Tips To Travel Safely This Holiday Season

According to AAA, nearly 99 million Americans will travel this holiday season. And they’ll be heading to spots such as Orlando, Los Angeles and Cancun, according to Orbitz.com’s 2015 holiday survey.

However, about 20 percent of people suffer some type of illness or injury while on vacation, with the most common ailments including food poisoning, car crashes or skiing accidents. Before you hit the road or take to the skies, consider these tips to make sure your health, safety and wallet are covered while you’re away.

Know Before You Go: Before traveling out of your home state or internationally, take time to review your health plan and understand what it covers. People traveling domestically should check if their health plan offers a national or local network of hospitals and health care providers, and confirm what level of coverage is available at out-of-network facilities. If traveling overseas, it is important people contact a primary care provider or travel medicine clinic to determine what pre-screenings or immunizations might be recommended or required, based on their health history and the countries they will visit.

Find Care Anywhere: Many health plans now offer telemedicine and mobile apps to support their customers’ health needs. The Health4Me app, available to anyone free of charge on iPhone or Android devices, enables users to identify nearby health care providers, hospitals, pharmacies and urgent care facilities, as well as compare quality and cost information for common medical services. Some health plans offer mobile apps that enable members to access a digital ID card and connect with a registered nurse 24/7. For international trips, contact your global insurance carrier to find out about the availability of approved medical facilities at planned travel destinations.

Protection Abroad: People help can alleviate concerns about quality of care and financial anxiety with international medical coverage. Global insurance companies can provide foreign language translation, direct you to appropriate facilities or support evacuation to alternative facilities, and can work with local health care providers to coordinate and monitor care. Most domestic insurance won’t cover prescriptions abroad, so for long vacations ask your care provider for enough medication to cover the duration of the trip (as well as check that specific medications are legal in the countries on the travel itinerary). Some international health plans may include prescription drug coverage that enables people to fill prescriptions at local retail pharmacies.

Get Your Credit: Even with international coverage, consider carrying an extra credit card with a large limit to use for unanticipated medical expenses. Foreign hospitals will typically want upfront payment, rather than billing the health plan. Get clear and complete copies of all bills, medical records and discharge notes for reimbursement from your health plan. Some global health plans do provide direct payments to foreign hospitals and care providers, eliminating a potential inconvenience and providing peace of mind.

Be A Savvy Senior: Original Medicare in nearly all cases applies to the United States only and does not extend overseas or across the border (other than in cases in the Northern U.S. where the nearest hospital is in Canada). Some Medicare Advantage and Medicare supplement plans offer worldwide emergency coverage for foreign travel, although some have restrictions and lifetime limits. Finally, it’s important to check the condition of personal durable medical equipment, such as wheelchairs or assisted-breathing machines, to ensure they’re working properly before departure.

Following these tips will help you focus on fun, friends and family during the holiday season, while helping alleviate stress from health care access or insurance issues during a medical emergency.

Tips for Picking a Health Insurance Plan

Open enrollment is underway, which means millions of people in Colorado and Wyoming are shopping for family or individual health insurance coverage for 2016.

Whether you’re buying health insurance for the first time or considering changing from your current plan, the process can often be confusing. Therefore, it’s important to understand your health plan options so you can find a plan that will help enhance your health and possibly save money in the year ahead.

The following tips can help you select a plan that makes financial sense while providing the benefits you and your family need:

Be aware there are three distinct open enrollment periods

If you are choosing a plan for yourself and helping family members with their health insurance decisions, the timing could vary.

• Employer-Sponsored Coverage – Most large employers schedule a two- to three-week period when their employees can select health benefits for the following year. This period is often in the fall, but the exact dates depend on the employer.

• Medicare Open Enrollment Period – For most Medicare beneficiaries, the Open Enrollment Period from Oct. 15 to Dec. 7 is their only opportunity to make changes to their Medicare coverage for next year.
• Health Insurance Marketplace or State Exchange  – A public health insurance exchange may be a good option for people under 65 who don’t have health insurance.  For the exchanges, open enrollment starts Nov. 1, 2015, and ends Jan. 31, 2016. To learn more, visit Healthcare.gov.

Set aside enough time

Set aside enough time to review your options, and attend any information sessions at work or in your community. You may find ways to save money on your health care costs – whether it’s by selecting a plan with a lower monthly cost and/or deductible level, or a plan that will cover more of the expected costs for a major health event you anticipate, such as having a baby or surgery, or evaluating prescription drug coverage.

Select care providers who participate in the insurer’s network

Even if you don’t plan to make any changes to your health insurance, it’s still a good idea to ensure any doctor you plan to visit during the coming year participates in your plan’s care provider network.

Many health plans offer a broad choice of local in-network health care professionals, from primary care physicians and pediatricians to specialists, and these in-network care providers agree in advance to what they’ll charge for specific procedures. You should also call before your procedure to verify the care providers are in-network. If you plan to visit a doctor or hospital outside the network, learn up front how your costs will differ from those of an in-network care provider – sometimes the difference can be substantial.

Don’t forget about other benefits

Specialty benefits such as dental, vision, accident or even critical illness plans are often cost-effective options and cover annual teeth cleanings and eye exams or provide financial benefits for unexpected situations. Many vision plans also offer reduced pricing on frames and lenses.

Nurse-Family Partnership: Your Partner in the Community

Guest Blogger: Roxane White

President and CEO, Nurse-Family Partnership

As health care gets more high tech, we need high-touch providers all the more.

One of the best ways for carriers and providers to ensure that their patients are thriving and keeping costs down is to partner with proven programs like Nurse-Family Partnership.

With a decades-long track record based on the gold standard in scientific research — randomized controlled studies — we know nurse home visitors can keep moms and babies healthy during pregnancy and in the baby’s critical first years of life.

Big health care systems have a big opportunity to partner with home visitors so they’ll have eyes and ears in the community.

Watch a home visit and you’ll see magic happen.

A young mother sings the ABCs to her 5-month-old son who listens intently.

“He knows it,” the mother says confidently. “And every time I sing it, he makes eye contact.”

Sitting beside the 19-year-old is the nurse who has visited this young mother throughout her pregnancy and the first months of her baby’s life.

The nurse serves as a coach, asking the young mother questions and building confidence that doesn’t come naturally since she had little mothering herself as one of seven children from four different dads.

“The research has shown that the more you talk with your baby, the more you sing with them and interact with them, the more that helps with their development,” the nurse says.

The two talk about why the immunizations the baby will get later that day are so important and how she’s her baby’s first teacher.

At Nurse-Family Partnership, we foster relationships that are long and deep.

That’s why we can be so valuable to large health systems.

A young pregnant woman can visit a clinic and get advice from a doctor. Our nurse can be sure that she’s following that advice.

Investing in care up front leads to proven outcomes: healthier pregnancies, better child development and increased economic self-sufficiency for mothers and children down the road.

Better informed moms become better parents who have stronger relationships with their providers and therefore become smarter health care consumers.

We all know that we need to do a better job of integrating our health systems.

Nurse-Family Partnership provides the bridge from large systems directly to the place where high-risk patients feel most comfortable: their homes.

In health care, we’re all seeking happy, healthy patients. The potential for tapping our proven program is immense. Nurse-Family Partnership currently is serving over 31,000 low-income moms in 43 states, the U.S. Virgin Islands and 6 Tribal communities.

Our data show that we could reach many, many more: as many as 700,000 low-income, mothers across the U.S.

We help moms take great care of themselves and their babies so they can stretch to the next level: finishing school, getting a good job and helping their children do well in school.

The bang for the buck is incredible. A RAND Corp. study found that every dollar invested in Nurse-Family Partnership saves us $5.70. A new study by Dr. Ted Miller published this year estimates billions in savings for our public health programs.

It’s time for all of us to ramp up and go big with this big opportunity.

National Medicare Education Week

By George Young, CEO, UnitedHealthcare Medicare & Retirement in Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico

Health care decisions can be difficult. According to a UnitedHealthcare survey, more than 1 in 5 beneficiaries describe Medicare as “confusing,” and 70 percent of people approaching Medicare eligibility say they have a “fair” or “poor” understanding of the program.

But choosing the right Medicare coverage doesn’t have to be a hassle if you take steps to arm yourself with knowledge and information. To help in that effort, UnitedHealthcare is launching a series of new online learning tools for this year’s National Medicare Education Week (Sept. 15-21), building on its campaign to reduce Medicare confusion.

National Medicare Education Week offers educational events and resources to baby boomers, Medicare beneficiaries, their families and caregivers.

New digital components of National Medicare Education Week this year include:

• Online Medicare education courses in English and Spanish at MedicareMadeClear.com and SolucionesdeMedicare.com, respectively, featuring videos and quizzes. The courses are organized into chapters, enabling people to learn at their own pace.
• Later this fall, MedicareMadeClear.com will be available in Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese and Polish in order to help more people learn in their preferred language.
• UnitedHealthcare will host a Facebook Q&A (www.facebook.com/medicaremadeclear/events) session Tuesday, Sept. 15, from 3 to 7 p.m. CT, where beneficiaries and their loved ones can get answers to their Medicare questions in real-time.
• A new plan selection tool on MedicareMadeClear.com will help older adults assess what type of Medicare plan might be right for them based on information they enter.

Helping military kids cope

By Dr. John Williams, Senior Medical Director, UnitedHealthcare Military & Veterans

During my 22 years in the Navy, I spent more than two years away from my family, counting deployments, training missions and active duty recalls. Missed birthdays, vacations, dance recitals and football games were the norm. As a reservist, we were always located remotely from military bases, and were not able to take advantage of the traditional support systems available there. I know the strain that was put on my wife and 3 kids, and the unique circumstances with which they had to cope.

It is important to provide the right resources to kids of service members to help them navigate the challenging world in which they live. Yesterday, I was privileged to help the United Health Foundation provide a $1.75 million grant to the Boys & Girls Clubs of America. The money will be used to create an interactive online platform and mobile applications specifically designed for children of our military.

United health foundation awards the Boys & Girls Clubs of America with a $1.75 million grant at Peterson Air Force base in Colorado Springs Sept. 3, 2015. The grant will be used to create an interactive online platform and mobile application for military kids. Left to right: Kevin McCartney, BGCA Sr. Vice President for Government Relations, Col. Eric Dorminey, Vice Commander of 21st Space Wing, and Dr. John Williams, Sr., M.D., Senior Medical Director, UnitedHealthcare Military & Veterans.

Specifically, the platform will engage military kids through mobile applications, digital community bulletin boards, distance learning opportunities, targeted digital communications and interactive games. The pilot will launch this fall at five Boys & Girls Clubs Affiliated Youth Centers – including Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs – and on military installations across the country before distribution to more than 4,100 Boys & Girls Clubs.

The grant is part of United Health Foundation’s “Helping Build Healthier Communities” program that provides critical resources to nonprofit, community-based organizations across the country to improve people’s health.

I wish a service like this would have been available to my kids during the times I was away, so they could have connected with their peers. I know thousands of children will benefit greatly from this unique program.

Pros For a Day

For two Littleton residents, the recent Littleton Twilight Criterium cycling event was more than just a bike race. Tristan and Daniel Rodrigues (ages 10 and 12) were surprised with the opportunity of a lifetime when they were named Honorary Pro Cyclists for a Day.

Selected for the honor because of their inspiring perseverance in dealing with childhood hearing loss, Tristan and Daniel got to lead the UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling team from their seats in the race pace car, be a part of the pre-race call-outs and race in the kids race, in addition to each receiving autographed team jerseys, a new bike, helmet and other team gear.

Tristan and Daniel Rodrigues take part in the Littleton Twilight Criterium as Honorary Pro Cyclists.

Tristan and Daniel Rodrigues celebrate the finale of the Littleton Twilight Criterium.

The UnitedHealthcare Children’s Foundation provided Tristan and Daniel’s family with grants to help pay for their hearing aids. The grants are part of a nationwide effort to help families pay for medical services or treatments that aren’t covered, or aren’t fully covered by insurance. To learn more about the grant program or to apply for a grant, visit www.uhccf.org.

 

Happy birthday, Medicare!

On July 30^th, 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Medicare and Medicaid programs into law. Fifty years later, on July 30^th, 2015, Medicare beneficiaries, baby boomers and caregivers alike gathered to celebrate the grand re-opening of the UnitedHealthcare MedicareStore in Colorado Springs, and Medicare’s 50^th birthday.

In addition to enjoying some all-American summertime favorites, BBQ and ice cream, guests who attended the open house and ribbon-cutting ceremony were able to learn more about the history of Medicare, check out the newly remodeled MedicareStore, as well as the resources and tools it offers to make learning about and enrolling in Medicare easier, and get personalized answers to their Medicare questions from local UnitedHealthcare representatives.

Community partners and providers in attendance included: Colorado Springs Health Partners, Mountain View Medical, Optum, Apria, Colorado Springs Business Journal, Ameriprise, Edward Jones and Penrose Hospital.

Serving more than 54 million Americans, Medicare has continued to evolve and grow substantially throughout the past 50 years, transforming our health care system and drastically improving the quality of life for millions of Americans. Here’s to you, Medicare, and here’s to another 50 years!

Wellness that works

We all know that Colorado is one of the nation’s healthiest states, ranking 6^th in the U.S. according to the 2014 United Health Foundation’s America’s Health Rankings. We can attribute some of our success to local companies making wellness programs a priority for their employees.

Each year, UnitedHealthcare awards its “Well Deserved” honor to employers who have implemented innovative industry-leading worksite wellness programs that helped improve their employees’ health and well-being. Two of the 11 organizations honored are located here in Colorado.

Graebel Companies in Aurora has been recognized for the second year in a row. They offer a full range of wellness programs to employees and spouses ranging from smoking cessation programs, on-site boot camps, walking challenges, weight loss programs, and a Diabetes Prevention and Control program. Graebel educates its employees so they know what it means to be proactive with their health care spending. The company’s benefits handbook has been modified to show both the employer and the employee cost, classes are offered on how to utilize benefits, and tools and resources are provided to help employees make the best decisions when they need care.

Denver-based Holland & Hart LLP’s wellness program, called Hart & Soul, offers flexibility for employees, partners and spouses to participate. The program offers busy participants opportunity to earn the premium incentive through annual requirements, and more engaged participants can earn an additional incentive by participating in ongoing challenges and onsite events including the Mission Slimpossible weight loss challenge and Fit Break challenges. More than 75 percent of Holland & Hart employees participate in the wellness program.

Graebel and Holland & Hart aren’t alone in their commitment to wellness. What wellness programs does your employer offer and which programs really motivate you to put your health first? Share your experiences in the comments below.

Six hours, one playground

Hundreds of UnitedHealthcare employees and volunteers in Colorado Springs joined forces this past weekend to build a new playground at the El Pomar Boys & Girls Club. This playground build is part of UnitedHealthcare’s “Do Good. Live Well.” program, an employee-volunteer initiative to help prevent obesity.

The new playground will give more than 250 kids in Colorado Springs a modern and safe place to play. The 2,400-square-foot area includes a Cozy Cocoon, Tree Climber, Tic-Tac-Toe Activity Wall and more. The playground’s design is based on drawings created by children from the El Pomar Boys & Girls Club who participated in a “design day” event in June.

The Boys & Girls Club of the Pikes Peak Region is one of 14 out of 4,400 clubs across the country that partner with the Department of Defense specifically to serve military families. More than 25 percent of the children served by the Club have at least one parent who is, or has been deployed.

UnitedHealthcare proudly serves nearly 250,000 military members and their families in Colorado.  The new playground will help inspire these children to participate in healthy activities by playing and exercising outdoors.

It only took six hours to build, but the playground will provide countless hours of fun for hundreds of kids.

Health on the Go

With smartphones now in the hands of nearly two-thirds of U.S. consumers, the number of people turning to mobile devices to manage their lives is soaring, according to a new study from the Pew Research Center. The most commonly searched subject: health care.

Consumers now have access to mobile apps that can update them on their health benefits and even comparison shop for medical services. Providing health care prices to the public, health care professionals and other stakeholders could reduce U.S. health care spending by more than $100 billion during the next decade, according to a 2014 report.

Mobile resources can also track appointments, manage prescriptions, check claims or enable people to pay their medical bills. Here are a few apps that can put your smartphone to work for better health:

Health Care Navigation: Apps such as Health4Me help consumers make more informed decisions about their health, and help save time and money. The app, which is available at no cost to all consumers on iPhone and Android devices, enables anyone to locate nearby health care providers, and convenience care, urgent care and emergency care facilities, as well as review market average prices for more than 755 medical services. For example:

• In Phoenix, the cost for a knee MRI can range between $287 and $1,326, while the price for childbirth can be between $7,399 and $12,913,
• In Denver, the cost for a knee MRI ranges between $460 and $3,085, and childbirth can be between $10,514 and $18,324.

Prescription Tracking: Nearly half of all Americans take prescription drugs. In fact, five out of six people older than 65 take at least one medication, and almost half of them take three or more, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Apps such as ScriptHub enable all consumers to enter their medicines for themselves, or for their family members, and find a nearby pharmacy. The medicine-reminder feature can set when (e.g., at noon), how (e.g., with food), and how often (e.g., daily) to take medications.

Well-Baby Care: More apps are targeting consumers in key life stages with specific health needs. One is Baby Blocks, a mobile program that helps pregnant women and new parents with prenatal, post-partum and well-baby care. Baby Blocks helps women improve the odds of a healthy delivery and avoid costly complications. Some maternity-related apps can track ovulation cycles or provide users with email appointment alerts and wellness-related text messages, while offering rewards for keeping appointments, including incentives such as gift cards to retail outlets and maternity-related items such as teething rings, diaper bags and thermometers.

In this new era of consumer-focused health care, transparency and education can help people be more engaged in their health. Take a few minutes to check out these apps, or log in to your health plan’s website and learn more about the tools that can help you make the best health care decisions for you and your family.