If it’s one thing California health insurance consumers can easily spot when shopping for the California health insurance plan that is uniquely right for their needs here at a Vitality website that always features quick, easy, and always convenient free quotes for California health insurance plans, is that there are a lot of strategies to chose from! For business leaders shopping for group health insurance California businesses can rely on to meet the health coverage needs of their valued employee teams, there is also an array of plan strategies to choose from!

Vitality – as an independent authorized agency is proud to represent an array of leading California group health insurance companies operating here in the state. One such company is industry leader Anthem Blue Cross. This California Blue Cross company is a leader in both the individual and group health insurance market segments. Within its three group health plan portfolios – EmployeeElect; EmployeeChoice; and BeneFits – Anthem Blue Cross offers each of our clients a selection of plan options that includes PPO, HSA-compatible, and HMO health plans and much more! Within each of these portfolio groupings, the business owner or management team will have the option of selecting one or many plan options to meet the health coverage needs that are unique to that business’s employee team.

As a business leader, you’ll be asked to make an important decision as it relates to your assessment as to what is best for your employees: Are you comfortable picking one plan for all your employees and their eligible dependents? Would your employees benefit from a choice from amongst two or a small handful of plans? Would they benefit or be confused or stressed by being asked to choose from amongst many different plan options?

As always, you’ll have the experience, expertise, and innovation the Vitality California health insurance team of professionals brings to the process of creating high performance, cost efficient health coverage strategies for companies throughout California. And speaking of cost efficiency:  All of our client services are free as are the always free quotes for group health insurance California plans. All fees are paid by the insurance company whose plans we represent to the marketplace. Never a fee for our consultative approach to helping you create winning, long term health coverage strategies and never any fees related to our ongoing commitment to delivering a Total Quality client experience with our customer service and support as it relates to the health coverage products your team will be using moving forward!

We mentioned the range of Anthem Blue Cross plans – PPO, HSA, and HMO – that you’ll find in each Anthem Blue Cross portfolio. In this article and the next two, we’ll take a detailed look at the plan offerings featured within each of the three Anthem Blue Cross group plan portfolios: EmployeeElect, EmployeeChoice, and BeneFits.

Within Anthem’s EmployeeElect portfolio let’s start with the PPO plans:

• The range of Premier PPO Plans feature low(er) annual medical deductibles; both generic and brand name drug coverage with no separate brand name drug deductible; richer reimbursement benefits for reasonable & customary charges for out-of-network health care services.
• PPO Copay Plans: A larger requirement in employee costs at time of service – note the rise in coinsurance – along with a brand name drug deductible.
• Copay GenRx Plans: Here you’ll note a higher coinsurance level and the availability of coverage for only generic prescription drug needs.
• Solution PPO Plans: Features high annual deductible, access to preventive exams; and coverage for hospitalization along with generic and brand name prescription drug coverage. Might make just the right plan for younger, healthier employees who don’t expect to use much in the way of health care services.

Two interesting specialty plan approaches of note:

• Lumenos HIA+ 500 and 750 Plans: Two plans geared towards the concept of promoting healthy lifestyle choices by your employees. Healthy living efforts that include regular exercise, proper nutrition and the like along with use of free preventive exams are all part of the insurance and health care industries efforts to reward consistent, long term healthy living choices by members in a win-win scenario for employer and employees alike with this innovative health plan approach. The ‘HIA’ stands for Health Incentive Account. The plan makes an annual allocation to the member’s HIA that helps that member pay for medical and prescription drug needs. The member can earn extra ‘credits’ to their HIA by participating in healthy lifestyle ‘reward programs’!
• High Deductible EPO Plan: Employees can receive comprehensive medical and prescription drug coverage but only through Anthem Blue Cross’s vast PPO Network. This Exclusive Provider Network plan is also HSA compatible!

The HSA-compatible health plan offerings include:

• Lumenos HSA 2000 (100/70), 3000 (100/70) and 5000 (100/70) Plans along with Lumenos HSA 1500 (80/50), 2500 (80/50) and 3500 (80/50) Plans – The HSA-compatible health plan is an innovative way to secure more affordable health coverage for the employee, empower that employee on how their health care dollars are spent, and can also mean important tax benefits too! Plan options include 0% after deductible and 20% after deductible.

Another affordable plan group includes these hospital plans:

• Elements Hospital Preferred, Elements Hospital Plus, Elements Hospital: Simple, affordable hospitalization coverage-only with an annual physical exam and generic prescription drug coverage. The plan strategies also offer varying levels of limited office visit coverage.

The HMO Plan collection includes four different HMO plan designs that will provide health care services based out of Anthem’s extensive HMO provider network:

• HMO 100% Plans: The Plans featuring Anthem’s richest HMO benefit offerings with no deductible; low office copays, and 100% hospital inpatient and outpatient services!
• Classic HMO Plans: No medical deductibles with moderately priced office visit copays. For hospital services, employees pay a per-admission copay for inpatient services and coinsurance for the outpatient services they receive.
• Saver HMO Plans: Featuring moderately priced office visit copays and annual medical deductible for hospital services. Having met their annual deductible the employee sees no further charges for their covered in-network hospital services.
• Select HMO Plans: These plans – Anthem’s lowest priced HMO offerings – feature health care services from a limited number of HMO Providers within Anthem’s network. These plans offer moderately priced office visit copays, an annual medical deductible for hospital services, as well as coinsurance on all hospital services once the deductible is met.

The EmployeeElect portfolio offers many plan options spread out amongst a variety of health plan strategies. The goal: To provide a comprehensive selection of plans that will make it difficult if not impossible to have a gap in the health coverage strategies you could conceivably offer your employees!

We understand: There’s a lot here and a lot to take in! Let us help! We’ll apply our experience, expertise, and innovation to the many EmployeeElect plan options you see here to help you create a high performance, cost efficient health coverage strategy that is uniquely right for your company, your employees, and their eligible dependents! To get started, please contact us via our Vitality website or call us toll free at 800-607-1950.

Next up: The Anthem Blue Cross EmployeeChoice Portfolio!