Categories
Health Insurance

Preexisting Medical Conditions of Dependent Health Insurance

We wanted to add one additional piece of information regarding this topic, and that is regarding preexisting medical conditions.

Unlike in previous years, employer plans are no longer allowed to refuse coverage to children under age 19 because of a serious medical condition. Unfortunately, although the new law permits children to remain on their parents health plan until the age of 26, they may be refused coverage due to a preexisting medical condition if they are applying after they reach the age of 19. A ban on coverage exclusions for adults that is similar to the one for children is planned to take effect by 2014.

Fall is a time for new beginnings (not to mention warm clothes and pumpkin spice lattes!). So what better time to purchase health insurance coverage for children, especially for your children? Since Obama’s new health care plan, children under the age of 26 are allowed to remain on their parents’ plans, regardless of marital or financial status. This is good news! Here are a few helpful hints to guide you along the way.

First, be sure that the child doesn’t have a coverage offer from his or her employer. Otherwise, this option might not be an option after all. Parents wishing to enroll their child or children on their health plan are able to during a specified enrollment period that both insurers and employers are required to notify their customers of. While plans are not permitted to charge more for adult children than those under age 19, they can up the cost of family coverage. For many companies, if they can…they will! So be aware of this possibility. In addition, many employers are now more likely to have their employees verify dependents’ eligibility for coverage. A potential roadblock of eligibility is divorce, in that the child may not be financially dependent on the parent that qualifies.

Did you know…

  • As a general rule, employers are not permitted to place annual coverage limits that are less than $750,000 for health benefits considered essential, such as hospital services, drugs, emergency services and/or maternity leave and newborn care?
  • By 2014, these coverage limits will be gone?
  • By September 23rd of this year, more regulations will be put into effect for new plans either offered by employers or bought by individuals since March 23rd? These include (but are not limited to) insurers: covering the entire cost of preventive services with the highest recommendation of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, allowing women to see an OB-GYN sans referral and not making plan members pay higher co-payments/coinsurance for out-of-network emergency services.

Health Care and the Economy

It shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that countries with universal health care systems are faring much better in terms of economic cutbacks. And how! The National Bureau of Economic Research recently published a study that revealed that Americans have cut back on their normal medical care, such as routine checkups, significantly more than those in countries such as Britain and Germany.

According to the researchers, this alarming discovery is due in part to the fact that about 15% of Americans are currently uninsured, as opposed to other countries that have nearly complete or complete universal health care coverage.

Europeans with universal coverage often pay a few out-of-pocket costs when it comes to medical care, but it is clear that they are much better off health insurance-wise than we currently are. It is not common for people living in countries with universal health care to cut back on their routine medical care. The researchers from the study say that the cutbacks are most likely to happen to 3 groups: young people, people with low incomes and people greatly affected by the economic crisis. However, not all hope is lost, thanks to the new health care law. President Obama hopes to turn this trend around with his plan to provide coverage for more than 30 million uninsured Americans.

Categories
Employee Benefits Health Insurance

Importance of Employee Benefits Health and Wellness Fairs

Health Risk Assessment programs are systematic approaches to collecting information from individuals that identifies risk factors, provides individualized feedback, and links the person with at least one intervention to promote health, sustain function and/or prevent disease.

A typical Health Risk Assessment obtains information on demographic characteristics (e.g., sex, age), lifestyle (e.g., smoking, exercise, alcohol consumption, diet), personal medical history, and family medical history. In some cases, physiological data (e.g., height, weight, blood pressure, cholesterol levels) are also obtained.

Health Risk Assessment data captured in an aggregate format provides a first step in crafting effective employee health and wellness programs.  Our clients benefit from our large network of participating wellness companies which includes many Health Risk Assessment providers and the ability to provide paper-based, electronic and onsite health risk assessments.  We even have the ability to customize Health Risk Assessments and private label solutions for our clients.

Employee Health Screening / Biometric Testing

Employee Health Screening / Biometric Testing provides an immediate assessment of a members basic health indicators, including:

  • Blood Pressure
  • Cholesterol (HDL and LDL)
  • Body Mass Index (BMI)
  • Blood Glucose

Employee Health Screening / Biometric Testing is generally done on-site at our clients worksite, but Employee Health Screening / Biometric Testing can also be arranged on a drop in basis utilizing a network of more than 10,000 participating lab locations.

On-Site Employee Health Screening / Biometric Screening are a convenient way to assess employee health risk and can include an explanation of results, as well as goal-setting tips and ideas from a Nurse/Health Coach. This creates member awareness of potential health conditions, sending them down the right path to healthier habits.

Health Coaching / Wellness Coaching

By adding personal Health Coaching / Wellness Coaching to Employee Health and Wellness Programs, companies can provide guidance, motivation, and establish a higher level of accountability within Employee Health and Wellness Programs.

Health Coaching / Wellness Coaching can be provided in many ways including:

  • On-site Health Coaching / Wellness Coaching
  • Telephonic Health Coaching / Wellness Coaching
  • Email / Electronic Health Coaching / Wellness Coaching
  • Hybrid models of Health Coaching / Wellness Coaching utilizing a combination of the above

Health and Wellness Fairs

Health and Wellness Fairs go hand in hand with Employee Health Screening / Biometric Testing and serve as a great way to build excitement about Employee Health and Wellness Programs. Many employers have either run or sponsored health and wellness fairs in the past, but probably only had a moderate level of success. This happens because the human resource department has the daunting task of planning, organizing and implementing a Health and Wellness Fair that must practical, educational, and entertaining.

Finding Health and Wellness Fair vendors can be time consuming and frustrating. Effectively promotion the event, event set-up, decorating, cleanup and dozens of other tasks are usually too much for the human resource department to effectively manage in addition to their regular, daily responsibilities.

Health and Wellness Fairs Simplified

Let us assist you in finding a vendor to manage your Health and Wellness Fair. Our participating Health and Wellness Fair management companies will handle all of the details for you including; scheduling, creating, promoting and running a health and wellness fair that is both exciting and informative. The selected vendor will handle everything from start to finish. It’s as simple as that!

What Happens at a Health and Wellness Fair?

Health and Wellness Fairs generally consist of 4-20 health care providers offering free health checks such as blood pressure, massage, posture, body fat analysis and ergonomics. Most Health and Wellness Fairs also offer low-cost tests such as PSA, bone density, cholesterol, glucose, and nutritional analysis.

Why Offer Health and Wellness Fairs?

Simply put healthy employees translate into a healthy bottom. Health and Wellness Fairs are an excellent and employee benefit that can improve morale, increase productivity, and possibly decrease overall health care costs.

Wellness Workshops / Lunch and Learns

Wellness Workshops / Lunch and Learns are targeted Employee Health and Wellness programs which are designed to raise your employee awareness about their health, help them understand their susceptibility to disease, and motivate them to make lifestyle changes that will reduce risks and enhance the quality of their lives.

Informative and interactive, Wellness Workshops / Lunch and Learns will be enjoyed by all employees. Lunch and Learn seminars are a great way to promote health and well being among your employees, while increasing productivity and reducing lost time from work.

The process is simple, our participating health and wellness vendors do all the work for you including; provide you with emails, faxes and flyers to promote the Wellness Workshops / Lunch and Learns.  Our participating health and wellness vendors can set up in the lunch room or a conference room and are able to present on a vast number of health and wellness topics.

Wellness Workshops / Lunch and Learns frequently target:

  • Fitness and Physical Activity
  • Nutrition, Healthy Eating
  • Weight Management, Weight Loss
  • The Importance of Sleep
  • Stress Management Tips and Techniques
  • Smoking Cessation / Tobacco Cessation
  • Work / Life Balance
  • Drugs / Addiction
  • Anxiety / Depression
  • Diabetes Risks, Detection and Management
  • Safety and Prevention
  • CPR / First Aid
  • Self Care and more

Health Fair Tip #1

Start small. Rather than trying to create a large health fair the first year, begin small. For example, in the 1st plan a wellness seminar for the office. Plan a larger wellness seminar for the next year that’s available to a larger group of people. If that’s successful, then you may open it to the community in the third year. Be sure to network each year, and learn from others so that you can gradually expand your health fair.

Health Fair Tip #2

Plan early. The earlier you start planning a health fair, the more likely you will be to get the speakers you want, the resources you need, as well as the time to plan a health fair that runs smoothly. Getting approvals, legal requirements (see Health Fairs and HIPAA), insurance, health fair speakers, health fair resources, and good locations often takes much longer than expected.

Health Fair Tip #3

Form a health fair planning committee. You may want to do this one year in advance for large events and three to six months in advance for smaller health fairs. Determine specific responsibilities and timelines as early as possible, and be certain to put them in writing.

Health Fair Tip #4

Find a health fair location that’s convenient for participants. Take into account, the locations accessibility, temperatures, seating, and the proximity to food and bathrooms.

Health Fair Tip #5

Talk with others to find good health fair speakers. You’ll be amazed at how many people know dynamic, knowledgeable health fair speakers. Network with your friends, your colleagues, and with outside organizations.

Health Fair Tip #6

Give health fair participants an opportunity to network. This can be accomplished in many ways, including question-and-answer sessions, through roundtable discussions, by providing interactive activities, by displaying exhibits, by hosting a luncheon, or by providing refreshment breaks. Have nametags available and/or provide participant lists for people to take with them if this is appropriate.

Health Fair Tip #7

Distribute health fair materials. Consider having seminar outlines, printed materials, a website, and other health fair resources on a table for participants to learn more about the various issues discussed. Be sure to have written permission from health fair speakers before distributing their materials.

Health Fair Tip #8

Include health fair activities to reinforce the health information. Consider hosting a walk, a cooking demonstration, some healthy snacks, a workshop, or other health fair activity.

Health Fair Tip #9

Ensure that the health fair information is current and accurate. Publications to distribute at your event can be found on this website along with other Health Fair Ideas.

Health Fair Tip #10

Evaluate your health fair. Develop a short health fair evaluation form, make plenty of copies, and encourage people to fill out the form and return it in after the health fair. Lessons learned at your health fair are an invaluable resources when planning your next health fair.

Categories
Health Insurance

Side Dental Plans compatible with Delta Dental

If you are covered by Delta Dental , but would like to add additional coverage with secondary dental insurance plan, there are many options available. Once you make of Delta Dental your primary insurance coverage, be compatible with a variety of other insurance policies. Please note that some insurance policies are not available in all areas. Always check with the company to get a customized quote. In addition, dental insurance plans are very different from the discount dental plans. While discount plans can help consumers save money, they are not an actual insurance coverage.

Dental Coverage Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield

Anthem, a company of Blue Cross and Blue Shield group offers dental coverage in several states. If your state is not covered, there may be another subsidiary of Blue Cross in your area that offers a dental insurance plan that can be used as a secondary dental plan. Coverage for medical consultations, x-rays and cleanings begins immediately, but there is a grace period of six months for restorations and more serious dental work. This is a PPO plan and you have to make sure your dentist is in your list of suppliers.

United Health One

A national provider of dental insurance coverage available in most areas, United Health One, provides 100% coverage of routine consultations, so it is an ideal place to have it as a secondary plan plan, especially if you are concerned about paying too much. The plan provides coverage of 80% if you have realizarte restorations or tooth extraction after completion of the grace period. In addition, this plan covers 50% of major restoration work, such as bridges or dentures. For those who do not have a dentist in your area that is part of United Health One, there is an additional coverage plan as premier.

Aetna Dental Insurance

Aetna is another major insurance provider offering dental coverage in most areas. Your PPO plan allows you to see any dentist enrolled and receive coverage or plan DMO option allows you to select a primary dentist. No copayment for office visits with the PPO plan and the plan involves a copayment DMO inexpensive. Most procedures are covered without deductible, but there are some cases where the insurance plan does not cover 100% of the services you receive. However, as a secondary insurance plan, this should not be a problem.