DMHC licenses first

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The Family Care plan will offer discounted access to a rangeof physician, pharmacy, outpatient (such as physical therapy and mental health), radiology and imaging, chiropractic, vision and hearing-care services. The program will offe r membership to a household fora $99 enrollment fee and a monthlh charge of $99.95, accordint to DMHC, with discounts rangin g from 5 to 40 percent for most However, the Houston-based health plan’s initiapl license is only valid for two reflecting caution on the part of the Sacramento-basesd agency, which previously has cracked down on variousd discount health-care card companies in the state.
Familyu Care is licensed to operatethroughout Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santaa Clara, Napa, Santa Solano, Orange and San Diego as well as the most populated arease of Sacramento, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino, and 41 other according to the department, and a numbef of local providers are already listed on its www.familycarecalifornia.comm web site. The DMHC said the economic environment playe a role in its decision to approvrFamily Care’s application for a Thanks to the continuing economic downturn, which has resulteed in many individuals and families losinb health coverage, “it is in the best interest of consumers to regulate and license legitimate discountg health plans,” Cindy Ehnes, the DMHC’s said in a June 9 statement.
She addedf that licensure will ensure that consumerss will get promised discountsand “fully understaned that these products are not healtu insurance.” In the last six the agency’s Help Centef has received more than 925 complaintx from consumers who were victime of fraudulent discount health card the DMHC said. Those consumers were misledf into thinking they were purchasing regularr health insurance or were unable to find doctor s who supposedly had contracted with thediscount company.
The DMHC said it has issueed several Cease and Desist orders in an ongoing investigatiob into this growing which in turn led to settingb up a licensing structure to protecrt consumers and providestate oversight. As a some companies decided to seek licenses provingg they metregulatory standards. The current licensing requirements include verification ofdiscounts offered, legitimate contracts with doctorss and other health care truthful advertising, and a process for consumerx to resolve disputes with the according to DMHC.
Plans also must prominently disclose that they are notofferinyg insurance, but rather a discount productf through which members pay provideras a discounted fee, usually at the time of Family Care’s web site displays such a statement at the bottom of each web page.