Sponsored content Open Enrollment 2019: Know Your Options Health insurance coverage is about more than just the cost By Lauren Glendenning Brought to you by Ka Permnete When shopping around for health insar ance during Open Enrollment, patients houn't look solely at which plans are the cheapest. There's a lot of other consider ations that should factor into this inport- Jeannine Benson, MD, internal medicine physician at Kaiser Permanente's Edwards medical oflces, said patients needs to look at how often they use health eare senices. How often you see your phsician or access eare will mean coverage needs will vary .lt's a typical question-how can I get the most out ofmy coverage? When I hear this question from commvunity EnroLLment tions, 1 arge people to think through what senioes they find have the biggest impact on their health. In our mountain.comm nities, chiropractic care, physical therapy massage therapy, or aeupancture might belp people with active lifestyles recover Here are some other tips for getting through Open Enrollment with the right plan and for ensuring you're geting your health eare needs met all year long HEALTH INSU CAREFULLY REVIEW AVAILABLE INSU R. Ifyour employer offers health insur- ance, conneet with your human resourees epartment or another appropriate person to ask questions, Benson suggrits If you're ooking at buying an individual or family plan, insurance brokers can be a great source foe reviewing prowiders and plans that best meet your meeds HEALTH INSURANCE Par too often, people pick what they think will be the cheapest plan without consider- ing value or what their health care dolar is going toward, Benson salid Brokers can also be a nesouroe for infor- mation about alternative health eare plans Benson said it's imperative to be very clear about what these non-traditional plan light on how to navigate the complex world of health eare and the eoverage options infections Benson said. We also offer time, right vesme," she said cover and what they doa't before signing aailalbke Chat with a Doe, a real-time test conver- sation which puts you in direct contact with a bvalth care provider to discuss your concerns virtualls We also offer phone PRACTICE PREVENTIVE CARE Open Enroliment is a great time of year to think about preventive care as yoa weigh CONSIDER THE OPTIONS ASK YOUR DOCTOR FOR ADVICE Does your pewider offer varioas optionsto twith providers and other options ia deliver your health care? Ifso, yo should kpong be weighing these options to best meet health care options and insar various ealth plans and what they cwer Benson said preventive care is proven to have a positive impact on long-term bealth dleliver your health care? Ifso, you s ance can be dafficult, which is why Benson sald patlents should talk to their doctors or bealth providers to see if there are tools your needs, according to Benson. they ean provide to belp them savigate it. aPermanente offers many convenient, These telebealth options are also greato accessing eare, especialy in rural commu nities where travel can be difficult. Thisactively engaging you to get the preventive aecess also can hep remove the harriers tocare that is appropriate Sor your age and our bealth eare peovider should M Kaiser Permanente, we try to make sure for an office visit, this saving patients time health care for people who can't afford to gender,she said. This peevention ineludes immunizations, age and gender specific ng the highest quality Benson care while helping them figuoand money. Benson to get that eare in a way that makes sense, "ur registered narses (RNs) can triage financially, Benson said. "Your primary sright forward issues over the phone care team should be able to help shed oe like urinary tract infections and sinus take timme off from work Tchealth cannot adress every issue, but eancer seeening, cardiae risk assessments, t can be a starting point to get members diet and esercise counseling, and other where they peed to be-right care, right bthliving recommendations Court Suite 104 rnco,co 0443 KAISER PERMANENTE