Bottom line: We all want good, solid California health insurance at the most affordable price. We want it cheap and we want it good. Nothing wrong with that; we’re being good consumers! The team here at Vitality wants you to be best, most savvy CA health plan shopper you can be and we’ll help you get there! It’s what we do!
However, part of being a savvy consumer is knowing when to balance your objectives so that you optimize both sides of the shopping process. Trading a bit on one side of the ledger to achieve more on the other side so that you gain cost savings but not at the expense of the benefits you’ll be expecting one day to take care of your family’s health care needs. This is a vital part of the successful California health insurance shopping process and it’s where Vitality helps to make a difference! Let’s look at a couple of examples of what we’re talking about:
First, let’s start with the strategy to go with a high deductible health plan. Good idea! An even better idea: Making certain you get a HSA-compatible high deductible health plan so you can reap the tax savings and buying power HSA funds will give the HSA owner moving forward. Okay let’s say you are shopping for that high deductible plan: Loving the low(er) monthly premiums of the plan with the $5000 annual deductible…? Yes! The premium that comes with a $3000 annual deductible….? Uhh, not so much…
Okay; but consider this: If injury or illness does strike and you need to meet that higher annual deductible level – before your coverage kicks in – will that be a financial burden on you that will throw your household budget out of whack? If you said: “You know what Vitality Team? I’m a saver and I’m going to contribute to my HSA each year and “max it out” (Put in the 2010 maximum allowable annual amount of $3,050 per individual account) and I have additional resources to help me meet the higher annual deductible I’d be facing.” In that scenario, the higher deductible is viable. On the other hand, if you told us you’d struggle to put any money into your HSA and the household budget is tight enough as it is, the peace of mind from a lower annual deductible but a higher monthly premium might make that plan with the $3000 annual deductible a better choice. As is always the case with California health insurance: The delicate balancing act of premiums versus benefits.
Okay second scenario: You are considering the plan of one California health insurance company versus another. One is a larger carrier with an extensive network of health care providers. The second plan has a lower premium but their network of health care providers isn’t on a par with the first company’s. Let’s say you live in a larger metropolitan area: Los Angeles for example, with a population of around four million, and a large number of providers operating in the area as part of both carriers’ networks. You’re feeling pretty confident that you can trade provider network size for premiums. On the other hand: You live in Fillmore, a beautiful city of around 14,000 right here in Vitality country: Ventura County, California. The provider network of the second carrier – already smaller to start with – shrivels up to the point where you can see yourself incurring a lot of (higher!) out-of-network charges to access health care should you need it. While that might be a risk the younger, healthier set might want to take; we agree with you that the risk exposure here – in your case – might make the first carrier with the larger network but higher premium, the winner in this side by side comparison. By the way: Whenever you start comparing networks do this first: Make sure if you have a doctor you like working with already, that the doctor is “in network” of whatever plan you’re considering!
This is the kind of careful, considerate consultation you can expect when working with a Vitality Health Insurance professional. You can rely on us to help you understand the options that are available to you and the ramifications of the options you are considering selecting versus other CA health plan options you have under consideration. Remember: Our services are always free to you and our dedication to Total Quality client satisfaction is always a part of the Vitality experience! Thank you for allowing us to be part of your search for the best and most affordable California health insurance plan that is right for you!
One of the key takeaways we’d like you to leave here with when you’ve reviewed our posts at the Vitality Blog is our commitment to the communities we serve. We believe that in each of the communities here in California that Vitality serves there are great community-based and focused organizations who are doing the heroic every day work that makes an incredibly positive difference in the lives of so many.
An example of just one of these organizations, and which is making a difference right here in Vitality’s immediate backyard is Ventura County Medical Resource Foundation (VCMRF) – this organization is helping to make acquisition of state-of-the-art medical equipment which can’t be purchased by Ventura County itself a reality. Residents of Ventura County communities like the City of Ventura itself, Oxnard, Camarillo, Thousand Oaks and all the rest of the County’s communities will reap the benefit of the fine work being done by this organization!
At Vitality one of the key characteristics of our job is the privilege of helping California health insurance shoppers find the affordable health care solutions that are uniquely right for them. Yes, we hear a lot about the rising costs of both California health insurance and health care in general, but we continue to believe that with hard work and perseverance on our part we can uncover an overlooked affordable CA health plan or publicly funded health coverage option that can work for those who reach out to us for assistance. Contact us at 805-628-2304 here in Ventura or reach out to us from anywhere you live or work here in California, share your situation with us and we’ll get started on providing you the careful, considerate consultation you deserve. And please remember: Vitality’s services to you are free. You never pay for our assistance!
Do you know of a great organization helping the community in your area? Please let us know about it and we’ll be happy to give them a hearty thank you! here at the Vitality Blog!
When you look around the Vitality Health Insurance website you’ll see a lot of references to “California health insurance” and you’ll probably also get the sense from our site content that we are devoted to serving the entirety of the California marketplace for health insurance, California life insurance, and a number of other insurance products California residents need. But you should also know that we got our start as a proud member of the Ventura business community and that we have a special place in our heart for residents of Ventura County seeking a health insurance in Ventura resource!
In fact, our location here in Ventura is within walking distance of the same beaches we frequented as kids and grew to love over the course of a life enjoyed here in beautiful Ventura! The Vitality team is a team of insurance professionals dedicated to providing careful, considerate consultation on finding the affordable Ventura California health insurance that is budget-friendly but which also provides the health care benefits that are unique to your needs. We are likewise committed to providing an outstanding online shopping experience and further dedicated to a Blog that features detailed and constantly updated information on Ventura County health care resources as well as resources throughout our beautiful state.
Thank you Ventura for being our great neighbors over the course of time – we’re incredibly fortunate to call both Ventura and California home!
