If you and your dependents receive health insurance through your work, you do not need to do anything unless you hear otherwise from your employer.

There have been many changes in the health care marketplace as a result of the Affordable Care Act. You may have noticed some significant changes regarding preventive care coverage and keeping children on your insurance policy until they reach a certain age. Before the health care law, insurance companies could discontinue coverage for young adults once they reached the age of 19. However, under current legislation, most plans that cover children are required to provide coverage until they are 26 years old.

Before you choose an insurance carrier or seek care from a provider, there are some key factors to consider:

• Is your physician participating in the plan?
• Is Valley Presbyterian Hospital - or any other health care facility you choose - participating?
• Will you be required to obtain prior authorization for the services you need?

Valley Presbyterian Hospital participates in most health insurance plans. The following is a list of health plans that are currently contracted with VPH. If you do not see your plan listed, we recommend contacting your physician's office or your insurance carrier directly for more information.

PPO Plans

• Aetna PPO
• Anthem Blue Cross Federal
• Anthem Blue Cross Prudent Buyer
• Beech Street
• Blue Shield PPO
• Choice Care Humana
• Cigna PPO
• Community Care Network (CCN)
• Corvel/Corecare PPO
• Coventry Healthcare PPO
• Directors Guild of America
• First Health PPO
• Great West PPO
• Health Net PPO
• Interplan PPO
• Multiplan
• PHCS
• United Healthcare PPO

HMO Plans

• Aetna HMO
• Aetna POS
• Anthem Blue Cross California Care (HMO)
• Blue Shield HMO
• Cigna HMO
• Cigna POS
• Great West HMO
• Great West POS
• Health Care Partners
• Health Net HMO
• Health Net POS
• Heritage Provider Network
• Pacificare HMO
• Positive Healthcare HMO
• United Healthcare HMO

Medi-Cal HMO Plans

• Anthem Blue Cross Medi-cal
• Blue Shield Promise Medi-cal
• Health Net Medi-cal
• Heritage Provider Network Medi-cal
• LA Care Medi-cal
• Molina Medi-cal

Medicare Advantage HMO Plans (Seniors)

• Aetna Senior
• Alignment Health
• Anthem Blue Cross Medicare Advantage
• Blue Shield Senior
• Central Health Plan of CA
• Easychoice
• Health Net Senior
• Heritage Provider Network Senior
• Health Care Partners Senior
• LA Care Medicare
• Molina Healthcare Medicare
• Positive Healthcare Medicare
• Scan HMO
• Secure Horizons

Government Plans

• Medicare
• Medi-Cal
• California Children Services (CCS)
• Caloptima
• Genetically Handicapped Persons Program (GHPP)

Covered California Plans

• Anthem Blue Cross Covered CA
• Blue Shield Covered CA
• Health Net Covered CA
• LA Care Covered CA
• Molina Covered CA

If you currently purchase a private (also referred to as "commercial") policy for yourself and/or your family, there are two options available to you:

Option 1: You can purchase a plan through the Covered California health benefit exchange.

Option 2: You can buy private insurance through an insurance agent or company outside of the health exchange.

Whatever you decide, it is wise to carefully choose your plan. Only a select few plans provide complete coverage for care provided by Valley Presbyterian Hospital and our contracted physicians.

For more information, contact our Patient Financial Services Department at 818.902.2913.

If you have Medicare your coverage likely will remain the same.

Subscribers can direct questions to:

• www.medicare.gov
• 800-MEDICARE (800-633-4227)

If you have Medi-Cal, you may have to make adjustments to your coverage.

Medi-Cal beneficiaries likely need to select a Medi-Cal managed care health plan to receive Medi-Cal services. The Medi-Cal managed care health plan will be responsible for all your medical care, some transportation and certain long-term services and supports.

Medi-Cal members can direct questions to:

• www.medi-cal.ca.gov
• 800-541-5555

Under the Affordable Care Act, eligibility requirements for government programs such as Medi-Cal are expanding. Please contact Medi-Cal, or ask a Patient Financial Services Department representative if you think you may qualify.

If you are "dual eligible," with both Medicare and Medi-Cal, you may have the choice to participate in Cal MediConnect, a new pilot program being tried out in Los Angeles and seven other counties in California. Click here for CalMediConnect eligibility information.

If you've always believed that you couldn't qualify for coverage or could not afford health insurance, things may be different now due to the Affordable Care Act.

Here's how:

• You will no longer be denied coverage by insurance companies based upon pre-existing conditions.
• You may qualify for subsidies through the Covered California health insurance exchange if you meet certain income requirements.
• Government programs such as Medicare and Medi-Cal are expanding their eligibility requirements. We encourage you to contact Medicare and Medi-Cal to find out if you qualify.

It is important to note that if you don't currently have health insurance, you may need to purchase a policy on your own, or through your work, in order to avoid government penalties.