| » Choosing
and using a health plan
A well organized outline of
factors to consider in selecting
health plans, from the US Agency
on Health Care Quality. |
| » Your Guide to
Choosing Quality Health Care
A step-by-step guide to the many
factors in making a health plan
choice. Includes space to
organize and record your own
health history - often asked for
by health plans. A bit long (54
pages) but complete and
invaluable. From the US Agency
on Health Care Quality. |
| » Medicare
Medigap Policies Often
referred to as the
"original Medicare",
these Medigap
(sometimes called “Medicare
Supplement Insurance”) policy
is health insurance designed to
supplement the Original Medicare
Plan, that is, to help pay some
of the health care costs (“gaps”)
that the Original Medicare Plan
doesn’t cover (like copayments,
coinsurance, and deductibles). |
| » Find
and Compare Medicare Plans
If you're on Medicare, the
Medicare center allows you to
search for health plans and
lists price and features. |
| » A guide to
health care topics.
This provides a complete listing
of medical terminology and
treatment descriptions for you
to better understand healthcare
questions and associated
treatments. From the US National
Library of Medicine. |
| Information from the
Industry [see notes at end] |
| » Health plan
choice check lists A
check list for comparing health
plans with explanations of each
item, with an emphasis on the
quality of the healthplan. From
WebMD [1]. |
| » Frequently asked
questions about health insurance
Explains the differences between
HMOs, PPOs, plan types in
understandable terms. From
healthinsurance.org [2]. |
| » A Health Plan
Report Card (by state) An
interactive site that provides a
scorecard on the quality of
individual health plans, by
State. These scorecards are
frequently referenced by state
agencies. From the National
Committee on Quality Assurance
[3]. |
| Information from
Lucent, the plan sponsor for
most retirees |
» The Summary Plan
Description for Management and
other Eligible Retirees An
"official" document
that covers insurance services,
prescription drugs, and who is
covered. The document appears
outdated (Jan 1 2005) and the
Benefits Team exepcts that,
under ERISA, it will be replaced
before end of 2009.
»
Lucent retiree
medical benefits at a glance
Provides a list of the features
and cost components that were
contained in the October 2006
enrollment documents. Very
useful for making a plan to plan
comparison using the check lists
above. Changed for the 2009
enrollment. From the Hewitt web
site. [5] |
|
Notes
|
[1] WebMD is a
commercial business. Web site
has advertising.
[2] Commercial organization.
Provides health insurance
quotes.
[3] A Not for Profit
Association. Sponsored by
foundations, employers and drug
companies. Board membership from
sponsors and state agencies. No
health care providers are
represented.
[4] The USAA Education
Foundation is sponsored by USAA,
a mutual insurance company for
Military officers. USAA does not
offer health insurance.
[5] The Alcatel-Lucent guide, in small
print has the following
disclaimer: "This guide is
merely intended to highlight
some of the benefits offered by
Alcatel-Lucent USA, Inc., to its
eligible retirees. In all
instances, the relevant plan
documents will control and
govern the operation of all the
benefit plans mentioned or
described in this guide." |
