California health insurance - LA Care health through Covered California reviews
LA Care Health Plans through Covered California Plans, Rates, and Reviews
LA Care found a great strategy.
Focus on one area and do it well.
It just so happens that the area is Los Angeles with millions of inhabitants.
Their second coup was to participate in Covered California.
They are now level with big California carriers in the most populous area in California.
Let's look at LA Care, how they work and why they're doing so well since 2014.
We'll break it down into more areas here:
- LA Care under Covered California Changes
- LA Care in Covered Ca Rates
- LA Care in Covered Ca Plans
- LA Care through Covered California Networks
- Is LA Care available through Covered California?
- How to Quote Covered Ca LA Care
- How to Apply for Covered California LA Care
- Is LA Care cheaper through Covered Ca?
- Is LA Care under Covered Ca good insurance?
All great questions.
Let's get started with recent updates.
LA Care Changes in Covered California
La Care will be renewing all its existing members and plans.
Great news!
They are expanding their network of providers in LA which we'll discuss in the Network section below. This is really LA Care's secret weopon in Covered Ca.
The Covered Ca plans will be affected by the annual changes that affect all plans in the marketplace.
This result in small tweaks of plan benefits but it's more of a shuffling here and there.
There is a rebalancing that occurs every year at open enrollment.
You can access the full benefit detail through the on-exchange quote here:
Otherwise, LA Care is remarkably stable.
Especially on the pricing side (which is their strength).
Let's look at the Rates.
LA Care Rates through Covered California
LA Care has some of the lowest increases in the area.
On average, they're running 8-13% depending on area, age, and plan.
This compares with increase up to 42% with some of the other carriers.
Through recent years, LA Care was already one of the lowest priced options in Los Angeles.
Molina generally had the lowest ranks but they're seeing much larger rate increases since 2018 so LA Care will now the cost leader for many people.
You can run your Covered Ca LA Care quote here and compare alongside the other carriers:
If you want to be outside the Kaiser network, LA Care will likely be the lowest
priced HMO with a larger network than Molina.
Health Net is generally the next price point up from LA Care but its network is comparable in Los Angeles.
If you are eligible for a tax credit, it will likely rise as well to offset the rate increase depending on your census information.
This means that the LA Care plan will likely not cost you much more if you're renewing.
Pricing continues to be LA Care's strength in Covered Ca through the the current year.
That position has only strengthened now that Molina had such big rate increases.
We're happy to help you compare the plans and rates for your situation.
As Certified Covered Ca agents, our services are free to you at 800-320-6269 or by email.
LA Care through Covered California Plans and Benefits
LA Care offers the full spectrum of Covered Ca available plans:
- Catastrophic LA Care
- Bronze 60 LA Care
- Bronze HDHP (HSA qualified plan)
- Silver 70 LA Care plan
- Silver 73 LA Care plan
- Silver 87 LA Care plan
- Silver 94 LA Care plan
- Gold 80 LA Care plan
- Platinum 90 LA Care plan
All of LA Care plans are HMO at any given level.
You can use the PlanFinder tool to compare the different benefits:
The Silver 73, 87, and 94 are available based on income levels.
The rate is the same for all the Silver plans...just the benefits change based on income.
We can help you navigate the "enhanced" silver plan selection to make sure you're getting the best options.
If you're offered the Silver 87 or 94, that's hard to beat.
These benefit enhancements will work with LA Care but only in Covered California.
We can only get the tax credit through the exchange as well.
You can enroll in Covered Ca LA Care here quickly:
The Bronze and Silver have been the most popular plans by far.
LA Care through Covered Ca Networks
LA Care is an HMO.
You can get more information on HMO versus PPO here.
Quick synopsis of LA Care HMO Model:
- You need to stay within LA Care networks for non-emergency
- You select a Primary Care doctor or Medical Group through which care is administered
- Care is more "managed" with HMO's
- Pricing is generally much less for HMO plans
LA Care has worked to grow it's HMO network in the greater Los Angeles area.
It includes 42 hospitals, 2000 physicians, and 1000 pharmacies including CVS and Rite Aid.
The LA Care through Covered Ca network gives you access to Children's Hospital of Los Angeles, Good Samaritan Hospital, and Huntington Memorial Hospital.
There are many large medical groups that participate including Healthcare Partners, Prospect, and Talbert.
The bigger coup is UCLA and Optum (Huntington Network). This is really unheard of in LA for an HMO. We usually have to pay double or more for Shield's PPO.
How to check out LA Care through Covered Ca network or doctors and hospitals:
- Click on the quote here
- Under the LA Care plan of choice, click "Provider Search"
- The provider listing should be La Care Covered or LA Care Covered Direct (smaller network)
- You can search by type of provider or type of service.
That's it!
LA Care has really focused on providing a strong basis of coverage in Los Angeles.
Keep in mind that HMO's need lots of population to work well.
Umm...it's Los Angeles.
That's partially why their rate increases was one of the lowest in the State.
In terms of competing HMO networks, you can compare them to Health net, Molina, and Kaiser in Los Angeles.
Blue Shield of California's HMO network will be bigger but more expensive.
The better comparison with LA Care is Molina or Health net for private doctor and hospitals (non-Kaiser).
Is LA Care available through Covered California?
Yes!
They aggressively adopted LA Care back in 2014 and never looked back.
By law, the networks, plans, and rates need to be the same off-exchange or through Covered Ca.
Keep in mind that we can only get the tax credit with LA Care if we enroll on-exchange.
There's no reason not to!
You can quickly apply for Covered Ca LA Care here:
How to Quote LA Care under Covered California
It's free, easy, and fast.
How to quote Covered Ca LA Care:
- Click here to access the quote system
- Select "on-exchange" for Covered Ca versions
- You can narrow the plans to "LA Care" on the left or compare with other Covered Ca plans
- Use the PlanFinder tool to compare plan levels
That's all you need.
We're happy to help you compare the options at 800-320-6269 or by email.
As Certified Covered Ca agents, there's no cost for our services.
How to Apply for LA Care in Covered Ca
Enrollment can be done quickly, securely, and easily below.
How to Enroll in LA Care under Covered California:
- Click here to access the online application
- Complete secured form
- Receive 4 ID questions (generated by Covered Ca) in 24 hours
- Receive confirmation of enrollment 24 hours later
- Receive mailed confirmation from Covered Ca 5-7 days following
- Receive the first invoice from the carrier 5-7 days after (or pay here)
That's it.
The above application will reduce your time enrolling directly by about 45 minutes on average.
Most importantly, we'll make sure there is nothing that will prevent you from getting the most tax credit available to you.
We see mistakes all the time for people who self-enroll.
It can mean lost tax credit or having to pay back money in April.
Let's avoid both.
There's no cost for our assistance as Certified Covered Ca agents.
Is LA Care Cheaper under Covered Ca
By law, the rates have to be the same off-exchange (direct to the carrier) and through Covered Ca.
There's one big difference.
If you're eligible for a tax credit (and many Angelino's are), you can only get the tax credit through Covered Ca.
There's no reason to get LA Care out of the exchange.
You're potentially throwing away $1000's each year.
You can access the Covered Ca online application here.
Is LA Care through Covered Ca good insurance?
Good question.
Most people choose LA Care for the pricing.
It's hard to beat and in the end, you have to be able to afford the coverage!
Here's the second piece that needs to work.
You need to have your doctors or doctors you like in the network.
It's an HMO so you have to stay in their network.
If you're in Los Angeles, they really focus down on that local area.
Check the provider search when you run your quote here (under each plan).
If you like the doctors or your doctors participate, you can't beat the pricing.
La Care through Covered Ca Review
We've touched based on the different pros and cons for LA Care.
They have some of the best pricing on the market.
This is increasingly important with rates going up each year.
They focus on Los Angeles county which makes them more responsive and targeted in their approach.
On the flipside, they are HMO only.
You have to okay with the HMO model.
More detail on HMO versus PPO here.
They do have a smaller network than say Anthem (who is leaving anyway) or Blue Shield HMO/PPO.
Net net...
Look at the doctors in the network.
If you feel you can work with their network, the pricing is hard to beat.
We're happy to walk through any questions you have on LA care and/or Covered California!
You can run your LA Care through Covered Ca Plan Quote here
Again, there is absolutely no cost to you for our services. Call 800-320-6269 Today!