Logical Links to Insurers
If you’re searching for wellness information, managing your health or preparing for medical decisions, you won’t want to overlook one of the most logical (and often overlooked) resources: your health insurance plan’s Web site.
The major health plans serving Southern California all have Web sites, offering information about their services, locations, and general health and wellness news. Blue Shield of California boasts the most comprehensive health information site for general consumers (https://www.mylifepath.com).
The site is bright and informative, and is updated daily with health news similar to that found on some of the popular online health-care destinations. View it as an extensive resource to help you make better-informed health decisions.
Ever have trouble choosing a fitness center, chiropractor or acupuncturist? Mylifepath’s alternative-health feature includes a searchable network of providers that have been screened and meet specific education and training requirements. The site also promotes discounts these providers offer for members. Although you don’t need to register to use most of the features, doing so allows you to receive these discounts and access other features such as a guide to health-education programs in your area.
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Members can also create profiles to personalize the page that comes up when they access the site. For example, if you’re interested in only alternative health, men’s health and weight loss, you can design your profile so your personalized page includes just those topics. And it takes seconds to modify your profile if and when you decide there are other subjects that interest you. You can also register for a weekly newsletter on topics you’re interested in and for e-mail reminders of upcoming appointments.
If you’re a Blue Shield member, you’ll want to check out https://www.blueshieldca.com, the company’s site for members and others who have a business relationship with Blue Shield. In addition to receiving basic member information, members can download software that will help them create health records for themselves and their families. We’ve all been asked to fill out forms providing our medical history over and over again. With this program, you’ll always have a copy ready to distribute.
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Blue Shield officials say there are plans to incorporate other time-saving administrative functions into the site, including mechanisms to check on the status of claims and to access changes in health-plan coverage. And Mylifepath.com will continue to be a major portion of what the plan offers.
“We want our members to have a personalized link between their insurance information and what they need to know to manage their health,” says Ken Wood, senior vice president of corporate markets. According to Wood, nearly two-thirds of Blue Shield members use the Internet.
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Kaiser Permanente (https://www.ca.kaiserpermanente.org), like Blue Shield, offers general health information for nonmembers on its Web site--just less of it. Its Health and Wellness section includes a Webzine, hot health topics and daily health tips. The information on the California site is tailored to local areas. So you can not only learn about flu shots, but find out which medical facility is offering them. The site also provides a database of area health and wellness classes, searchable by topic and location.
Kaiser’s national Web site (https://www.kaiserpermanente.org) has more features, including an interactive exercise quiz, and two additional sections, “Just for Kids” and “Food & Nutrition.”
But what sets Kaiser’s site apart from other health-plan sites is the link between its online services and its medical facilities. Because all of Kaiser’s providers are linked as one network, https://www.kponline.org can offer services that link patients directly to their doctors. For example, you can go online at any time to schedule an appointment with your doctor, instead of having to wait to call during business hours. You can also ask the Kaiser pharmacists questions. And because you’re asking your own health plan’s pharmacist, you can obtain a full range of answers that include what is covered and what is available at your Kaiser pharmacy. In the coming year, the site will also pilot-test a prescription refill feature.
KP Online also encourages its members to interact with and support other members in their areas by participating in discussions on topics like breast cancer. Kaiser clinicians moderate the discussions, so the integrity of medical information is maintained. And participants are able to build a community of support for each other.
Kaiser also reports that two-thirds of their members go online on a regular basis. Ann Carlson, manager of KP Online, says, “We are using the Internet to enable members to connect with us, their health care team, and to connect among themselves as a health care community.”
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Other California health plans with helpful Web sites include PacifiCare (https://www.pacificare.com), Health Net (https://www.healthnet.com) and Blue Cross of California (https://www.bluecrossca.com). PacifiCare’s site offers its members access to the Healthwise Knowledgebase, a comprehensive source of published consumer health information. On Health Net, you can find a participating doctor, scan its award-winning Wellsite and take an interactive personal health quiz.
These days, health-plan Web sites are far more than online promotional brochures. I don’t know about you, but I’m all for integrating my online health searches with my health insurance plan’s Web site, as long as the information is credible and I’m not being steered toward a certain procedure just because it’s the cheapest option. But I couldn’t find any evidence of conflicts of interest on these sites. And with the advent of these new online programs, your health plan might even end up saving you time and money.
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Marla Bolotsky is managing editor and director of online information for the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. She can be reached by e-mail at marla.bolotsky@latimes.com.
* Your Health Online runs every other Monday in Health.
