When it comes to health care decisions, the consumer and you should be in charge with its direction. You as the consumer and the recipient of the health insurance from your provider should have a say on the healthcare and you should know the contents of the contract. Sadly a number of health insurance plan providers aren't open to this and leave almost no room for individuals to properly control the direction of their healthcare.



But this time, shoppers of health insurance can find control in the form of plans as provided for by the Blue Cross of California. The provider named this as ?Lumenos? HAS and HIA Plans, where the HIA means Health Incentive Account plan and the HAS as the Health Savings Account. This new offer from Blue Cross is actually a consumer-directed plan where it puts a premium on your decision. Instead of the health insurance firm making the decision for the patient, it is the individual and his doctor who makes the health decisions and the individual is in the driver seat.

For California residents, they are offered with three Lumenos plans and they can enroll in one of the three plans. The first option is the Lumenos HAS and this is the Health Savings Account that let individuals save tax-free money in order to pay for the medical expenses. Individuals need not pay the taxes on the withdrawals as long as the funds are spent on a qualified medical expense. Individuals earn money in this kind of plan as the funds earn interest and the funds not spent for the year will be carried over to the account for next year.

The Lumenos HIA is another option and in this plan, individuals get to have the Blue Cross sponsored account that will pay for the person's health expenses. The funds used in this plan are accumulated from rewards the moment the individual participates in the wellness programs of the provider like the weight management program.

The last Lumenos program of the provider is the Lumenos HIA Plus. It's the Health Incentive Account Plus. This comes with a bonus- an extra $500 a year to the account. An extra $1000 for families will be given. The moment the individual meets the required deductible, the Lumenos plans will then include 100 percent coverage for a number of health-related needs. Covered here include the individual's visit to his doctor, the in-patient hospital services, maternity care and even prescription drugs.

For those individuals who get the services of any of the Lumenos plans, these individuals will be given access to the Blue Cross health management website- a well known health management website. The website for all recipients of the Lumenos plans will be given access to the Nurse Advice Line which is a phone call away and can be accessed any time of the day. This dedicated line can address pertinent questions from individuals. A Personal Health Coach Program is provided for that can assist individuals in their needs. By introducing these plans, Blue Cross of California has managed to put forward choices for residents in the area.