The program is called CAM, which stands for complementary and alternative medicine, and it is slated to start on the first of January. The problem that many consumers might find with it is that it is not an actual part of the coverage of their health insurance plan. Rather, it is separate, set up as a discount health insurance card. This does make things easier, as it means claims and referrals won’t be necessary like they usually are, though.

While the actual Blue Cross discount card is cheaper to begin with, it costs more than your usual health care plan if you have to end up using it. You pay the chiropractor or the practitioner of whatever type of alternative treatment you are getting, and the card is only responsible for giving you a discount. While it is a big discount, at twenty five percent, that is only the case if you work within the network that Blue Cross has chosen.

More and more people are becoming interested in alternative forms of health care, and Blue Cross is just the first health insurance company to have buckled under the weight of demands for coverage for this type of treatment. For those who cannot afford any other kind of health insurance, it might be a good start on getting some medical care, considering the lower costs.

Blue Cross is putting itself forward to help current and potential customers understand the program by providing them with a website called Healthy Roads. The website is still in its early stages, but it contains a load of information about different types of alternative health care. It also has a directory of alternative care providers who are part of Blue Cross’s program, and a bunch of products that might appeal to people interested in alternative health care. It’s a great source of information, even for those who do not have a Blue Cross Blue Shield health insurance plan.

Cheers,

Fashun Guadarrama.

What types of health care plans are offered at Columbia University?

Randall

Great question.

There are two types of health insurance plans that you can get if you are a registered full time student at Columbia University, either as a grad student or an undergrad. One of them is the basic level, and the other the comprehensive, and you have the option to get both. Every student who registers full time at Columbia is automatically enrolled into the Columbia health insurance program, so it is likely that if you attend Columbia you will be choosing between one of these health insurance coverage plans.

The basic level plan is the one at which everybody starts. You are automatically put into this plan, although you may get a waiver or even get the comprehensive plan instead. This is the average plan that works for most students and is made for the people with less risk. If you don’t plan on using a more than average amount of health service, and you want a cheap plan, then the basic level may be for you. The basic level comes with $300,000 of coverage and might be a good option for students who can’t afford to pay high monthly premiums, as it puts more of the burden on co pays than on premiums.

The comprehensive plan is the next level up, and it comes with a million dollars worth of maximum coverage over the course of the insured person’s life. It comes with everything that the basic level does, with a little extra. It helps for people who need more extensive mental care by providing them with off campus mental evaluation and treatment, and it also comes with greater provisions for things like prescriptions and recovery treatments. This is the best option for students with a pre existing condition, although it can be expensive because the monthly premium costs more, but copayments and deductibles are smaller.

Cheers,

Fashun Guadarrama