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I have a choice of different health care plans. Does anyone know what would be best to get for Hawaii. My choices are:
--Aetna Open Choice® PPO Plan
seems to be variety of doctors available
--Managed Choice® POS Plan
maybe I selected the wrong plan but when I searched for doctors it says none
--HMSA
no idea on HMSA's website when looking for a doctor what to put for Plan Name.
--Kaiser Hawaii
haven't heard good things about Kaiser around here, but maybe it's ok in HI?
Usually, in Hawaii the only two viable choices are Kaiser and HMSA. Never heard of the other two, they may not be accepted by the medical folks around here.
We've been fine with Kaiser on the Big Island. Kaiser Hawaii seems to be a distant relative of our old Kaiser in Colorado. About all they share is the name "Kaiser". Anyway, like Kaiser anywhere there are good docs and not so good docs and you have the ability to choose. The doctors we've found here in Kona are good.
I had Kaiser when I lived in Hawaii and I loved it. It was very convenient for me to just go to the main Honolulu building to get everything done there - never had to go out to separate doctors, specialists, etc. Even had the pharmacy there as well. They do charge for parking though
I searched doctors in Aetna PPO Plan and I am finding a lot of doctors! I think I will go with them. I haven't heard good things about Kaiser. I also am leary about an only in Hawaii HMO just if I end up going elsewhere then it's not usable!
is this plan being provided to you from a mainland emplyer and your on assignement to hawaii, or are you going to be a full time premenant hawaii resident?
is this plan being provided to you from a mainland emplyer and your on assignement to hawaii, or are you going to be a full time premenant hawaii resident?
Right now for about a month, I'll be working on the mainland, then relocating to Hawaii as a permanent resident.
It looks like Aetna PPO is the best bet... I can use it here and there. I believe if people relocate to a location that one can change plans but that's another hassle. I like PPO's better than HMO's. Even if the PPO is a bit more... Kaiser is the very cheapest but only covers generic prescriptions. in the past I have been prescribed things that came in name brand only so may be good to have coverage that covers that.
You need to call Aetna about the details quickly cause it smells a bit.
Aetna does not offer health insurance to the state of Hawaii. If you are an employee of a mainland company and are on assignement to Hawaii, you can use the insurance through their network of doctors. The same goes if relocate to Hawaii and have not swiched to a hawaii health insurance plan. But Aetna coverage on Hawaii is set up as a temporary thing as a traveler or transient, but as a resident or as full hawaii employer plan. So, get on the phone and get your questions answered so your not one of those who does an address change and instead of getting a confirmation, you get a termination notice!
I can't recommend Kaiser. As a nurse in another hospital system I have seen patients who have been marginally treated by Kaiser who have ended up in real trouble, including deaths that may have been averted by proper treatment. Heartbreaking.
Kaiser is okay for everyday stuff and if you're young and relatively healthy but I truly have reservations about their cost-cutting practices. If anyone asks for my opinion about Kaiser I have to, in good conscience, tell them to look elsewhere for their health insurance needs.
HMSA gives you a wide range of choices in physicians. Queens has their own in-house plans ("Queen's Comprehensive, Queen's Preferred, et al) but I think they are just for employees. There is another option, "University Health Alliance," which is owned and operated by physicians. They too have a big list of providers but I don't know much about them at all.
Don't know much about Aetna either, sorry.
DH used to have Mutual of Omaha coverage years ago and it was good but it seemed that we always had to submit paperwork for reimbursement. Now he's retired and not quite ready for Medicare and he also has a high category VA disability but since I'm still working and getting health insurance for both of us we haven't investigated all the ramifications of those issues.
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