Don’t forget about this new plan, the $40/$2000 Deductible Plan! Our top selling California Individual Medical Insurance Plans have been the $25 Copayment Plan and the $30/$15000 Deductible Plan. When customers have found the $1500 Deductible Plan too pricy, we have recommended the $40/$3000 Deductible Plan, which is more affordable. However, there is a new plan in 2010 that has benefits and pricing that fall in between these two plans, the $40/$2,000 Deductible Plan.

This new plan is very similar to the $30/$1500 Deductible Plan. Doctor visits and prescription drugs are covered right away with a copayment. Doctor visits are $10 more and obviously the deductible is $500 more (for individuals and $1,000 more for families). Individuals can save a little more money by going with the $40/$3000 Deductible Plan.

Families, especially larger families, may want to steer clear of the $40/$3000 Deductible Plan and opt for the $40/$2000 Deductible Plan. The $40/$3000 Plan is not offered as a family plan. You can apply for it for you family, but you will have to enroll separately for each member of your family. That’s a lot more paperwork and often more cost. You will billed separately for each member of your family.

If you have multiple children, you may find that the $40/$2000 Deductible Plan allows you to get better coverage at a lower price. Let me explain. On this plan you pay one price if you have one child and little bit higher price for two or more children. If you have one or two kids, you may wish to save money by choosing the $40/$3000 Plan. However, if you have more children, you may save money and increase benefits by going with the $40/$2000 plan because after adding two children there are no increased costs for additional children. On the $40/$2000 Plan, a family with two children pays the same price as a family with ten children.

Posted: February 16th, 2010 under California Individual.
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In response to population growth, increase in membership and growing demand, Kaiser Permanente has added more hospitals and medical facilities in Northern and Southern California.

Vacaville Medical Center
The Vacaville Medical Center in the Napa-Solano County service area, in Northern California, opened October 6, 2009. The new hospital in the Kaiser Permanente Vacaville Medical Center incorporates the latest in technology and innovation for a growing population of Kaiser members.

Anaheim-Kraemer Medical Office Building 1
This medical facility opened up in the Orange County service area, in Southern California, on September 22, 2009.

Downey Medical Center
This medical facility is located in the Tri-central service area, in Southern California, and opened on September 15, 2009.

Rancho Bernardo Medical Offices
These medical offices opened up on August 30, 2009 in the San Diego service area, in Southern California.

Pinole Medical Offices
Kaiser Permanente in the East Bay service area, in Northern California, opened the Pinole Medical Offices on January 12, 2009.

Posted: February 10th, 2010 under California.
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There has been a change that affects how long a newborn can stay covered under the parent’s group insurance. In the past, a newborn was covered for the first 30 days but only until the end of the month. So, a baby born on the 28th is covered for only 2-3 days, until the 30th or 31st of that month.

Effective 1/1/2010, newborns will be covered for the first 30 days, without the end of the month rule. So, a baby born on January 28th will remain covered until February 28th.

Coverage will be free the first 30 days, but if they enroll the baby with Kaiser, coverage will be backdated to the first of the month. This means they’ll pay for the coverage- just like they would have done before the rule changed. This helps improve KP sales, but also lifts the pressure off of parents from having to make a snap decision, which is often the case when the baby is born at the end of the month.

Tip: When enrolling in a California group health insurance plan due to a pregnancy, especially for your first child, call 1-877-752-4737 after the baby is born. Then, we can look into enrolling the child under the cheaper IFP plan. If you have other children, then, keeping all the kids on the group plan tends to be more cost-effective because there are no extra charges for additional children.

Posted: January 19th, 2010 under California Group.
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Preventive care services are not subject to the deductible. Only the services that are intended to diagnose or treat an existing illness, injury, or a condition that has already been diagnosed or for which you have symptoms are subject to the deductible. Any non-preventative services you receive during a preventative care exam will be subject to the deductible.

The following are included and are exempt from the deductible:
o Flexible sigmoidoscopies
o Health education
o Vaccines
o Mammograms
o Routine preventive retinal photography screenings
o Routine preventive physical exams, including well-woman visits and eye refraction and hearing exam
o Tuberculosis tests

The following laboratory tests are also included and not subject to the deductible:
o Cervical cancer screening including screening for human papillomavirus (HPV)
o Cholesterol tests (lipid panel and profile)
o Diabetes screening (fasting blood glucose tests)
o Fecal occult blood tests
o HIV tests
o Prostate specific antigen tests
o STD tests

In an OBGYN visit, the following are included:

o Pelvic Exam
o Pap Smear
o Mammogram (depending on what the doctor advises)

Posted: November 9th, 2009 under California.
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For most of us, health insurance is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the insurance protection we are looking for. We have loved ones to protect, homes to insurance and businesses to cover. We need auto insurance, homeowner’s insurance, life insurance, business insurance etc. to make sure that our loved ones, our business and our belongings are covered. If you’re in Santa Rosa, California or the Sonoma County area, we recommend checking in with the Santa Rosa Insurance Pros at Bill Hansen Insurance.

Bill Hansen Insurance offers affordable rates from several different carriers including Farmer’s Insurance Group, Anthem-Blue Cross, Foremost Insurance Group, and Bristol West Insurance Group. By including multiple carriers, the Insurance Pros are able to offer highly competitive rates and cover you, your family, your business and your property for all your insurance needs.

Bill Hansen Insurance Agency has been operating locally in the Santa Rosa area for over twenty years. They are located at 5000 Montgomery Drive in Santa Rosa, California near the corner of Montgomery Drive and Summerfield Road and near Howarth Park. Their staff of highly qualified insurance agents can help you with all your insurance related issues and questions. Give them a call at 707-526-0448 to speak with a licensed insurance agent who can get you quotes, help you find the right coverage and assist you with enrollment. They also have an insurance agent named Liz who speaks Spanish. You’ll find that anyone you talk to at this insurance agency is very friendly and helpful.

Posted: July 6th, 2009 under California.
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When will my rates go up?

You may have noticed that every now and then your rates change. Usually, when they change that means they go up. However, occasionally rates have actually gone down on certain plans for some age groups or rate areas. A couple things can cause your rates to change:

1. Birthdays
Every now and then your rates will increase the month after you’ve had a birthday. It’s not quite the birthday present you were looking for from Kaiser Permanente, but that’s how it works. This doesn’t happen every birthday, but rather at certain milestones. For California individual health plans, this occurs every five years at age 19, 25, 30, 35, 40, etcetera up to age 65. For California group health plans this occurs every ten years until you reach 50; then, your rates change every five years up to age sixty-five. These rate changes occur at 30, 40, 50, 55, 60, and 65.

2. Renewal
Your rates will change annually at renewal. For individual and family plans, your renewal is either January 1st or July 1st depending on when you applied. If you applied before May 23, 2009 your renewal will be January 1st. If you applied from May 24, 2009 to December 8, 2009, your renewal will be on July 1st. In the future, those who apply for January through June effective dates will always have a January 1st renewal and those apply for July to December effective dates will always have a July 1st renewal.

For group plans, your renewal is the anniversary of when your group started coverage. For example, if your business began the health plan on October 1st, then your renewal will be each year on October 1st.

Tip for You: If you’re getting quotes and trying to figure out what you’ll be paying, you may want to find out what your rates will be when you have a birthday and age up into the next age bracket. This is especially true if you will be aging up soon after applying. People who are ages 29, 39, 49, 54, etc. will definitely want to find out what their rates will be after their next birthday.

Posted: June 24th, 2009 under California.
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Rate Security for New Individual and Family Members for up to a Year 

Effective July 1, 2009, Kaiser Permanente will make available two enrollment rate periods for private plan enrollees. This will enable new California individual and family members to maintain the same medical insurance rates for up to one year.  Details are as follows:

• January 1 to June 15: For new clients who sign up for coverage that begins January 1st through June 15th, rates will change each year in January. In the past, this January rate change applied to all new enrollees. Now it only applies to new applicants who apply within this window of time.

• July 1 to December 15:  For new members who sign up for coverage that begins July 1st through December 15th, rates will stay unchanged until the following July. July 1, 2010 will be the first time rates will have changed mid-year for Kaiser California Individual and Family Plan members. This rate period only applies to new enrollees who apply within this window of time.

“This is especially great news for people who apply for coverage in November and December,” said John Hansen, spokesperson for KaiserQuotes.com.  “It used to be that their rates would change a month or two later on January 1st, which was terribly frustrating for these new enrollees. Now they don’t need to think about a rate change until July 1.”

With the new California individual health insurance parameters, clients will be able to lock in their rates for no less than six months and, in some cases, up to 12 months. New enrollees who begin coverage on January 1^st or July 1^st will lock in their rates for an entire year. Those who choose effective dates in June or December are able to lock in rates before the bi-annual rate change, but their rates are only locked in for about half of a year. 

“In the current economy, with people very concerned about their budgets, in particular the cost of healthcare, it’s wonderful to be able to offer clients this peace of mind,” said Hansen. “This helps them plan ahead and stay focused on what’s most important—their health and well-being.”

California health insurance rates will continue to reset for all members moving into a new age group the first month following their birthday. Clients who change plans will stay in their current rate change schedule regardless of when they make the change. 

Posted: June 19th, 2009 under California Individual.
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If you are interested in applying for a Kaiser Permanente California Plan for Individuals and Families, now is a great time to apply. Those who enroll in coverage for a July 1^st effective date can lock in their rates for an entire year. This means your rates won’t change until July 1, 2010. If you apply by June 23^rd, you will be eligible to get a July 1^st effective date and lock in your rates for one year. 

In the past, rates always changed on the 1^st of January. For example, in 2008 those who applied for July 1, 2008 had a rate change only seven months later on January 1, 2009. Those who applied for a November 1, 2008 effective date had their rates change only two months later. Now, anyone who applies for coverage that starts July 1, 2009 to December 15, 2009 does not have to worry about a rate change until July 1, 2010.  

This is good news for the many who have been frustrated with the constant rate changes and skyrocketing healthcare costs of other medical insurance carriers. With the economy in the state it is, people are trying to budget their money and keep their costs down. The same rates that were available January 1, 2009 are available for those who apply this month for a July 1^st effective date, and those who apply now can count on maintaining those same rates for 12 months.

Posted: June 15th, 2009 under California Individual.
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Is it time to get your annual check-up? If you are looking to get your physical soon, click Kaiser Permanente Annual Physical. On this web page you’ll find out about what questions the doctor will ask and what s/he will do when you’re there.

Definitely, make sure and schedule your visit for the annual physcial. You know the old saying, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” This is very true when it comes to checking up on your health. Men and women who are insured with Kaiser Permanente both qualify for an annual checkup. Women also get an annual OB-GYN checkup.

Kaiser Permanente provides some of the best healthcare in the world with great advances in medicine and medical records. However, they can only do their job well when we’re doing ours. We need to get the right amount of sleep, exercise, take care of our nutrition and get our check-ups. Kaiser members who do their part in maintaining good health greatly increase their odds of living long, healthy lives. That’s what the thrive campaign is all about. Here’s to your health!

Posted: June 12th, 2009 under California.
Comments: none

Is it time to get your annual check-up? If you are looking to get your physical soon, click Kaiser Permanente Annual Physical. On this web page you’ll find out about what questions the doctor will ask and what s/he will do when you’re there.

Definitely, make sure and schedule your visit for the annual physcial. You know the old saying, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” This is very true when it comes to checking up on your health. Men and women who are insured with Kaiser Permanente both qualify for an annual checkup. Women also get an annual OB-GYN checkup.

Kaiser Permanente provides some of the best healthcare in the world with great advances in medicine and medical records. However, they can only do their job well when we’re doing ours. We need to get the right amount of sleep, exercise, take care of our nutrition and get our check-ups. Kaiser members who do their part in maintaining good health greatly increase their odds of living long, healthy lives. That’s what the thrive campaign is all about. Here’s to your health!

Posted: June 12th, 2009 under California.
Comments: none