Compare The Major California Health Insurance Carriers

Title:Compare The Major California Health Insurance CarriersWord Count:1847Summary:Five Critical Criteria used to compare California carriers.1. Health Plan pricing in the market. Ultimately, benefits need to be priced well relative to othersimilar plans on the market. Also, the plans have to make sense financially in today's world ofever-increasing cost. Some large multi-line carriers like Principle offer extremely rich benefitsthat have completely priced themselves out of the market. There's a \"sweet spot\" where plandesign meets the consumer's bud...Keywords:

california,health,insurance,carrierArticle Body:Five Critical Criteria used to compare California carriers.1. Health Plan pricing in the market. Ultimately, benefits need to be priced well relative to othersimilar plans on the market. Also, the plans have to make sense financially in today's world ofever-increasing cost. Some large multi-line carriers like Principle offer extremely rich benefitsthat have completely priced themselves out of the market. There's a \"sweet spot\" where plandesign meets the consumer's budget and that has to be a given when choosing a plan.Interestingly enough, this pricing value is driven by a carriers ability to do well in the followingother areas so let's take a look at them. More information on the major carriers in the Californiamarket.2. Extensive provider network for HMO and PPO. A carrier needs to have as many doctors andhospital in all major areas participate in their HMO and PPO networks. The more the better.This is especially true for PPO plans which is the direction the market is ultimately heading ascosts escalate. This is primarily a function of how many subscribers the carrier can bring to thebargaining table with medical and hospital groups. If a carrier covers a significant number ofpeople in a given area, the doctors and hospitals of that area need to contract with the carrier.Also, the carrier can negotiate rates better which is essentially the foundation for PPO plans.PPO's are big group discounts essentially. Here, bigger is better. You can find more informationon how the California health networks work.3. Flexibility and Scope of plan design. The carrier must also offer a full range of plan options:both rich and value HMO options; a full range of PPO plans from rich copay plans to hybridlower priced plans; Health Savings Account or HSA compatible plans and strictly catastrophiclower-priced plans. No one's needs are the same. The carrier should be able to provide for bothsides of the spectrum. A key direction in the market today is towards the segmentation ofmaternity and non-maternity benefit plans on the Individual/Family market. This is a criticalconsideration or any enrollee who may need maternity coverage in the future. Health Netcurrently only has one plan with maternity benefits in their PPO portfolio. On the group side, ithas been more a move towards higher deductibles and in some instances, generic drug coverageonly. The Generic only benefit is more and more prevalent on the Individual/Family side. Wefeel strongly at http://CalHealth.netthat Brand name prescription is important as more exoticmedical conditions can require new drugs that run 10's of thousands of dollars.4. Ease of Use. One more time... EASE OF USE. The carrier has to be easy to deal with. This iscritical for the day-to-day management of your policy (which we help with) and moreimportantly, the claims-processing side. Technology is increasingly figuring here. Whichcarriers have made the investment in the Information systems to facilitate both the membershipand claims side. We deal with all the carriers day-in and day-out... common sense andpracticality are essential in the carrier you choose.5. Pricing Stability. Over the past decade, California health insurance costs have increasedsignificantly. Barring major changes, it will likely continue as Americans use more and morehealth care. The ability to mitigate this increase is primarily a function of a carrier'smanagement of the above four items. Are they designing and pricing correctly for the market toencourage future rate stability? Can they negotiate well with the medical groups and largehospital chains in the California health market? Do they offer options for carriers to reduce

benefits (and cost) and still feel well protected? Have they invested in making their businesseffective from and IT perspective? These are all important questions that directly your futurerates and results as a function of the health carrier's management.California health insurance Carrier by Carrier listing in descending order based on ourexperienceBlue Cross of CaliforniaBlue Cross is owned by Wellpoint, which is probably the dominant carrier nationwide in termsof stability and progressive plan design. They are known as Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield orUnicare in most other States. They have been the ones to beat in the California health market.1. Plan Pricing - they are consistently priced in the top 1-2 for comparable plans.2. Network - For PPO plans, they probably the most extensive network with providers in allcounties. Over 70K providers and 400 hospitals State-wide plus access to the Blue Cardnetwork for family members or employees in other States.3. Flexibility - On the Small Group side, they started the Employee Elect program which is stillthe most flexible and easiest to use. They even apply choice to the dental plans as well. Theyhave 4 HMO plans, 5 HSA plans, and 12 PPO plans plus a suite called BeneFit for low costplans. On the individual side, they consistently bring out new plans from the Right Plan 40no-deductible PPO plan to the new Tonik health plan suite that the other carriers invariably tryto copy 6-12 months later.4. Ease of Use - They are easiest carrier to do business with. They tend to be the most flexiblewhen dealing with issues and the issues tend to be less frequent than with other carriers. Theyare ahead of the curve (and have been) with technology both in terms of their internal processesand interaction with groups. New online control panels allow employee additions, terminations,changes and more on the Group side. They can be strict in underwriting (company requirements)and benefit management is definitely there but both of these attributes work ultimately to keepcost down which is the biggest issue (hence #1) in the market now. They the first to unveil anonline application and online account management and visibility. Tonik enrollment iscompletely handled online.5. Pricing Stability - Their increases as a percentage tend to be in the lower quadrant of themarket...primarily due to their work on the above four items.Blue Shield of CaliforniaBlue Shield of California a strong carrier in California and also participates in the Blue Cardnetwork for out-of-State employees and family members. It is one of the few non-profits. Crossand Shield are two separate, completely independent carriers at the Small Group (2-50employees) and Individual/Family level. If PPO is your preferred option, they are a goodcomparison for Cross and Health Net.1. Plan Pricing - they are consistently priced in the top 1-3 for comparable plans.2. Network - For PPO plans, they probably rival Blue Cross with providers in all counties. Theyprobably do not negotiate as well as Blue Cross but may have a better reception from

doctors/hospitals because of it. This also affects their pricing going forward. They do allowaccess to the Blue Card network for employees or dependents in other States. Their HMO iscomparable to Cross but neither is thought to be the strongest carrier for HMO plans.3. Flexibility - They allow selections from the different classes of plans (HMO, PPO, and HSA).They have a full range of plans with one of the last no-deductible PPO Small Group plans onthe market. They have 7 HMO plans, 4 HSA plans, and 13 PPO plans on the Small Group sideand an equivalent suite of plans on the individual side.4. Ease of Use - Their Group underwriting is slightly more flexible than Cross but their claimsand membership side is not as advanced...especially in terms of technology. Our sources saythat they are undertaking a pretty significant IT project to integrate their systems and have beenworking to bring Small Group resources to the web (behind Cross). On the individual side, theyhave an online application and online tracking but their underwiting tends to be more involved.5. Pricing Stability - Their increases as a percentage tend to be in the lower to mid quadrant ofthe market depending on the class of plan (HSA versus PPO for example). They will need tocontinue modernizing in order to keep this trend going forward.Health Net of CaliforniaHealth Net of California was originally Blue Cross' HMO many years ago. Traditionally, theywere a strong HMO carrier but they have aggressively moved into the PPO market as the futureof HMO's and its cost structure dimmed. They tend to copy Cross' moves in the market so atleast they are smart enough to the follow the leader. If a company's main focus is HMO andthey do not have employees out of State, Health Net is definitely to be considered. On theindividual/family side, they are a solid carrier but need more of a PPO track record.1. Plan Pricing - Health Net tends to copy Cross' offerings and then under-price the market. Inthe short-term, this is fine for your company. Long term, the rates always increase and/orchange. The only issue is if the increase occurs mid-year and employees have already metdeductibles/max-out-of-pockets...making a carrier change difficult. This is true on theIndividual/Family side and Small Group.2. Network - Health Net has a strong HMO network as that has been their bread and butter longbefore the PPO came along for them. The PPO network should be well represented throughoutthe State although it's range probably does not match Cross or Shields, whose experience in thePPO market goes back decades.3. Flexibility - Health Net copied Cross beneficially in that they copied the nature of EmployeeElect where you can offer multiple plans to their employees. They have a full range of planswith 16 HMO's, 4 HSA's, and 8 PPO's. You can see their HMO background from the planoptions. On the individual side, they only have one maternity PPO plan but offer a wider rangeof HMO plans. Their HSA's are comparable but probably under-priced.4. Ease of Use - Health Net tends to be pretty reasonable both in terms of enrollment(underwriting) and membership. They are behind Cross and Shield in terms of onlinecapabilities and systems. On the individual side, they tend to be more strict with underwritingand if an applicant's health is not clean, they have declined a high percentage of apps. Cross andShield appear to be more pragmatic in terms of actually looking at a person's health history andmaking a decision.

5. Pricing Stability - Pricing stability has been a weaker area for Health Net especially on thePPO front. For HMO, they have a good grasp of the market and the model. PPO has been a bitmore elusive with more requent and significant changes with their plans. This is to be expectedas PPO requires a good 5-7 years of claims experience to truly wrap your head around themodel actuarially speaking.We have listed Blue Cross of California, Blue Shield of California, and Health Net of Californiaseparately as they really are the strongest California health insurance carriers that offer bothPPO and HMO options. Kaiser is a major carrier but primarily acts as an HMO. There are manyother options on the market, but from our experience, they usually are not advisable against oneof the above mentioned four.Title:How Flax Seed Improves Your Health!Word Count:376Summary:More and more, health-conscious individuals are turning to flax seed and it's inherent flax seedoil as a natural, affordable solution. Are you frustrated in your search for a natural foodsupplement? One that can help you feel healthier and lose weight? without side effects?Flax Seeds Benefits the Entire Body!Flaxseed is claimed to benefit every molecule in the body! It improves the quality of hair, nails,and skin, as well as helping to regulate bodyweight, lower chol...Keywords:flaxseed,flax seed,flax, health,heart,cancer,disease,weight loss,health,heartdisease,heart,omega,faArticle Body:More and more, health-conscious individuals are turning to flax seed and it's inherent flax seedoil as a natural, affordable solution. Are you frustrated in your search for a natural foodsupplement? One that can help you feel healthier and lose weight? without side effects?Flax Seeds Benefits the Entire Body!Flaxseed is claimed to benefit every molecule in the body! It improves the quality of hair, nails,and skin, as well as helping to regulate bodyweight, lower cholesterol and blood pressure andprevent arthritis and cancers.What is Flax Plant?The flax plant, an ancient crop, yields the fibre from which linen is woven, as well as seeds(linseed or flaxseed) and oil. The oil, also called linseed oil, has many industrial uses, it is animportant ingredient in paints, varnishes and linoleum for example.

Flax is a grain crop which has several substances that can be healthy. It has fiber, omega-3 fattyacids and lignans. You can add flax to your diet by either using the flaxseeds or flaxseed oil.Both will add the essential omega-3 fatty acid, alpha linolenic acid (ALA) to our bodies. Weneed this fatty acid and are unable to make it on our own. This fatty acid may help reduce therisk for cardiovascular disease and sudden cardiac death. It is believed that flax's fatty acids, aswell as fiber, help in lowering blood cholesterol.Flaxseed has been a part of human and animal diets for thousands of years in Asia, Europe, andAfrica, and more recently in North America and Australia, says Kaye Effertz, executive directorof AmeriFlax, a trade promotion group representing U.S. flaxseed producers. As flax gainedpopularity for its industrial uses, however, its popularity as a food product waned, but it neverlost its nutritional value.What does Flax Seeds look like?Flax seeds are slightly larger than sesame seeds and have a hard shell that is smooth and shiny.Their color ranges from deep amber to reddish brown depending upon whether the flax is of thegolden or brown variety. While whole flaxseeds feature a soft crunch, the nutrients in groundseeds are more easily absorbed.Today flax is experiencing a renaissance among nutritionists, the health conscious public, foodprocessors, and chefs alike!The Aging Body in Healthy LivingThe body goes through many changes starting at adolescence. As a person ages the brain, eyes,ears, mouth, smell, heart, liver, lungs, kidneys, bladder, colon, metabolism, and so on starts tochange. The body functions start declining which affects reproductive organs, blood, cells,tissues and so on. To slow aging one must exercise, eat right and continue visiting their doctors.Doctors are essential, since these caring souls take time to monitor your bodily functions.Doctors will consider environment, overall health, hereditary factors and more to maintain yourhealth.Who studies aging?Geriatrics are the men and women in the branches of medicine that study seniors or aging. Theexperts often focus on aging or the aged since the majority of disease all start in later years. Inview of the fact, geriatrics study the syndromes and disease simply because one disease thataffects the young will effect the elders in a different light. For instance, if a younger person hasa thyroidal problem, it may cause them to feel cranky, gain weight and so on. However, if anolder person has a thyroidal problem, they may sink in and reduce themselves into depression.Compare the diseases:If an older person has a thyroidal condition, they may feel depressed, confused, withdrawn,抯fatigue, confused, and will lose memory. If common doctors noted these changes they maydeduce dementia or Alzheimer disease, since the symptoms are in like. Therefore, someonehas to focus their attention on aging only to understand the changes that older persons gothrough.

抯Older people are subjects to Alzheimer disease, which is a progressive brain dysfunction.The disease causes massive memory loss, which the person will shrink back to infancy in timeand finally die. Older people are subject to Aortic aneurysm, which is a disease of the aortawhere the walls start dilating, rupturing the main functions and gradually causes death. Olderpeople are subjects to atrophic arthritis, which is in harmony with vaginitis. This conditioncauses the urethra, as well as the vagina to shrink. As the organs thin the tissues, varioussymptoms emerge, including burning sensations. The person may feel pain during sexualintercourse. With the burning sensations during urine release, a typical doctor could confusethis disorder as some sort of infection, or sexual transmitted disease. (STD)Of course, the average doctors receive valuable information from the study groups of seniorcitizens. For this reason, the doctors stand alert to challenge aging symptoms, rather thanconfusing the symptoms with other disease.Elderly people are subject to bedsores. Due to prolonged force, this condition causes the skin tobreakdown. In addition, elderly people are subject to cataracts, which the lens are cloudedcausing impairment of vision. Diseases such as benign prostate hyperplasia often develops inthe older generation of men. This condition causes the prostate glands to expend large thennormal. Urine is blocked when this condition emerges.Understanding what you are potentially, facing as an elder person, or youthful person can helpyou get ahead of the aging game. While we have no control over aging, we do have the abilityto slow aging. To slow aging you will need to learn preventive tactics and so on. Ask yourdoctor to provide you pamphlets that help you understand common aging disease.Elderly people face ongoing declinations of the body changes and can lead to chroniclymphocytic leukemia. This disease progresses in a later stage and grows. The condition cangrow into malignant leukemia, which is cancerous. Finally, elderly people are potential victims抯to diabetes type two, glaucoma, hypothyroidism, arthritis, Parkinson disease and so on. Don抰 be the next victim take action today!