Take Control of Your Health Care: Know What Your Health Insurance Plan Covers
California's Office of the Patient Advocate Offers Online Tools to Help You Get the Most out of Your Health Care
| Source: Office of the Patient Advocate
SACRAMENTO, CA--(Marketwire - August 5, 2009) - Knowing what benefits your health insurance
plan covers is crucial to getting the best health care, and can save health
insurance plan members time and money when it matters the most.
California's Office of the Patient Advocate has easy-to-use, online tools
to help Californians learn about their health insurance plan benefits and get the most out of
their health care. These free tools and other health care resources are
available on the Office of the Patient Advocate's Web site,
www.opa.ca.gov/healthcare.
To help navigate health insurance plan coverage, the Office of the Patient
Advocate offers the Ask About Benefits worksheet, which includes a
series of questions about seeing doctors and other health care providers,
optional benefits, and other health care services. This worksheet helps
health care consumers learn important information about their health
insurance plan, including which doctors accept your insurance, seeing
doctors that are out of your health insurance plan's network, coverage for
prescription drugs, and interpreter services.
"Don't assume that your health insurance plan will pay for the doctor you
want to see or the treatment you need. Taking the time to know what your
health insurance benefits are can save you money in the long run," said
Sandra Perez, director, Office of the Patient Advocate. "Californians have
the right to easy-to-understand information about their health insurance
benefits. Tools like the Ask
About Benefits worksheet can help make it even easier."
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, by releasing an
annual quality report card
rating the largest health insurance plans and doctors' medical groups in
the state, the Office of the Patient Advocate stimulates competition in a
way that increases the quality and value of health care services for all
Californians.
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.