how the federal health reform law affects your health coverage. We are pleased to announce the following positive changes to your KP California Group Plans, effective October 1, 2010. Preventive care services are now available for no charge from the first day of coverage. Also maximum benefit levels have been raised or eliminated entirely in some plans.
Copayment Plans
This group of plans includes the $50 Copay Plan, the $30 Copay Plan, the $20 Copay Plan, the $15 Copay Plan and the $5 Copay Plan. For preventative exams, formerly members had to pay the doctors copay, but now there is a $0 charge for preventative exams. With Regard to maternity/prenatal care, the $50 Copay Plan formerly required a $15 copay, but now there is a $0 charge for this service. For all other Copay Plans, there was and continues to be a $0 charge for maternity/prenatal care. Be aware that this is not referring to the hospitalization charges that are required upon delivery of the baby. Those same charges for in-patient care still apply according to the terms of your plan. For well-child preventative care visits, the $50 Copay Plan formerly charged $15, but now it is a $0 charge like the other Copay Plans. For vision exams, Kaiser Permanente formerly charged the same copay as for doctor visits on these plans, but now there is a $0 charge on all the Copay Plans for vision exams.
HSA-Qualified Deductible HMO Plans
The $30/$3,000 Deductible Plan with HSA is the only plan in this category that will be undergoing changes. The other HSA-qualified HMO plans will remain the same. On the $30/$3,000 Plan, formerly preventative exams cost $30 while maternity/prenatal care and well-child preventative care visits cost $10. As of October 1, 2010 there will be a $0 charge for these services on the $30/$3,000 Plan with HSA.
Deductible HMO Plans
This category includes three plans: the $40/$2,000 Deductible Plan, the $30/$1,500 Deductible Plan, and the $30/$1,000 Deductible Plan. All three of these plans will have improved coverage for preventative exams and vision exams starting on October 1st. Formerly, these exams required the payment of a doctors copay; however, on October 1st these Deductible Plans will have a $0 charge for both vision exams and preventative exams.
Posted: August 16th, 2010 under California Group.
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