SW Missouri Medical Insurance

[jrscuba]

Hello all,

We are getting closer to moving, with closing coming up on our house at the end of this month. It's time for me to start thinking about medical insurance for May 1. I've done some research and found BCBS (Anthem), United, plus Humana, Aetna and something called Celtic apparently doing business down there in SW MO. St. John's also seems to have a health plan of their own.

We're used to buying our own private insurance, have been doing it for years. I'm trying to figure out who has the best network and of course the best deal. BCBS certainly seems to have the biggest network based on my research so far. But BCBS reimbursements to providers (at least down here in FL) are terrible and rates are high.

So for all you SW MO people out there, especially anyone in health care, 1)what are considered the good/bad hospitals? 2) is there a particular managed care company considered to have the best network? 3) other issues with service from any of these companies (good or bad)? 4) any other major insurers operating there that I've missed?, 5) anybody got great medical insurance they'd like to tell me about?

United has some good looking reasonably priced plans but their network looks a bit short. Opinions please anyone?

Thanks in advance. We hardly ever post but our last one was about trucking schools and we got some great advice here. Maybe by this time next year we can try to help out by giving some advice instead of only asking for it!

Jeff and Judith

[donsgal]

Originally Posted by jrscuba

Hello all,

We are getting closer to moving, with closing coming up on our house at the end of this month. It's time for me to start thinking about medical insurance for May 1. I've done some research and found BCBS (Anthem), United, plus Humana, Aetna and something called Celtic apparently doing business down there in SW MO. St. John's also seems to have a health plan of their own.

We're used to buying our own private insurance, have been doing it for years. I'm trying to figure out who has the best network and of course the best deal. BCBS certainly seems to have the biggest network based on my research so far. But BCBS reimbursements to providers (at least down here in FL) are terrible and rates are high.

So for all you SW MO people out there, especially anyone in health care, 1)what are considered the good/bad hospitals? 2) is there a particular managed care company considered to have the best network? 3) other issues with service from any of these companies (good or bad)? 4) any other major insurers operating there that I've missed?, 5) anybody got great medical insurance they'd like to tell me about?

United has some good looking reasonably priced plans but their network looks a bit short. Opinions please anyone?

Thanks in advance. We hardly ever post but our last one was about trucking schools and we got some great advice here. Maybe by this time next year we can try to help out by giving some advice instead of only asking for it!

Jeff and Judith

If anything "traumatic" were to ever happen to me I would go to St. Johns. Not because it is a better hospital, but because it is a Catholic hospital, I am told (and I don't know if this is true or heresay), that they will NOT turn your account over to collections and they will NOT trash your credit by reporting to credit bureaus. Supposedly, they are very ameniable to paying off any balance over a period of time with no interest. I'm afraid that this cannot be said for the others.

I don't have health insurance (never had).

donsgal

St. John's..hands down the best clinically ..it's owned by the Sisters of Mercy, an order of nuns who have a few hundred years of history in establishing hospitals. My SIL works for Mercy Health Plans..the health insurance also owned by the Sisters of Mercy.

[jrscuba]

Thanks for your responses bostonlesley and donsgal!

[dale]

I have been to St Johns as a patient and to Cox South Hospital. Both in Springfield.
My preference is Cox South.
We provide insurance for our employees and we use Blue Cross Blue Sheild. With it you can pick a plan for either hospital.

dale

[CGUARDSMAN]

i think they are about equal my sister is a nurse at St. Johns and my wife does ultrasound at Cox south. they both have health plans and really as i said are pretty equal.

[suzyhomemaker09]

If it's a neurological care you need hope they take you to Cox as St. John's neuro guys are still wet behind the ears fresh from med school

[jrscuba]

Thanks again to all. I am also going to post a version of this question on the www.city-data.com forum for that area and see what responses I get. I'll post back if l get any additional useful stuff from there.

[virtualco]

I pm'ed you earlier. Did you get it?

[pcdreams]

can't answer health insurance issues but I'd go to St. John's (springfield) before I'd be caught dead at Cox.

[jrscuba]

Virtual co, just PMed you.

Thanks!