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Member Columns |
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Open Enrollment Season: How to Choose Your Health Plans
By: Troy Kirk, Vice
President
PacificSource Health Plans
Winter is upon us. For Bend residents, this means it’s
time to marvel at the frost-covered trees on Mount
Bachelor, rest tired feet by the woodstove and enjoy
health insurance open enrollment season.
Wait … enjoy? Okay, perhaps “manage” is a better word
to describe this daunting time of year when many
employees in companies across Oregon have a chance to
reconsider their current health plan.
Approximately 92 percent of Deschutes County residents
have health insurance. Many may be intimidated at the
task of choosing a new or different health plan.
With these quick tips, the process could be easier this
year. If you decide to stay with your current
plan, use this information to make the most of your
coverage.
If you’re considering changing your health plan or
choosing a new plan altogether, ask yourself the
important questions below to determine which plan will
best match your needs.
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Do you or your family members have any chronic
health conditions?
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Are there significant life changes in your near
future such as starting a family or retiring?
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Do you or your family members need access to health
care in different locations because of frequent
travel? Or do you have children in college?
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How much are you willing to spend on premiums or
deductibles?
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Do you need to have unrestricted access to doctors
or hospitals, or are you willing to use a network of
‘preferred providers’?
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Are you willing to go through your primary care
doctor to get a referral if you need care from a
specialist?
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Are you able and willing to track spending, save
receipts and file claims if it results in savings?
Once you know your options, examine the specifics of
each plan and consider the following questions to make
sure your plan will meet your needs.
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What is the deductible? After the deductible is met,
what costs will your plan cover?
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Will you have to make co-payments for services? How
much?
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Will any services be limited? If your insurance
doesn’t pay for services, what are the out-of-pocket
costs?
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Are services such as immunizations, prescriptions,
prenatal care, dental, vision, mental health,
physical therapy or alternative health care covered?
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Is there a limit on your plan’s coverage?
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Is your doctor in the new plan’s network? If not,
are you willing to find a new doctor in the network?
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Are your plan’s provider offices close to your home
and/or work?
Until recently, most Americans had indemnity insurance
coverage. Indemnity plans offered financial protection
for major medical expenses, like hospitalization or
chronic illnesses. They usually didn’t cover any
preventive care services, and didn’t have networks of
participating medical providers.
With an indemnity plan, you would seek treatment, pay
the charges, and submit a claim for reimbursement. After
your annual deductible was satisfied, the insurer would
reimburse a percentage of the billed charges.
Now, most Americans with health insurance are enrolled
in some type of managed care plan, which includes
preferred provider organizations (PPOs), health
maintenance organizations (HMOs), and point-of-service
(POS) plans.
The newest players in the health insurance arena,
consumer-directed health plans, are designed to help
employers rein in healthcare premium costs while giving
employees more control over how their health care
dollars are spent. While plan designs vary, all
consumer-directed plans feature a low-cost,
high-deductible PPO plan plus a health care spending
account.
You use the funds in the spending account to pay
for services while meeting your health plan deductible,
or for health-related services not covered by your plan
such as dental or alternative care. There’s normally a
financial incentive for you to spend your account
dollars wisely, such as allowing your account balance to
carry over from year to year.
Once your health care needs are clearly defined and
you’re educated about the plans available to you, you
should be able to determine which plan is the best fit
for your needs and your budget.
If you have a Flexible Spending Account (FSA) or a
Health Savings Account (HSA), use it. To get the most
value out of your FSA, put away the amount closest to
what you will spend in qualified health care costs. Each
year, make sure to use your remaining FSA funds before
January or you could lose them. Most importantly, follow
preventive strategies recommended by your health
insurer. Read their member newsletters and other written
information and take advantage of their Web site for
more health-related tools and resources. Awareness and
prevention are the foundation for a healthy life.
Though it takes a little work to learn about the ins
and outs of health insurance, being proactive in your
health care planning can give you and your family peace
of mind.
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What's New |
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Century Insurance begins online insurance quote
service
Insurance consumers in Oregon, Washington and
Idaho can now instantly get seven auto insurance
quotes online from Progressive, Safeco, Kemper,
Liberty Northwest, Allied, Unigard, and Mutual
of Enumclaw at one source: CenturyINS.com.
Century Insurance Group’s new online comparative
quoting system alleviates the time and
frustration associated with traditional ways of
shopping for insurance. Century’s on-line
comparative quoting system takes all the
frustration with insurance shopping away because
the consumer only has to provide their
information once. Minutes later, they can view
comparison quotes from 7 different auto
insurance companies and select the best quote
that meet their insurance needs. To get
comparative auto quotes, go online to
www.centuryINS.com. Information: George
Elsom, General Manager, Century Insurance Group,
LLC, 695 SW Mill View Way, Bend. Phone:
382-4211.
george@centuryins.com
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KIDS center starts awareness campaign
The KIDS Center (Kids Intervention and
Diagnostic Service Center), a non-profit child
abuse intervention center serving Central
Oregon, cares for victims of child abuse every
day. Funded partially through a four-year grant
from the Meyer Memorial Trust and in partnership
with local media companies, the KIDS Center this
month is launching a two-year child sexual abuse
prevention media campaign. As part of the
Darkness to Light Tri-county Initiative to
Prevent Sexual Abuse, the KIDS Center will
blanket the Central Oregon community with
awareness messages and bring the problem of
child sexual abuse out of the darkness and into
the light. The media campaign will complement
the already existing Darkness to Light trainings
in Central Oregon. The three-hour Darkness to
Light training educates adults to prevent,
recognize, and react responsibly to child sexual
abuse. For more information about the Darkness
to Light media campaign and Darkness to Light
trainings, please visit
www.kidscenter.info or call 383-5958.
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Umpqua Bank recognized for positive workplace
Umpqua Bank was ranked 34th on
Fortune magazine’s annual “100 Best Companies to
Work For.” The bank also was ranked 12th
on a “breakout” list of the best small
companies. The complete list and related stories
are in the January 22 issue of Fortune, or can
be accessed online at
www.fortune.com. Nearly 450 companies were
evaluated for a spot on the list, and 100,000
workere evaluated their employers. Umpqua Bank,
headquartered in Roseburg, has two branches in
Bend.
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Assistance League expands Chapter House
The Assistance League of Bend broke ground
December 12 on its Chapter House expansion.
Norman Building and Design offered a donation of
$65,000 of time and material toward remodeling
the existing portion of the Chapter House and
adding an additional 1,700 square feet. In
addition, the Assistance League has been awarded
grants from Jeldwen, Brooks Resources and the
Collin Foundation to help with the project. The
completion date is estimated to be May/June.
Our volunteers welcome the additional space to
fulfill our primary philanthropic project
”Operation School Bell®”. Watch for
our “Open House”.
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Re/Max Sunset Realty, La Pine High sponsor
“Sparrow”
Re/Max Sunset Realty in Sunriver has continued
its annual commitment of sponsoring a sick child
through Sparrow Clubs USA with the help of its
team of real estate brokers and the students of
La Pine High School. The chosen “Sparrow” for
2007 is Joshua James, a 16-year-old who was
diagnosed with a juvenile hormonal tumor that
was extensive in his face, skull and brain this
past July. He faces continued medical care. Each
year, Sunset Realty contributes a club
sponsorship fee of $4,060, which is allocated to
a specific “Sparrow.”
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Members on the M-O-V-E |
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PEOPLE
Carrie Hebert,
owner of Bend Marketing Concepts, has joined
Sublime Design Group. She will assist with
strategic marketing and Web site development.
She has a master’s degree in public relations
and mass communications from the University of
Denver.
Two persons have joined LibertyBank in Bend.
Wendy McGrane is an
assistant vice president and commercial banking
officer at the Bend/West office. She most
recently worked for U.S. Bank.
Mark Tompkins is a
financial consultant for Central Oregon at the
Bend/Downtown office. He has 15 years of
experience in mortgage, consumer and commercial
lending business.
Ralston360 has added two new employees. They are
Petra Sokolova,
production manager, and
Michelle Braunsten, account executive.
Sokolova has extensive experience in graphics
and art department management, and Braunsten
previously worked for Booz Allen Hamilton in New
York.
Kealib Kuykendall is
January student of the month at Sortor Bushido
Kai Karate. He is a 10-year-old blue belt who
will test for a purple belt in February.
Information:
www.SortorKarate.com.
Roni Farrell has joined
the team at Curl Up and Dye Innovative Salon.
She is new to Bend but has 20 years of
experience in hair styling. Appointments:
977-7075.
Sarah Laufer has joined
Peterkin & Associates, Attorneys at Law in Bend.
She specializes in environmental and real estate
law. She previously worked for the Environmental
Protection Agency and 1031 Asset Exchange.
Jan Laughlin of Sunriver
Realty in Bend is the 2007 State Secretary for
the Women’s Council of Realtors. The group’s
mission is to empower women to exercise their
potential as entrepreneurs and industry leaders.
Anna Johnson, public
communications coordinator for Deschutes County,
attended the Advanced Public Information Officer
Course at the Emergency Management Institute at
FEMA in September. The week-long course was to
apply public information skills to significant
emergency situations.
BUSINESSES
Haven Home,
Bend’s newest home furnishing store, has been
branded by Sublime Design Group. Haven Home is
located at 616 Arizona Ave., Ste. 100.
Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt,
which has an office in Bend, was named one of
“Oregon’s Most Admired Companies” by the
Business Journal of Portland. The firm is the
second-most admired company within the legal
category of 10 firms.
SELCO Credit Union has
received the 2006 Dora Maxwell Social
Responsibility Award from the Credit Union of
Oregon. SELCO was recognized for its October
2005 “Day of Caring,” where all team members
spent part of their Columbus Day holiday
volunteering for non-profit organizations.
Cascade Bancorp has been
selected as a participant in the S&P SmallCap
600 Index and the Davidson 99 Regional Index.
The deadline for getting your business message in the
Dex Central Oregon
Yellow Pages is approaching. Information:
1-866-418-0010 by Feb. 3, 2007.
Cascade Publications,
parent company of Cascade Business News, has won
a gold award in media relations and publicity
for its 2006 Top Commercial Projects magazine
that featured a $34 million project at Touchmark
at Mount Bachelor Village.
Umpqua Bank, a subsidiary
of Umpqua Holdings Corp., received top honors at
the second “Oregon’s Most Admired Companies”
luncheon held by the Portland Business Journal.
The bank also was the state’s fourth most
admired company across all industries.
Cascade Telecommunications, Inc.,
has launched Cellular Gateway solutions to
benefit local businesses by forming a strategic
partnership with ITS Telecom US. Information:
388-5158.
ORGANIZATIONS
New officers for the Commercial Investment
Division of the Central
Oregon Association of Realtors board of
directors are; President, Brian Fratzke, Broker
with Lowes Commercial Properties; First Vice
President, Tara Donaca, Broker with Lowes;
Second Vice President, Patrick Kesgard, Broker
with Steve Scott Realtors; Secretary, Kathy
Gates, First American Title Commercial Team;
Treasure, Michael Aid, Broker, Steve Scott
Realtors; Directors Sanna Phinney, 1031 Asset
Exchange; Bruce Kemp, Broker, Compass
Commercial; JD Mowlds, Broker, Compass
Commercial; and Past President, Bob Jeans,
Broker, Coldwell Banker Mayfield.
Out of 11,227 national government Web sites,
Deschutes County’s,
www.deschutes.org, ranked as one of the Best
Government Sites according to Computerworld
Magazine in November.
Bend’s only non-profit roller derby league, the
Renegade Rollergirls of
Central Oregon, in December presented a
check to the Cascade Youth and Family Center’s
program, The LOFT, for holiday gifts for teens
living at the facility.
Healthy Beginnnings, a
non-profit organization that provides free
health and developmental screenings for children
five and under, has worked with
Sublime Design Group
on rebranding. The organization has a new logo
and two taglines; “Every child every year,” and
“12-point kid inspections.”
Bruce Daucsavage, President of Ochoco Lumber, and Manco
L. Snapp, Jr., whose experience is primarily in
manufacturing in the U.S., have joined the board
of directors of Bend
Memorial Clinic. |
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EVENTS
The United Way of Deschutes County is seeking
project proposals from area non-profit
organizations for the 11th annual Day of Caring
to be held April 20 & 21.
Day of Caring is a countrywide day of
volunteer activities and projects that connect
caring people with those that need help. This
year, projects will take place on Friday or
Saturday to allow for greater participation.
United Way will match local businesses and
volunteers with service projects. Non-profit
agencies may submit a project by filling out a
form available at
www.deschutesunitedway.com or by
contacting the United Way office, 389-6507.
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