Wed Jan 21, 2004
Increasing Premiums Could Leave Some In Cold
(EXCERPT) HARTFORD, Conn. -- Children at or near poverty face a possible loss of publicly financed health insurance if their parents cannot afford higher premiums. The state Social Services Department has drafted regulations that would remove some children from a program known as HUSKY B for at least three months -- or indefinitely if their parents cannot pay recently increased premiums. It was unclear Tuesday how many children would be affected.
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Bush Tries to Boost Health Insurance Proposals
EXCERPT
By Joanne Kenen
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - With health care costs and the uninsured re-emerging as top concerns of U.S. voters, President Bush on Tuesday urged Congress to enact Republican proposals to make health insurance more affordable.
In his State of the Union address, Bush focused on proposals that aim to use tax breaks and the private sector health insurance system to address rising costs for consumers. Most Democrats have repeatedly rejected these approaches in preference to government-backed insurance programs designed to help children and the poor.
"A government-run health care system is the wrong prescription. By keeping costs under control, expanding access, and helping more Americans afford coverage, we will preserve the system of private medicine that makes America's health care the best in the world," Bush said.
Bush repeated his call for refundable tax credits for lower income people who buy basic health insurance policies. In past years his proposals to spend $89 billion over 10 years for these credits have not found much traction in Congress.
Bush also backed Association Health Plans, a concept that would let small businesses or other groups join together to purchase insurance. That idea has found support among House Republicans for years but has languished in the Senate.
The president also proposed another tax break for people who buy a specific type of high-deductible insurance policy linked to the new tax-preferred health savings accounts created as part of last year's Medicare drug benefit law.
Top Democrats swiftly rejected his proposals, saying they would help few of the nation's roughly 43 million uninsured people and might even make matters worse by siphoning off younger, healthier and more affluent workers from the rest of the insurance pool.
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Source: Reuters UK
Mon Jan 19, 2004
Many Hispanics Left Out As Health Costs Climb
DALLAS - Maria and Eusebio Garcia, factory and grocery workers, straddle two medical systems - one Mexican and cheap, another American and costly.
That health care hybrid provides dentistry and flu medicine in Monterrey, Mexico, and heart surgeries in the United States for their 8-year-old daughter, Amy. With a combined income of just over $45,000, the Duncanville, Texas, residents now make too much money to qualify their two daughters and one son for Texas' medical insurance program for children.
"If you don't do it this way, how?" asks Garcia, a naturalized U.S. citizen, as she fingers a packet of ampicillin from Mexico.
Consider the Garcias survivors of America's health care crisis. The family is part of a huge American demographic swell:
Hispanics who lack health insurance or are underinsured. About one in three Latinos in the United States lacks such insurance - the highest rate of any racial and ethnic group.
Insurance companies, mindful of the expected growth in the Latino population, are beginning to take notice. They're providing such services as health care promoters, Web sites and dedicated hotlines in Spanish.
But other insurers remain surprisingly indifferent. In the meantime, health care costs for Hispanics have continued to rise. In 2002, the costs jumped nearly 10 percent, representing the largest increase in more than a decade.
To be sure, the high cost of insurance is affecting all Americans.
About 43.6 million people in the United States, or about 15 percent of the population, were uninsured in 2002, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
But Latinos are hardest hit for a variety of reasons, experts say. Lower incomes aggravate the problem. Many tend to work for smaller companies that are less likely to offer insurance.
With such a large number of foreign-born Latinos - fully 40 percent - there are language issues and health care customs that make seeking catastrophic care, rather than preventive care, the norm, some experts say.
Another problem is that the product selection is just wrong, says Dr. David E. Hayes-Bautista, professor of medicine and director of the Center for the Study of Latino Health at the University of California at Los Angeles. The health care industry is where the food industry was 20 years ago, Hayes-Bautista says.
"There's an awareness that there is a growing population out there that can grow further, but they still aren't sure whether they will switch from ketchup to salsa," he says.
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For example, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas and UnitedHealthCare Group don't operate Spanish-language Web sites. Lumenos Inc. has one Spanish-speaking customer agent, a spokeswoman for the company says. And Lumenos and Blue Cross Blue Shield translate certain materials into Spanish.
Others have been more aggressive.
Aetna Inc. recently launched a health education program in Spanish, says spokeswoman Margaret Jarvis.
At Aetna, the nation's second-largest health insurance company, product changes for the Latino community include the use of promotoras, or health care promoters, a common practice in Mexico.
In addition, Aetna funds community health care education programs through its foundation.
On a recent Thursday morning, the foundation money was at work in the basement health clinic of the Grace United Methodist Church in Old East Dallas, where patients began arriving a full hour before the clinic doors opened. The facility overflowed with patients whose conditions were so severe that it seemed more like a hospital emergency room.
Among them was a 75-year-old man who had advanced diabetes. Sitting in a metal chair looking exhausted, the blind man was supported by a cane, two daughters and a boisterous grandchild.
"We're the daughters, and we are trying to take care of him," says one daughter, who asked that her family's identities not be disclosed because they are undocumented immigrants.
Nearby, Silvia Gallegos, the diabetes program coordinator for the Dallas Concilio of Hispanic Service Organizations, explained to the crowd where to find classes on controlling diabetes, a disease especially prevalent among Latinos. The diabetes program is funded by Aetna.
Preventing disease is paramount, says Celia Carbajal, Aetna's director of emerging markets for the Southwest and western United States. "We need to educate them, especially the Mexican immigrants, that in America, the health care system is based on prevention," Carbajal says. "It is a dual system, and they need to do their part."
Aetna also has a 24-hour dedicated hotline for the Spanish-speaking, as well as the capability to provide clients with phone assistance in more than a dozen other languages. Its DocFind feature provides consumers with information on which medical providers speak Spanish.
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Source: Dallas Morning News, Excerpt
Sat Jan 10, 2004
How Blue Cross of California's Vision Discount Works
While Blue Cross of California does not offer individual vision insurance, they do offer discounts through their HealthyExtensions program. HealthyExtensions allows Blue Cross members to save up to 50% on various products, services, and practitioners that may positively influence your health and go beyond traditional health care services. To learn about the entire program click here (click on the HealthyExtensions button on the left). Below we have listed vision companies that accept Blue Cross member discounts. Call us at 888 285 MEDI if you have additional questions.
EyeMed Vision Care
EyeMed offers Blue Cross of California members discounts on exams, up to 50% off eyewear, and up to 85% of the retail price of contacts.
TruVision - Contacts
Starting at $16.90 per box, TruVision offers Blue Cross of California members low prices on all types of contact lenses from all major manufacturers.
TruVision - LASIK
Through TruVision, Blue Cross of California members can receive laser vision correction for $895.00 per eye (outside of California, the cost ranges from $749.00 - $945.00 per eye). For more information on the program, call TruVision toll-free at 1-877-766-2020.
Vision One Eyecare Program (Cole Vision)
The Vision One Eyecare Program offers Blue Cross of California members immediate savings on all your eyecare needs, including: eye exams, frames, lenses and contacts. Save up to 65% on designer frames, 40% on bifocals and 20% on contact lenses.
The Cole Managed Vision LASIK network offers Blue Cross of California members a choice of qualified surgeons with a substantial discount off of each surgeon's lowest advertised price. Savings typically range from $150-$1000 (both eyes). The initial consultation is free of charge, even if you choose not to have LASIK. To learn more about the program call Cole Vision 1-800-424-1155.
Remember, HealthyExtensions products and services are not covered benefits under your Blue Cross health plan, and the costs of program services and products do not count toward calendar year co-payment maximums, lifetime maximums and/or plan deductibles.
If you have any questions on plan benefits, call us at 888 285 MEDI.
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