​Anthem Blue Cross of California
 
Anthem Blue Cross is one of the largest managed health care companies in California. It is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association based in Thousand Oaks, California. Anthem and its affiliates serve over 8 million Californians and have offered Covered California plans since 2014.
 
2020 Expansion
Anthem is pleased to announce that we are expanding our participation in an additional six regions for 2020. In addition to currently offering plans in regions 1 (Northern California counties), 7 (Santa Clara County), and 10 (San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Merced, Mariposa and Tulare counties), Anthem will also offer plans in regions 9 (Santa Cruz, San Benito and Monterey counties), 11 (Fresno, King and Madera counties,) 12 (San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Ventura counties), 15 (Los Angeles County East), 16 (Los Angeles County West), and 17 (Inland Empire).
 
Innovative Programs
Anthem is working with doctors and hospitals that share responsibility for increasing access to appointments, improving the member experience, and providing a more coordinated treatment plan to patients.
 
We also want to help our members spend more time focused on their health and less time managing the ins and outs of health care. That’s why Anthem is driving meaningful change through technology to deliver an easier to use, more complete web and mobile health care experience.
 
Introducing IngenioRx
Anthem’s new pharmacy benefits manager, IngenioRx, not only manages Anthem drug plans, it also offers better support to our members. This means members will have around-the-clock access to teams of specialists, online tools that can be used at home or on the go, and the ease of managing health and drug plans in one place.
 
Mobile and Online options Meet Sydney, Anthem’s new mobile app designed to provide members a more personal, simplified experience. Along with quick access to their Digital ID card, Find a Doctor, and a Personal Goal Setting tool, members can also use the new ChatBot to help guide them on the app, and try the new Care Team set up feature, too. And at anthem.com/ca, members can find all the same features built with easy access and personalization in mind as the mobile app and much more.
 
24/7 Access with Telehealth Anthem’s LiveHealth Online telehealth program gives members access to real-time, face-to-face visits with a choice of doctors across a range of specialties via computer, tablet or mobile phone 24 hours a day. Available in both English and Spanish, doctors can answer questions, diagnose common problems, and even prescribe some medications.

The breakup of families is very common in the United States with 40 to 50% of marriages ending in divorce. Of course, this has serious economic impacts on the individuals involved. One such area is health insurance, the coverage of which can be significantly altered by a divorce. With so many other important factors involve, this may be the last one you consider, but when you do, you'll realize that it is one of the most significant. Here are three things you should know about how divorce affects your family's health insurance.

Your Coverage May Go Through Drastic Changes
If you divorce and your health insurance was provided by your spouse's employer, changes in the coverage will probably ensue. In this scenario, it is entirely possible that you will lose your health insurance when you also lose your status as a qualified dependent. Once that happens, you must find your own or pay for COBRA Insurance, which can cover you and the rest of your family for up to 36 months, though often at increased premiums. Investigate your health insurance options. Potential alternatives include checking what your own employer offers or signing up for the Affordable Care Act.

Your Kids Should Still Be Covered
One of the most important things in a divorce that involves children is to work out which spouse will pay to ensure that those children have health insurance. This decision will be based on various of factors, including which spouse can purchase the most comprehensive coverage and what the cost of the coverage may be.

It's also important to keep in mind that the spouse who covers health insurance may have child support payments altered in compensation. According to Laurence J Brock, child support payments are calculated based on several factors, including health insurance costs. As such, payment of health insurance often lowers child support payments.

Your Coverage Might Not Change
There are numerous scenarios under which your health insurance may not change. The first is the most obvious, the one in which you are the person who obtained the coverage in the first place. Indeed, in this scenario, your costs may actually drop when you remove your spouse. Some states, however, allow a person to keep an ex-spouse on a health insurance plan. In certain cases, it might even be required.​

Divorce leads to myriad changes in life, and one of the most important could be health insurance coverage. Before a divorce, you should make sure that you know your options and how the legal severance may impact your life. Talk with professionals and make sure your decisions are informed.

If you are worried about your coverage, let us give you some peace of mind!

​The Advance Premium Tax Credit is a Federal Tax Credit for individuals that reduces the amount that they pay monthly for their health insurance premiums when they buy their health insurance on the marketplace.
 
The Advanced Premium Tax Credit is calculated by the federal government and sent directly to the health insurance carrier. The individual gets a monthly discount on the premium they pay each month.
 
Anyone eligible for this tax credit is determined by income. Those who make more will receive a smaller credit and smaller discount, while those with a lower income will receive a larger discount and larger credit. Because this tax credit is a direct payment the individual is not responsible for the entire amount, only the discounted amount.

All health insurance plans share some common characteristics. The Affordable Care Act also known as Obamacare requires that all health insurance plans offered in the individual and small group markets must provide a comprehensive package of items and services. These are known as the Essential Health Benefits.
 
These benefits fit into the following 10 categories:

• Outpatient Services
• Emergency Services
• Hospitalization
• Maternity and Newborn Care
• Mental Health and Substance Abuse Disorders
• Prescription Drugs,
• Rehabilitative and Habilitative Services and Devices
• Laboratory Services
• Preventive and Wellness Services
• Pediatric Services including Dental and Vision care

To make the best health insurance choice for you and your family, you can't just look at the premium. Usually a lower premium means a higher deductible and a higher premium means a lower deductible.
 
The main choice is do you want to pay less per month for your premium but then risk having higher costs when you use your services or do you want to pay a little bit more per month and then pay less when you need to use your services?
 
Some plans also have separate deductibles, one for medical services and one for prescriptions. Some plans have co-insurance some plants have co-payments. Co-insurance is where you're responsible for a set percentage of the services received, a co-payment is when you have a set dollar amount for the services received.
 
Don't just assume the deductibles and co-payments are the only differences between the plans we really need to dive into it to see which services are available and covered. Be sure to check that the plan covers the prescription drugs that you take and at what cost. If you have a doctor that you would like to keep seeing make sure that they're a provider for that network, if they're not you're going to end up paying a lot more.

A deductible is the amount that you have to pay for your health care each year before your insurance starts paying for your care. Similar to car insurance, many health plans require you pay a certain amount out-of-pocket before the coverage kicks in. For example, if you have a deductible of $1500 you have to pay the first $1500 of your medical costs before your insurance starts paying. In some plans the deductible applies only to services that you get outside of the provider network. Also, some plans have a separate deductible for prescription medications. Usual deductible does not apply for preventive services.

An Out-Of-Pocket Limit is the most that you're going to have to pay each year for care covered by your plan. Once you hit that limit your insurance starts paying for all of your covered costs. Now if you have other family members on the same plan they have to meet their own out-of-pocket limits until the overall family out-of-pocket limit has been met as well. Some things that are not counted towards the out-of-pocket limit those can include your premiums, balance billing charges, and health care that the plan does not cover.

The money that you pay out-of-pocket for the services that you receive. This could include anything from an office visit to the doctor, prescription medicine, an x-ray, or even a hospital stay.
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Now if the money you pay is a set amount that would be called a co-payment or a copay. If the money that you pay is a percentage of the cost then that would be called coinsurance. Now depending on the plan that you have it dictates whether you have a co-payment/copay or coinsurance.

​Health insurance is divided into four main categories. Each category has the name of a metal, the more expensive the metal the more expensive the premium but the richer the benefits. Bronze for example covers 60% of your medical expenses it is also the least expensive premium. Silver covers 70%, Gold covers 80% and Platinum, the most expensive tier, covers 90%.