California Health Care

Your vision is essential to your overall well-being and can give clues about your physical health. For example, during an eye exam, the doctor might spot signs of conditions like diabetes or high cholesterol.

Considering your vision is vital, you think it’d be covered by your health insurance plan, right? In some cases, it is. However, most standard health insurance policies do not cover routine eye exams.

Every health plan is different. The best way to know if you have vision coverage is to review your health policy’s Summary of Benefits and Coverage (SBC). You should be able to find your plan’s SBC by visiting its website. If you have any questions about your Covered California plan or where to find your SBC, our representatives can help.

Your medical insurance may provide eye care coverage if any of the following apply:

It’s important to note that health insurance plans typically cover ophthalmology services. Ophthalmology deals with diagnosing and treating eye disorders —...

Dental insurance is a great option for avoiding high costs when unforeseen dental issues arise, ranging from oral surgery to simple tooth extractions. Even so, dental insurance plans operate differently from other insurance types because it has a waiting period. You may have to wait a few months before you can access your benefits.

Fortunately, there are affordable dental insurance plans with no waiting periods to minimize your out-of-pocket fees. This guide explores how you can find the best immediate coverage options in California at an affordable price.

A dental insurance waiting period is the period of time from when you sign up for a policy until the insurance company begins paying for your covered services. This waiting period may range from a month to almost a year. Those seeking dental insurance typically need to wait until the waiting period is over to receive coverage, or they may receive dental services and pay for it out of pocket during this time.

The length of dental insura...

When the COVID-19 pandemic began, California saw a significant increase in patients seeking telemedicine due to social distancing regulations. While demand has decreased since early 2020, telemedicine is still prevalent throughout California, making it an essential part of the health care delivery system.

We’ve compiled a list of common questions about telemedicine and its coverage in California so you can decide if it’s right for you.

Telemedicine refers to the delivery of health care services remotely through video calls, phone calls or messaging. With telemedicine, patients can book virtual appointments with health care providers to receive medical diagnoses and treatment for non-life-threatening conditions. This service allows patients to receive care when they aren’t willing or able to meet in person.

There are two categories of telemedicine.

Anyone can use telemedicine, but it is especially beneficial for people who:

Telemedicine is a convenient solution for various forms of ca...

While the first documented use of telehealth was in the late 1950s, the demand for and access to online services have skyrocketed since 2020. Many more people choose to see their doctor and receive medical services online instead of in person. Using technology for health care has many benefits for patients and providers.

Telehealth, telemedicine and telecare aren’t synonymous terms, and you should learn the difference so you can understand what your health care options include. Here’s what you need to know.

No, these terms mean two different things. However, telehealth includes telemedicine as part of its definition.

Though these two definitions may sound similar, telehealth covers a broader spectrum of health care than telemedicine. You should understand the difference because your insurance may cover some aspects of telehealth but not others.

Here are some examples of how telehealth and telemedicine look in practice.

Any health care activity you can complete online is a form of tel...

Health goes beyond your physical body. Your mental well-being plays a critical role in your overall health. Insurance companies haven’t always seen it that way, historically providing better coverage for physical conditions than mental health disorders. That is no longer the case.

A 2008 federal law known as the Mental Health Parity Law requires insurers to cover mental, behavioral and substance use disorder services. Let’s explore how this law and other factors influence your mental health insurance coverage.

Commonly referred to as the federal parity law, the Mental Health Parity Law regulates insurance companies to ensure mental health and substance use benefits are not more restrictive than medical and surgical coverage.

Parity protections apply to:

Does your insurance cover therapy services, counseling, anxiety treatment and other mental health treatments? The Mental Health Parity Law does not mandate that insurers include mental health services in their coverage. It simply enforc...

Your Medicare or insurance card proves that you have health care coverage and is one of the many important documents you own. Before receiving any medical treatment, you’ll likely have to show your card to prove you have coverage. However, your card may become lost, stolen or misplaced. Luckily, you can easily replace these cards to continue taking advantage of your coverage plan.

You have several options when it comes to replacing a Medicare card. You can request or print a new copy from your Medicare account online or contact Medicare for more help. You’ll need the following information available:

If you have Medicare coverage through a specific Medicare Advantage plan, you must call your plan carrier to ask for a replacement.

After you request your replacement, the Medicare office will mail your card. It should arrive within 30 days. If you need a new card sooner, such as for a doctor’s appointment or to fill a prescription, you can print a temporary copy at home to serve a...

Health insurance plays an essential role in keeping you and — if you enroll in a family plan — your spouse and children safe. If you’re interested in purchasing a family health insurance plan, it’s a good idea to see who qualifies so you can ensure everyone has the coverage they need. This guide will answer some common questions about group health insurance plans and who is eligible.

A dependent is anyone who qualifies as an additional person on your health insurance plan. Your dependents can access all of your health plan benefits and use them as if they were the policyholder.

A beneficiary is typically the primary policyholder of the insurance plan and receives health care benefits. The term “beneficiary” can extend to other individuals who receive benefits, like your spouse or child.

Besides the main benefit of coverage for minor and major medical needs, adding a dependent to your insurance plan allows you to take advantage of many tax deductions and credits.

Anyone who qual...

Health insurance is critical in ensuring that your medical bills are covered when you’re sick or injured. The application process for some health plans can be complex, so some people let their plans renew automatically at the end of the active period. The fundamental question is whether auto-renewal is good or bad for you. To answer this question, we will look at the pros and cons of automatic health insurance renewal.

Do you have to renew your health insurance every year personally? The answer is no. You can let your health insurance plan automatically renew at the end of each period. However, as you’ll discover in the next sections, auto renewal will make you miss some benefits.

When does health insurance renew? State-run exchanges and HealthCare.gov process auto-renewals on or around December 16. The open enrollment period, which is the yearly period when individuals can enroll in a Marketplace health insurance plan, runs from November 1 to January 15 in most states. If you have...

Life is anything but constant —  job and lifestyle transitions occur all the time, and income changes often accompany them. Knowing when and how to report income changes to insurance providers helps determine your eligibility for coverage and savings.

When you enroll in Covered California, you need to report any changes, like earnings adjustments, in 30 days. Learn more about the reporting process so you can continue receiving quality health coverage and avoid financial penalties for noncompliance.

Updating your Medi-Cal application with your new income is essential for compliance and ensures better benefits for you. Some perks of reporting your change include:

Between busy work schedules and family commitments, finding the time to tackle everything on your to-do list can be challenging. However, reporting your income change to Covered California is a task you need to prioritize. Forgetting to submit your income change could result in penalties such as:

Aside from indicating a...

Couples may each have their own health insurance plan, or, in some cases, only one of the spouses may have a plan. In either case, sometimes it makes sense for one partner to add their spouse to their plan. Adding your spouse to your health insurance plan is not difficult. In this guide for adding your spouse to a health insurance plan, you’ll learn how to do this stress-free.

Different scenarios require different approaches when you want to add your spouse to your health plan. Overall, there are three main options you can use to add your spouse:

You can add your spouse during open enrollment, which occurs annually from November 1 to January 15. During this period, you can sign up for insurance or update your existing plan. If you have employer coverage, your employer sets the open enrollment dates. Adding your spouse is one of the changes you can make during this enrollment period. However, you don’t always have to wait for the open enrollment period to add your spouse.

Certain life...