By: Naya Jones

With health care reform moving forward, will Blue Cross Tonik health insurance still be the obvious choice for young people? For the last 5 years Tonik health insurance was the most popular plan with single individuals under 39 years old in the six states in which they operate (California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, New Hampshire, Nevada). If the proposed health insurance bill passes, Tonik still may be the best choice. In the short term, this will be definately true. Here is why: The bulk of the reform efforts are set to take place in 2014. The main changes to take place before then only seem to enhance Tonik. We have listed the three main provisions below with our understanding how they will impact Tonik health plans.

1) No lifetime payment caps on insurance plans

The bill says that no plan within 6 months of approval cannot have a maximum payout limit.  Tonik currently has a $5 million dollar lifetime payout so this change would only improve the plan.

2) Reduce ability to rescind coverage

Rescission is a controversial topic where health insurance companies can cancel your plan if you have withheld any medical information in the application. While this has happened to less than 1/10 of 1 percent of members in the past,  it will no longer be allowed in the future unless the company can prove there was intended fraud. By reducing the ability of health insurance companies to rescind plans, the heath care reform only makes Tonik health insurance better.

3) Adult children to age 26 can be considered dependents on their parents plan

This is probably the biggest change to affect Tonik. If you qualify, you can stay on your parents plan longer than ever before.  While the law will force insurance companies to expand this coverage, there is no cap on the price to have older dependents. Insurance companies will probably charge a lot of money to keep adult children on their parents plans because the bulk of those who exercise this option will have pre-existing conditions. If you think about it, someone 25 years old who is still on his/her parents plan probably means they cannot qualify for individual health insurance. Without being too technical, this is called adverse selection and will raise the rates for all dependents on their parents plans.  Tonik, on the other hand, will still have an approval process. While its no fun to be turned down for health insurance, the pool of approved applicants on any plan with underwriting are healthier and therefore less expensive to insure.

As more details of the proposed plan become clear, we will keep you updated. To learn about the proposed penalty for not having health coverage check out

By Marcus Wilip

It is too early to say exactly what the final health care reform will look like but we get lots of questions asking how will reform efforts affect Tonik Health Insurance.  Here is what we know so far…

There is currently no public health plan on the table that will cover everyone for “no cost.”  We occasionally get the person that says, “why buy Tonik if I’m just going to get covered under health care reform.”  Any results from health reform will be a few years off and they won’t offer blanket coverage for young people like Medicare does for the over 65 set.

Congress is, however, scheduled to vote shortly on a reformed plan designed to get the bulk of young people to buy health insurance.  The plan is supposed to use a combination of subsidies to help young people pay for the their monthly premium and fee penalties for those who chose not to purchase health insurance.  If this passes there will be a health insurance coverage mandate. This is designed in part to get the additional 13 million young Americans who are currently not paying for health insurance into the system. 

The proposed penalty is not that big.  It looks like $95 dollars for the first year and it will start increasing to $750. 

So how does this all affect Tonik. We don’t know exactly.  The proposal talks of requiring all plans to approve everyone. That would be a change for Tonik as currently all applications must go through underwriting and everyone is subject to approval. If this were implemented on Tonik it would also raise the price as we have seen with the small group market when everyone is approved regardless of their health history, the monthly price is almost always higher.  But it is unclear how a legacy plan like Tonik will work. They say that if you already have a plan you can keep it so maybe Tonik’s benefits will not change. 

We will keep you posted with any new news of how health care reform will affect Tonik.

By: Naya Jones

To accomodate non English speakers, the Tonik health insurance applications are now availabe in Tagalog, Vietnamese and Spanish. The application are currently only available.
We have added Tagalog, Vietnamese and Spanish applications.

By: Medicoverage Staff

Now that you’re forking money over every month for your Tonik health insurance, you might as well take advantage of the services available to you.  Tonik Plans are underwritten by Anthem Blue Cross of California and that’s a good thing. Blue Cross is California’s largest health insurance provider, which has bargaining power and a ton of great services. Here are some tips to get the most out of your plan:

1) Stay in the Anthem Blue Cross PPO Network.

That’s the trick to keeping your costs down. Anthem Blue Cross has a huge network of doctors and hospitals and if you use the Blue Cross Network, your cost will be way lower. So know before you go. Click here to find a Tonik doctor in your network. Search under PPO (formerly know as Prudent Buyer) Network.

2) Join a Gym.

Why not? You will get a discount by being part of the Blue Cross family. Visit Healthy Extensions section to find Jenny Craig, LASIK and Teeth Whitening discounts. If you are already in shape, have perfect vision and pearly white teeth, send us your photo and move on to step 3.

3) Get a Healthy Check.

It’s kind of like a mini physical. You can get a Healthy Check once a year for 25 to 75 bucks. This link will explain more and help you find healthy check centers in your area.

4) Check that Tooth.

Dental insurance comes bundled with Tonik Plans, so you might as well use it. As long as you stay in network, you’ll find that cleanings, exams and x-rays won’t cost you anything. If you need a filling, you have a $25 dental deductible then the plan pays 80% and you pay the remaining 20%. Total dental benefits paid by Anthem Blue Cross are limited to a maximum of $500 per year. Use the Anthem Blue Cross doctor finder to find a dentist in your network. Note: If you don’t get your teeth cleaned on a regular basis, you’ll soon have stank breath- so do us all a favor and make the call.

5) Pay Your Bills.

The number one reason why individuals are dropped from their plans is because they haven’t made a payment on time. Your bill is usually due on the first of the month. If you chose paper billing you will have to pre-pay for two months and there is a two dollar charge for the paper option. Want to save the earth or just having trouble remembering to get that check in the mail? Visit the Anthem CA section to access forms to fill out an automatic checking (or CC) withdrawal form. It takes 2 minutes and it can help ensure that you stay covered.

Medicoverage is an authorized independent agent. Benefits above are subject to change.

By: Martin L. Lawrence

Once only available in California, Tonik Health Insurance plans are now offered in Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, New Hampshire, and Nevada.  The Tonik plans which are now in 6 states specifically targeting active, healthy people who need health insurance but hate forms and jargon.

We were skeptical at first since, as we all know, health insurance companies are notorious for making everything more confusing than it needs to be. We were pleasantly surprised to find out that we were wrong. Tonik plans are easy to understand and easy to apply for. Check out our initial overview below:

TonikA>?,??,>s motto is A>?,?_"Cover your A-ZA>?,?A_ and, beyond the double entendre, it basically means that Tonik will offer, for the first time, health, vision, and dental for one easy payment. No other health plan that we know of offers all three benefits bundled for one low payment.

TOO HIP? Everything Tonik does is hip. The website is designed in Flash and focuses on extreme sports graphics. They also regularly use slang like “dude” and “buzzkill”. If you can get past their over-eager effort to relate to the young generation, you will find great plans and by far the best online health insurance application. Most people complete it in 15 minutes and many are approved within 5 minutes.

WHICH ONE ARE YOU? Tonik has 3 plans dubbed for different types of users. They have A>?,?_"The Thrill Seeker,A>?,?A_ A>?,?_"The Part-Time DaredevilA>?,?A_ and A>?,?_"The Calculated Risk Taker.” We like these names because it’s now much easy to sort through than the old confusing codes and numbers of traditional plans. With the TONIK system, all you have to do is just figure out which category you fall under and then apply. If you are a “Thrill Seeker,” you probably want to be covered in case of an accident and figure you will only need to see the doctor a few times a year. “Calculated Risk Takers,” on the other hand, are willing to pay a little more for low deductibles and unlimited trips to the doctor in addition to comprehensive coverage for accidents. “Part Time Daredevils” fall somewhere in between. Check out the TONIK plan break down below and see which type you are.

If you are a recent grad or an young person (it’s ok if your over 29- just be healthy and active) considering health insurance, check out the Tonik prices and info below. If you have any questions call an independent authorized agent at 800-930-7956. These agents are experts on these plans and, best of all, they work on your behalf at no additional charge or hidden fees.You can call them directly or go straight to the website to apply.

TONIK covers you for the everyday, preventative stuff (like checkups) and the more dramatic encounters (like trips to the emergency room). TONIK plans include coverage for:

Seeing a doctor
Getting generic prescription drugs
Going to the emergency room
Having surgery
Seeing a dentist
Getting eye exams, glasses or contacts
...and a whole lot more

The Bottom Line.
YouA>?,??,>ll find TONIK plans to be affordable.Other comparable plans often cost as much but do not cover doctor visits or dental. The price will vary based on your zip code, type of plan and your age. To find out rates and benefits for California, Colorado, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Georgia, Nevada, visit our pages dedicated to Tonik Health Insurance

Below is just a general guideline. Please note that plan benefits vary by state.

Annual Deductible: There are three: $5,000, $3,000 or $1,500
Doctor Visit Copay: Copays can be from $20*, $30*, $40 depending on your state and plan
Out of Pocket Max: This is the same as your deductible. $5,000 $3,000 $1,500
Prescription Drugs: Generic only in most states: $10-$15
Emergency Room Care: This benefit depends on your state. In some states it is as low as $100.
Inpatient Hospital: $0 after the deductible is met
Dental Cleanings, Exams & some X-rays: No cost and no deductible (limit 2 times a year)
Dental Deductible: Ranges from $25-$50
Fillings: you pay 20% after you pay deductible.

To apply or for more details Visit the our new section dedicated to .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
REMEMBER The Tonik plans do not include maternity benefits!!!!

By: Naya Jones

So we get a lot of question about Anthem Blue Cross Tonik health insurance, but this one comes up more often than not.

Question: Can I Travel Out of State and Still Be Covered by Tonik?

Answer: If you plan to travel outside of California, take your Tonik card with you…you might need it. If you require medical care or treatment out of state, you may use a local Blue Cross and or Blue Shield participating provider. If you use one of these providers, your “out of pocket” expenses may be lower than those incurred when using non participating providers.

If you are traveling outside the United States, coverage is provided in Medical Emergencies only. Please call 1.800.810.BLUE (2583) to inquire about providers that may participate in the BlueCard out of state and worldwide program.

You can read more Tonik FAQs for your state by visiting our Tonik health insurance section.

Spring is here, bringing with it an important milestone for many young adults—college graduation. Graduating from college represents a transition from partial to complete independence. While some graduates continue on to graduate studies, many either take some time off or enter the workforce - an exciting time that also happens to be coupled with several financial and lifestyle obstacles.

Upon graduation, many young adults lose their eligibility for health insurance coverage. Former students are no longer covered by their school’s insurance plan and many are no longer considered eligible as dependents on their parents’ plans. As a result, many young adults join the ranks of the 47 million Americans who are uninsured, making recent grads the fastest growing segment of the uninsured population.

According to a recent report by the Commonwealth Fund, nearly 40 percent of college graduates and half of high school graduates who do not enroll in college have no health insurance coverage at some point during their first year after graduation.

Many graduates don’t know how long their job search will last and are reluctant to purchase coverage they feel is unnecessary. The challenge for these twenty-somethings is finding a flexible policy that provides coverage for up to six or 12 months that also allows them to pay for coverage one month at a time. Once they obtain permanent coverage through an employer, they can simply stop paying the month-to-month premium.

Individual medical insurance can give recent graduates and their parents valuable peace of mind by protecting them from the devastating financial impact a catastrophic illness or accident can cause.

“We know that young adults are facing the challenge of seeking health coverage that is affordable,” said John Martie, president, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Colorado. “Anthem has created innovative coverage options, like Tonik and Lumenos Consumer-Driven Health Plans that deliver practical coverage for a reasonable price.”

Though policy costs vary according to age, gender and location, they’re typically about one-third the cost of coverage through COBRA. Individual policies are easy to purchase.

By: Medicoverage Staff

Blue Cross of California broke the mold of traditional health insurance offerings by marketing unique health plans tailored to the lifestyle and attitudes of individuals aged 19-29. Now Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield of Colorado is targeting the same uninsured “Young Invincibles” with the same Tonik plans.

Tonik plans are simple, easy to use and affordable. Tonik covers routine doctor visits as well as the more serious medical necessities. Unlike other individual policies on the market, seeing a dentist, getting eye exams, glasses and contacts are all-inclusive within the new benefit design.

Curious “young invincibles” Colorado residents can visit and apply for tonik online or call our agent at 800 930-7956. Applicants are subject to review and approval for a plan within minutes. The plans are intentionally easy to understand and navigate. There is minimal to no paperwork and if approved, an applicant can print out a custom-designed identification card right on the spot.

To learn more, contact us or go to www.healthapplication.com