Insurance, HMOs and Managed Care

Know Your Rights

• Georgia's Katie Beckett Program for Children - What Can You Do If Your Child's Medicaid Coverage Is Being Terminated?

  Georgia children with severe disabilities (mental or physical) can qualify for Medicaid under the so-called Katie Beckett waiver. These children are in families with incomes too high to qualify for other Medicaid. This brochure explains the waiver and rights. Read More

  By:

  Georgia Legal Services Program®

• Insure Kids Now!

  You work hard to provide for your children and want to make sure they grow up strong, smart and healthy. But like many parents whose children don't have health insurance, you worry about taking care of them. Now, you may have one less thing to worry about. Your state, and every state in the nation, has a health insurance program for infants, children and teens. This web site tells you how to get your children enrolled. Content Detail

  By:

  U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

  Read this in:

  Spanish / Español

• PeachCare for Kids

  Affordable insurance for children Content Detail

• Choosing a Health Plan That Is Right for You

  This guide answers three important questions: What does it mean to choose a health plan? How do I make the right choice? What do I do if things go wrong? Content Detail

  By:

  U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

  Read this in:

  Chinese / 中文

• HMO Patients' Rights

  In 1999, the Georgia General Assembly passed House Bill 732, giving members of HMOs the right to appeal decisions that deny coverage for medical services. These web pages provide more information about who is eligible and how to apply for an independent review, what happens to your request and how long you have to wait to get an answer. Go to the Georgia Department of Community Health web site and click on "HMO Patient's Rights" in the left hand column. Content Detail

  By:

  Georgia Department of Community Health

• HMOs - Managed Care

  Managed care is a term that refers to a method of keeping down the costs of medical care by managing your health care through preventive medicine, patient education and utilizing resources in the best way possible. It often has health maintenance organizations (HMOs) as one of its components. Managed care usually means that you must follow more rules when you go to the doctor in exchange for paying less for your health care. The law is becoming more and more important in how people use managed care. This web site contains more information about your rights under managed care. Content Detail

  By:

  American Bar Association

• Lowering Health Care Costs

  Getting through the health care jungle while keeping down the costs of health care is hard enough. Check out the information we've put together to help you keep those costs under control. Content Detail

  By:

  National Health Law Program (HealthCareCoach.com)

• Medical Debt and Seniors: How Consumer Law Can Help

  Americans are living longer, in part due to dramatic advances in medical care. One of the costs of longer life expectancies is that someone has to pay for this medical care. While access to quality medical care is essential for seniors and should be a universal right, it can leave them saddled with unmanageable medical debt. Consumer law remedies are critical in helping seniors avoid financial ruin due to overwhelming medical bills. Content Detail

  By:

  National Consumer Law Center

• Fact Sheets: Getting the Best Out of Managed Care

  These fact sheets, in Microsoft Word and PDF formats, provide answers to the following questions and issues relating to Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs) and other managed care health insurance programs: (1) How can this information help me? (2) Understanding Quality Measures (3) Figuring Out Which Health Care Plan Meets Your Needs, (4) Report Cards, (5) Consumer Surveys. Content Detail

  By:

  National Health Law Program (NHeLP)

  Read this in:

  Spanish / Español

• State Health Benefit Plan

  The State Health Benefit Plan (SHBP) provides health insurance coverage to state employees, school system employees, retirees and their dependents. The Department of Community Health's Public Employee Health Benefits Division is responsible for the day-to-day operations. For more information click on this link to go to the Department of Community Health web site and then click on State Health Benefit Plan in the left hand column. Content Detail

  By:

  Georgia Department of Community Health

• What is COBRA and How Can It Help You?

  Losing your group health plan coverage? Thanks to the federal COBRA law, you may be entitled to an extension of your previous coverage for up to 18 months. COBRA (the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act) was enacted in 1985 to provide health plan continuation for families facing such crises as the loss of a job or death of a family member. Content Detail

  By:

  National Health Law Program (HealthCareCoach.com)

• Women's Health

  These articles are just for you. Here you’ll find relevant information on obtaining good medical care, getting the most from your insurance, and protecting your health. Content Detail

  By:

  National Health Law Program (HealthCareCoach.com)

• Continuation of Health Coverage — COBRA

  The Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) gives workers and their families who lose their health benefits the right to choose to continue group health benefits provided by their group health plan for limited periods of time under certain circumstances such as voluntary or involuntary job loss, reduction in the hours worked, transition between jobs, death, divorce, and other life events. Qualified individuals may be required to pay the entire premium for coverage up to 102 percent of the cost to the plan. Content Detail

  By:

  U.S. Department of Labor

• Health Insurance Plans and Health Benefits

  This web site contains information and fact sheets about (1) your rights to health care when you change jobs, (2) the health care rights of women, mothers and newborns, (3) mental health benefits rights, (4) rights to know what your health care plan contains, (5) how your health plan benefits are affected by your employers' bankruptcy and much more. Some of the information is in PDF format. Content Detail

  By:

  U.S. Department of Labor

• Private Health Insurance

  If you don't have access to employer-provided group insurance or public insurance, or if these plans don't adequately cover your family's needs, you'll want to explore your options for private insurance (also called individual insurance). Content Detail

  By:

  National Health Law Program (HealthCareCoach.com)