ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENTLOS ANGELES TIMES |http://www.latimes.com- • FRIDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2019
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OPEN ENROLLMENT
Care, Close to Home
When it comes to selecting health coverage, location can be everything
When you need to see a doctor, you don’t want to have to drive
30 miles (and two or more hours) to get to their office. If you’re
feeling ill or just need answers, time and distance are the most
important factors for medical care.
But how do you know that a health cover-
age plan you choose will give you the
services you need nearby?The answer
is to ensure a plan works with medical
centers or hospitals in your neighbor-
hood. MemorialCare makes this easy by
featuring offices in every SoCal corner.
“Most people choose a primary care
doctor close to home, or close to their
job,” said John Cascell, senior vice presi-
dent ofmanaged careat MemorialCare.
“When it’s time for you to see a specialist
or have a procedure done at a surgery cen-
ter, your doctor will refer you to the best
specialist,the best imaging center and the
best hospital, all in the same network, for
your continuing care,” Cascell said. “And it
helps if they all are close to home.”Thereare several networks in the region,
but MemorialCare features extensive loca-
tions in both L.A. and Orange counties. Its
health care providers span from the South
Bay to south Orange County.
“Our service area extends from Tor-
rance and Palos Verdes, heads inland to
Anaheim and Tustin, and all the way to
San Clemente,”Cascell said.
“MemorialCare has two hospitals in
Long Beach, Long Beach Medical Center
and Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital
LongBeach.MemorialCare’stwoOrange
County hospitals are Orange Coast Med-
ical Center in Fountain Valley and Saddle-
back Medical Center in Laguna Hills.”
In addition to the four hospitals,
there are 240 affiliated primary caredoctors in 35 locations, and as many as
2,000 specialists, said Judy Shubin, vice
president ofpayer contracts for the
MemorialCare Medical Foundation.
More importantly, though: Will your
health insurance be accepted?
Each health care system works out con-
tracts with major insurance companies,
as well as smaller, more local ones. These
coverage contracts are agreements
between the health system and each
insurer about what services are covered,
from wellness office visits to major sur-
gery, and how much each will cost.
MemorialCareisanetworkproviderfor
nearly all insurers in our region, whether
Medicare, Medicare supplements or
private, and it accepts both Health
Maintenance Organization (HMO) and
Preferred Provider Organization (PPO)
plans, Cascell said. About half of the con-
tracts involve employer-issued policies
and Covered California,he added.The
rest are close to evenly split betweenMedicare and Medicaid.
Medicare Advantage and other
HMO plans require their members to
have a primary care doctor who will han-
dle all the referrals for a patient’s specific
care. In PPO plans, consumers can go
to any doctor they wish,including spe-
cialists, for a slightly higher premium or
copay. For those who move throughout
Southern California often, either through
long commutes or post-retirement ad-
ventures, this can be a perfect option.
Most health systems recommend that
people find a primary care doctor who can
track all their health care needs and help
to coordinate treatment. Health systems
like MemorialCare make this easy and
time-saving with comprehensive location
information,online scheduling,physician
biographies and more on their website.
For more, information, visit their website
atchoosememorialcare.org.- CATHERINE GAUGH
Custom Publishing Writer