What Every Californian Should Consider When Choosing a Health Plan
| Source: Office of the Patient Advocate
SACRAMENTO, CA--(Marketwire - November 16, 2009) - During open
enrollment, the Office of the Patient Advocate can provide resources to
help you select the right health plan for yourself and your family.
If you have more than one health insurance plan to choose from, start by
comparing the costs, benefits, providers, and quality of each health plan
to help ensure that you and your family choose a health plan that fits your
health care needs. California's Office of the Patient Advocate has health
worksheets and other online resources to help you understand and compare
these aspects of your health plan choices and get the most out of your
health care.
To help Californians understand and compare the costs, benefits and
providers of their health insurance choices, the Office of the Patient
Advocate offers the Compare HMO Costs, Compare PPO Costs and Asking About
Benefits health worksheets. These worksheets are free to
download and can help you learn details about your health plan options so
you get better health care. To compare the quality of each health plan --
or to see how your current health plan measures up compared to other plans
in California -- you can use the Health Care Quality Report
Card. The Report Card is released annually by the Office of the
Patient Advocate and allows you to see how well health plans meet national
standards of care and how members rate their health plans.
"In a time of rising health care costs, Californians deserve tools and
information to help them understand the often confusing world of heath care
coverage," said Sandra Perez, director, Office of the Patient Advocate.
"The Office of the Patient Advocate has the resources Californians need to
choose well and get the most from their health insurance plan."
Health care plays an important role in the lives of all Californians. The
Office of the Patient Advocate seeks to provide Californians with the
information and tools needed to make informed health care decisions and get
the most out of their health insurance plan. In addition to free
educational materials, the Office of the Patient Advocate releases an
annual health care quality report card rating the largest health insurance
plans and doctors' medical groups in the state on quality of care and
patient satisfaction as rated by members of the plan. There are also easy
links to report cards on hospitals, nursing homes, PPOs, Medi-Cal,
Medicare, and Healthy Families.
The Office of the Patient Advocate is an office in state government
established in 2000 to inform and educate Californians about their rights
and responsibilities as health insurance plan members and to teach them how
to get the most out of their health care. To learn more about getting the
most out of your health care, or to download health
worksheets and other health care-related tools, visit www.opa.ca.gov.