Education Group Holds Meeting To Inform Ventura Seniors of Health Insurance Options
The Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Program, an education group, on Monday discussed health insurance options with more than 100 seniors in Ventura who are among the 6,400 Medicare+Choice beneficiaries whose policies will not be renewed next year by Kaiser Permanente and Blue Cross of California, the Los Angeles Times reports (Chawkins, Los Angeles Times, 11/5). The two HMOs decided to stop offering their Medicare+Choice plans, which provide private coverage for care that is not fully covered by Medicare, beginning Jan. 1, 2004, in limited areas in Ventura and Santa Clara counties because of low enrollment, low federal reimbursements and rising medical costs. CMS has approved their decision (California Healthline, 9/24). HICAP officials informed meeting attendees of veterans' health benefits and outlined benefits offered under Medicare and through supplemental health insurance programs (Los Angeles Times, 11/5).
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