For California health insurance shoppers on the lookout for the best and most affordable California health insurance plan that is uniquely right for them, having too many great plan options is never a bad thing! When shopping for group health insurance California plans for your business, you’ll have plenty of great plans to choose from when you check out the PlanSelect portfolio from Blue Shield of California.

In our first article on the plan portfolios from Blue Shield, we provided an overview of PlanSelect and Suite Deal plan portfolios from Blue Shield of California. Today, we’re going to take a more in-depth look at the many plans that constitute the PlanSelect Portfolio. Now the interesting thing here is that – while it can seem pretty daunting at first – the collection of plans follows a predictable pattern wherein the level of Blue Shield responsibility and the employee’s level of responsibility for the payment of various health care services – including prescription drugs -changes over the course of these plans so that more responsibility begins to rest more with the employee. As you can imagine, that progression has a direct correlation to the cost of the premiums for these plans. In short: Higher deductibles, more employee out-of-pocket equals lower plan premiums.

The collection of PlanSelect strategies consists of traditional PPO plans; traditional HMO plans; the cost saving innovation of Blue Shield’s Active Choice plans which are an innovative way to deliver employee health benefits at premiums that are affordable to the employee and business alike; a Point of Service (POS) plan called the Added Advantage POS Plan wherein the most affordable health coverage comes with the use of the employee’s HMO while also having access to Blue Shield’s extensive PPO network; and finally: The innovative Blue Shield HSA-compatible health plans. These are PPO plans with a twist! These health insurance plans feature a higher annual deductible but also provide savings opportunities that come with typically lower monthly premiums along with a Health Savings Account component that can provide important tax savings for the owner!

You may note that we’ve been talking in terms of health plan ‘strategies’. To our way of thinking, creating a strategy is about putting a well conceived plan in place to successfully serve the health coverage needs of your employees plus serving the overall cost efficiency your business is always on the lookout for whenever and however it relates to running a successful, competitive business. We help you get there with our always free quotes for group health insurance California plan strategies, plus we provide our always free client services and client consultations. We bring experience, expertise, and innovation to the process of creating winning health coverage strategies for your business and our fees are paid by the carriers, not your business.

A successful strategy also becomes easier to achieve when you have the Vitality California health insurance team by your side to help you configure a plan lineup that serves the broadest range of employee needs at premiums that are affordable for your business and your employees.

Let’s take a closer look at the PlanSelect lineup from which we can create your health coverage strategy:

• The PPO Plans: Lots to choose from here! 12 plans to choose from and the key criteria here will be determining how to find the right balance in terms of employee responsibility vs. Blue Shield responsibility for the payment of health care services. For instance, you can start with PPO Plan Zero with its zero annual deductible, low copay and coinsurance, and other ‘rich’ benefit features. A benefit rich plan that is also the most popular is the PPO Plan 250 which features great benefits along with prescription drug coverage for both generic and brand name.
• The mid-range PPOs which include the PPO Plan 1000 which is a proven winner with employees in this category.
• The PPO Plan 1500 and PPO Plan 2000 Value plans. These affordable PPOs get the employee affordable premiums, access to Blue Shield’s strong provider network – an in the case of the 1500 plan: Benefits for both generic and brand name prescription drugs.

• The HMO Plans: A collection of 8 HMO plans or 2 Local Access+ HMO plans gives any employer the opportunity to add a great HMO element to a winning health coverage strategy! All HMO plans feature zero annual medical deductible and free access to preventive care. Within your new HMO plans you’ll spot differences in the range of employee payment responsibilities: Higher office copays; higher Access+ Specialist visit copays; higher annual copayment maximums across the spectrum of HMO plan offerings. (In Southern California and San Luis Obispo County an employer can provide HMO plan benefits from either of Blue Shield’s Local Access+ HMO Plan 20 Value or 30 Plan offerings.)

• Active Choice PPO Plan: A clear winner for employees who need affordability and also don’t expect to use a lot of health care services. A good strategy for the younger, healthy employee on a budget. This innovation in health plans gives your employees first dollar coverage: Either $750 or $500 health care ‘dollars’ to cover routine office visits or diagnostic testing before the employee has to start meeting an out-of-pocket maximum. Preventive care such as a routine annual physical exam is free, and since all Blue Shield plans come with great health and wellness benefits at no extra cost, your employee on a budget is getting valuable health coverage at a budget friendly premium!

• Added Advantage POS Plan: A truly unique approach to your employee’s health coverage needs: It combines the convenience and predictable cost nature of a Blue Shield HMO and also features access to Blue Shield’s extensive PPO provider network. Your employee has two ways to save money on this plan: Use a HMO personal physician and save money versus the use of an in-network PPO physician. Or: Use an in-network PPO physician and save money versus an out-of-network provider!

• Shield Savings PPO Plans (HSA-compatible): A Vitality favorite! Access to affordable premiums for the employee, while combining the best features of the Blue Shield provider network and affordable access to both generic and brand name prescription drug benefits, along with: Access to important tax savings for the plan owner! The Shield Savings HSA plans from Blue Shield are simply one of the widest, best, and most affordable collection of HSA plans available on the group market.

At first glance the above selection may seem like a lot – and it may seem like a time-consuming process. We understand. That’s where the experience, expertise, and innovation we bring to this process is here to serve your company’s unique health strategy needs: We’ll gain an understanding of your cost objectives related to employee health coverage. Further; we’ll take the time to learn about the unique characteristics of your employee team. Taking into account cost and benefit objectives, we’ll help you build a plan portfolio that is the best and most affordable strategy for your business and your employees. In addition to creating a winning health coverage strategy, your Vitality team is dedicated to delivering a Total Quality client experience with our service and support capabilities. In short, we’re all about handling your health coverage needs so you and your team can concentrate on your business and your daily drive for continued success. For more information, please contact us at Vitality online or call us toll free at 800-607-1950 and let’s get started on creating winning new cost saving health coverage strategies for your California business!