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Should I Go to Primary Care, Urgent Care or the Emergency Room? | Ochsner Health Not sure where to go for medical care? Learn how to choose between primary care, urgent care, the ER or virtual visits based on your symptoms. Get the right care at the right place!

Health insurance networks are typically updated annually, often coinciding with the open enrollment period.

However, changes can also occur throughout the year as contracts between insurers and providers are negotiated, providers join or leave networks, or new services are added.

It's essential to regularly check your insurance plan's network to ensure your preferred providers and services remain covered.

Coordination of Benefits (COB) occurs when a person is covered by more than one health insurance plan, such as when a married couple both have their own employer-provided insurance, or a child is covered by both parents' plans. COB ensures that the combined payments from all plans do not exceed the total cost of the medical services received, and it determines the primary and secondary payers to streamline the payment process and avoid overpayment.

Your Out-of-Pocket Maximum (OOPM) is the most you have to pay for covered services in a plan year. After you spend this amount on deductibles, copayments, and coinsurance, your health plan pays 100% of the costs of covered benefits.

A Health Savings Account (HSA) is a type of savings account that lets you set aside money on a pre-tax basis to pay for qualified medical expenses. HSAs can only be used with HDHPs.

HSAs offer tax-deductible contributions, tax-free growth, and tax-free withdrawals for qualified medical expenses. It provides flexibility, allows unused funds to roll over annually, remains with you if you change jobs or retire, and often includes investment opportunities for potential growth.

Summer is ending and open enrollment will be here before you know it. Give us a call today to see what you qualify for, so we can put your health first.

An easy way to retain quality employees is to have an attractive group insurance plan. Let's meet today to discuss which options are best for you and your team.

Finding the perfect medical insurance group plan for your business can feel overwhelming. Sometimes you just wish you had a real person in front of you to ask what it all means and what's best for your small business. At Chartered Health & Wealth, that's exactly what we do. Reach out today for a complimentary session!

Building a custom health insurance plan that aligns with your lifestyle and budget is what we do best. Reach out today for a complimentary session. Together, let's put your health first!

Our team is ready to handle all your health insurance questions and concerns. Reach out today for a complimentary consultation.

Need a free second opinion on your health insurance coverage? Now is the time. Make sure you know all your options before the next open enrollment! Reach out today to schedule a complimentary session.

Louisiana Insurance Commissioner, Tim Temple, hosted dozens of insurance brokers today at the Department of Insurance building in Baton Rouge.

The conversation was heavily focused on Property & Casualty insurance. It’s a complicated problem and doesn’t have a quick fix. Ultimately, we need more insurance companies to create a more competitive market which will drive down insurance prices.

“There’s no law that says insurance companies have to do business in Louisiana. They have to want to.” said Temple.

Insurance Reform was a primary focus of this year’s legislative session and laws have been passed that will have a positive future impact. The main fixes include:

• Tax incentives for insurance companies willing to write insurance policies in high-risk areas, and a state-backed catastrophe fund to help manage the financial burden of large-scale natural disasters.

• Simplifying and expediting the licensing and approval process for insurance companies to do business in LA.

• Enhanced building codes to reduce property damage during natural disasters and approving mitigation grants for homeowners and businesses to make these improvements.

• Reinsurance programs and risk pools that will spread the risk of large claims to help insurance companies manage financial burdens and losses.

• Improved data analytics and claims processing to increase efficiency of the insurance system.

• Disaster preparedness and response measures to ensure effective responses and support during and after natural disasters.
There were also insurance transparency requirements and consumer education programs created to inform and protect consumers.

Temple also made progress with Louisiana's auto insurance problem, where Louisiana has the highest rates in the nation. He says the rates have more to do with frivolous lawsuits than uninsured motorists. Legislation was passed to create a more favorable legal environment for insurance companies which should in turn reduce auto rates over time.

When questioned on health insurance Temple expressed that with BCBS having over 80% of Louisiana’s health insurance market, it’s difficult for other insurance companies to break into the market. Health Insurance has turned into more of a national problem, but there are things we can do to make a difference in Louisiana.

We left feeling confident that Temple is for the people of Louisiana and has the experience, knowledge, and plan to make a difference.