SCAN Rated One of the Best Medicare Companies for 2019

SCAN Health Plan Achieves Milestone, Serving More Than 200,000 Members in California & Achieving a 90% Satisfaction Rating

Looks like SCAN is doing things right. The not-for-profit Medicare Advantage provider announced that it has surpassed the 200,000 membership mark in California, representing a near 20 percent five-year increase. SCAN has maintained for two years in a row its 4.5-star rating out of a possible five stars from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). SCAN was also named one of the best insurance companies for Medicare Advantage for 2019 by U.S. News & World Report, and received a 90 percent member satisfaction rating as reported in the 2019 Medicare & You Handbook. What is SCAN Health Plan? SCAN Health Plan is a not-for-profit, Medicare Advantage (Part C), health maintenance organization based in Long Beach, California. Founded in 1977, they provide healthcare coverage to Medicare beneficiaries throughout California. Medicare Advantage Plans, sometimes called "Part C" or "MA Plans," are an “all in one” alternative to Original Medicare. They are offered by private companies approved by Medicare. If you join a Medicare Advantage Plan, you still have Medicare. These "bundled" plans include Medicare Part A (Hospital Insurance) and Medicare Part B (Medical Insurance), and usually Medicare prescription drug (Part D). Interested in SCAN or know someone who is? If you, or someone you know, is interested in enrolling in SCAN, or need help navigating through the confusing path of medicare - please feel free to give us at Ample Insurance Services a call. All calls and consultations are free. We also offer other companies besides SCAN as well, such as Blue Cross, Blue Shield, Aetna, and more. Connect with us today - (909) 746-9127 info@aacefs.com

Important Opioid Information for Medicare Members

Important Information Regarding Medicare & Opioids

CMS Is Now Limiting Opioid Prescriptions to 7 Day Quantities & More Starting effective 2019, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services has implemented new changes in regards to opioid prescriptions. The biggest changes include - Limiting prescriptions to no higher than 90 morphine milligram equivalents per day Flagging patients as high-risk if taking benzodiazepines + opioids Adopting a 7-day limit on initial fills of opioids to treat acute conditions These changes are exempt for palliative care, hospice, cancer, and long term pain management This change is in an effort to help combat the opioid epidemic, however, many patients with chronic pain are now worried they will not be receiving the care they need. If you are being denied your medication, we recommend you coordinate with both your pharmacist and doctor/specialist. The pharmacist can then indicate that the prescriber was consulted so the prescription claim can pay. For more detailed information, please read report of these new regulations on CMS.gov below - https://www.cms.gov/Outreach-and-Education/Medicare-Learning-Network-MLN/MLNMattersArticles/Downloads/SE18016.pdf  Questions?

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Out-of-Pocket Insurance Costs Challenge Pre-Medicare Patients

The out-of-pocket costs of health insurance coverage is daunting for older adults who don’t yet qualify for Medicare, posing insurance and treatment access issues for this population, according to a recent AARP/University of Michigan poll.

The poll, which included responses from just over 1,000 pre-Medicare-age patients ages 50 to 64, revealed that the high cost of health insurance that has not been provided by an employer presents a considerable hurdle for these patients.

Forty-five percent of respondents said they had little to no confidence in their ability to afford health insurance once they retire. Another 27 percent said they are unsure whether they will be able to afford their coverage over the next year.

As a result, patients are faced with a few options, none of which are ideal, the poll administrators suggested.

About 10 percent of respondents said they considered going without insurance because of high costs, although only 5 percent reported that they followed through on those plans.

Industry experts know that access to insurance is key predictor of primary and preventive care utilization. When a patient foregoes insurance coverage, they increase the risk of putting off care until their symptoms indicate more costly and intrusive interventions.

As it stands, poll respondents said they have delayed care at least until they had their desired type of health insurance. For example, 15 percent of those who began a new plan in 2019 said they would wait until that plan kicks in to access medical care. Eight percent said they are delaying medical procedures until they age into Medicare.

Individuals age 50 to 64 have also reportedly considered delaying retirement to keep their employer-sponsored healthcare packages. Nearly 14 percent said they have kept their jobs specifically to continue receiving affordable health insurance benefits. Eleven percent said they delayed or considered delaying retirement to maintain payer coverage.

The current debate surrounding healthcare and Medicare coverage is also causing stress for some patients, the poll revealed. Half of the adults surveyed said they keep up with healthcare policy news as it pertains to Medicare and payer coverage.

And although the poll was completed before the December 2018 Texas court ruling that the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is unconstitutional, 68 percent of respondents still expressed concern for the fates of their payer coverage.

The uncertainty around the ACA, coupled with patients’ concerns for out-of-pocket healthcare costs and insurance access, shows a deterioration of the system, said Preeti Malani, MD, director of the poll and a professor of internal medicine at U-M Medical School.

“The Affordable Care Act was intended to cut down on ‘job lock’, where a person feels trapped in their job by their need to preserve their health insurance,” Malani said in a statement. “We were surprised by the low percentage of these adults who bought their own coverage through the ACA exchanges, and the relatively high percentage who felt they had to keep a job or delay retirement in order to keep a plan. Innovative policy solutions are needed to help adults in this age group navigate their insurance options.”

What’s more, the survey revealed relatively low health literacy among patients age 50 to 64. One in five respondents said they had little to no confidence in their abilities to understand insurance plans. About 25 percent said they would not be able to understand what procedures their insurance plan covered or what out-of-pocket expenses they would face.

The healthcare industry needs to do a better job of guiding patients aging into Medicare to low-cost but comprehensive coverage options, said Renuka Tipirneni, MD, MSc, who conducts research at U-M and who helped lead poll design and analysis.

“As people age into the years when many chronic diseases begin to take hold, and when they’re still years away from Medicare coverage, it’s important to talk with someone knowledgeable about all the options for coverage to bring down out-of-pocket costs and better navigate health care in this critical period,” said Tipirneni, who is also a general internist.

Ultimately, price transparency regarding both different medical procedures as well as insurance coverage will be critical going forward. As more patients plan to access their coverage through Medicare in years to come, it will be essential for them to make informed decisions about their treatment and payer coverage.

Motivational Monday

Ditch your Old Insurance Rates in 2018

Happy New Years!

Happy New Years to all our friends from Ample Insurance Services! May this year bring new happiness, new goals, new achievements and a lot of new inspirations on your life. Wishing you a year fully loaded with happiness. Our New Years resolution is to bring more savings to you, your business, and your family.

Californian's Can Save Money on Car Insurance with This Program

About California's Low Cost Automobile Insurance Program

The State of California has in existence an automobile Liability insurance program that assists people whose income is below a certain level to purchase insurance at greatly reduced rates. The objective is to give all residents of California the opportunity to be insured by providing affordable options. With this state-sponsored program, wherever you live in California, you’ll find these policies more affordable than what most private plans offer.

If interested, contact us at Ample Insurance Services 855-480-2223 or info@aacefs.com to see if you are eligible.

Insurance Claims at $9 Billion From California Wildfires

There are more than 28,000 claims for residential personal property, nearly 2,000 from commercial property and 9,400 in auto and other claims for the fires.

Insurance claims from last month's California wildfires already are at $9 billion and expected to increase, the state's insurance commissioner announced Wednesday. Because of this, many insurers have stopped issuing residential property insurance due to the risk.

About $7 billion in claims are from the Camp Fire that destroyed the Northern California city of Paradise and killed at least 86 people, making it the deadliest U.S. wildfire in at least a century. The rest is from the Woolsey and Hill fires in Southern California.

Collectively, the fires destroyed or damaged more than 20,000 structures, with the vast majority in and around Paradise. On Tuesday, state and federal authorities estimated it will cost at least $3 billion just to clear debris.

"As the claims get perfected, as individuals get access to their former homes and neighborhoods, as they dialogue with their insurance companies and share more information about the scope of their loss, we expect these numbers to rise," Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones said of the $9 billion estimate.

There are more than 28,000 claims for residential personal property, nearly 2,000 from commercial property and 9,400 in auto and other claims for the fires.

That's well above the number of claims filed following a series of fires that tore through Northern California's wine country last year. Losses from those fires were initially pegged at $3.3 billion but eventually grew to $10 billion.

While the Camp Fire destroyed about double the number of structures as the 2017 fires, home values in Butte County are far lower than those in Sonoma County. That's part of the reason total claims may seem low compared to the 2017 figures, Jones said. Median home values in Sonoma County are more than double those in Butte.

Jones advised home owners to be cautious of "fraudsters and scam artists" trying to take advantage of vulnerable communities.

He also said its time for California to start rethinking how and if it builds in fire-prone areas. Ken Pimlott, outgoing director of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, told The Associated Press this week the state should consider banning construction in vulnerable areas.

Jones said local governments may not be fully considering the long-term impacts of building in areas at high risk of fire, floods and rising sea levels.

Candidate for Insurance Commissioner Grew up Without Coverage

Sen. Ricardo Lara says he believes health care is a human right.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (KCRA) — One of the candidates running for California insurance commissioner lived without health insurance as a child.

Democratic Sen. Ricardo Lara said he is the son of immigrants and lived in East Los Angeles as a child.

“As somebody who grew up without health insurance, I’m the only candidate in this position,” he said.

He added that he believes health care is a human right.

Nurses unions backed Lara’s bill to create health coverage for all Californians. It came with a price tag of $400 billion and stalled in the Legislature.

But his Health For All Kids Act now covers all California children with Medi-Cal, regardless of their immigration status.

He’s also worked on fire insurance. One bill, signed into law this year, protects homeowners by prohibiting their insurance companies from dropping their policies for the first year after a disaster.

“We see this happening all throughout the entire state,” Lara said. “Something we worked on in the Legislature, in particular in my bill, was to protect California homeowners from having their insurance drop all of a sudden after a major fire."

Lara also wrote an environmental bill that allows insurance money to be used to restore the state’s forests and wetlands and to protect communities from flooding and fires, wanting to "make sure that we're actually being smart about where we build," he said. 

The candidate said he plans to tackle an ongoing problem for the insurance industry, something that costs every one of us: fraud.

“We know that health care fraud continues to be a big issue in the state,” Lara said. “Worker’s comp fraud continues to be an issue that businesses continue to tackle across our state.”

As insurance commissioner, Lara said he would fight for consumers. 

“You know, I’m not a billionaire,” Lara said. "I’m just an average person trying to make a difference in the state. And for somebody that comes from an immigrant background, where this state has given us absolutely everything, it’s my honor to continue to serve.”

Steve Poizner is the other candidate in the insurance commissioner race. 

If that name sounds familiar, it’s because Poizner served as California’s insurance commissioner from 2007-2011. Back then, he was a Republican. Today, Poizner is running as an independent.

Daily Motivation 11/05/18

Daily Motivation 11/04/18

Low Cost Auto Insurance for Californians

On average, low-income households spend a disproportionately high percentage of their annual income on car insurance. Considering that car insurance is required in most states, it is a necessary expense. However, did you know that California developed a program to help combat the epidemic of uninsured motorists? If you fall under the qualifying income bracket (less than 33k yearly) you qualify for reduced liability insurance.

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Daily Motivation 11/03/18

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