My New Favorite Maxi Dress, Open Enrollment + a Giveaway

I was on the hunt for the perfect Thanksgiving/Christmas dress recently and found this LAIA red-orange beauty at photo locations for me.

This dress has become a favorite of mine for Winter and I love that it has a little touch of texture with the velvet belt.  For these photos, I paired it with some inexpensive black suede booties with a kitten heel that I found at TJ Maxx and I’ve gotten so many compliments on the combo.

If you follow me on Instagram, I’m sure you’ve seen me over sharing this dress.  You might also recall my recent conversation in my stories asking you all how you feel about the health insurance open enrollment period, which has been a huge stress for me.  Most of you said choosing health insurance stresses you out, too, and about half of you said you are currently in the process of looking for health insurance.  Having worked on the billing end of health insurance, I understand how hard it is to figure it all out and why choosing the right health insurance is such a big deal.

(This post is part of a sponsored collaboration with Dignity Health.  All opinions are my own).

Let’s Talk About Open Enrollment

Choosing health insurance can be so stressful, especially when you feel like you have nobody to bounce questions or concerns off of.  There are some really great resources out there to help you with some of your questions, and I found some great ones for people who are self employed.

If you live in California, Arizona, or Nevada, you might be familiar with Dignity Health.  They are one of the nation’s largest health systems consisting of 10,000 physicians, more than 60,000 employees, 39 acute care hospitals and 400-plus care-centers including neighborhood hospitals, urgent care, surgery and imaging centers, home health, and primary care clinics.  In my Instastories, I shared how much I love that Dignity Health understands that human connection is so important for the healing process. I love that they believe that everyone deserves expert medical care that is kind, compassionate, and heart centered.

I had a few questions about Dignity Health on Instagram, and they were coming from people who are self employed, so I wanted to share a little bit of information in case you are in need of a little guidance.  I am in no way a health insurance expert, but I’ve done quite a bit of research on Dignity Health and want to share what I found.

 

Things to Consider When Choosing Health Insurance

Open Enrollment Deadlines

Open Enrollment is October 15, 2018 through January 15, 2019 for California.  In Arizona and Nevada, Open Enrollment is November 1, 2018 through December 15, 2018.  So for those of you in Arizona and Nevada, you are days away from having to make a health insurance decision.

Stats

I am such a stats checker, and I recently found some survey results from Dignity Health’s California survey about how people feel about Open Enrollment.

Here are the results:

Latinos & Open Enrollment

• A recent study of 1,006 Californians by Dignity Health revealed that nine in ten Latinos (88 percent) find it stressful to research health insurance options during Open Enrollment.
• Latinos in California represent more than half (56 percent) of Californians who lack health insurance, according to the California Health Care Foundation.
• In fact, one in ten (8 percent) California Latinos would rather get a root canal than research health insurance plan options during Open Enrollment. One in five (20 percent) would rather visit the DMV.
• And while selecting a health insurance plan for your family is an important task, one in five (20 percent) of Latinos spend less than an hour researching their options during Open Enrollment season.

The Reality

• More than half (55 percent) of California Latinos say they help others outside of their immediate family make health care decisions, including friends.
• More than 7 in 10 (73 percent) Latinos value the emotional connection with their doctor, meaning selecting a physician or clinic goes beyond providing medical care.
  • More specifically, 38 percent said they want a healthcare provider that cares their overall well-being and 35 percent said they want a healthcare provider who listens to them, is engaged when they talk and is a clear communicator
  • Not surprisingly, nearly nine in ten (85.5 percent) Latinos have a preferred doctor or clinic they like to visit when they need medical care.
  • However, more than half (55 percent) of Latinos choose their health insurance plan first, and the doctors and clinics second, based on who’s in their network.
    

The Truth

• More than half (52 percent) of California Latinos surveyed wish they’d had an opportunity to make a better informed, more researched decision about the health care insurance they selected during open enrollment.
• Of those respondents, more than 4 in 10 (44 percent) wish they had more information on whether their preferred care giver was in network.

 

Choosing Your Health Insurance and Choosing Your Doctor

Dignity Health wants people to feel comfortable and confident in their health care decisions – from the right coverage to the right physicians.  They are not a health insurance company, but when you are choosing your health insurance provider, it’s important to make sure you are able to choose your own doctor that is within the Dignity Health network of facilities.

If you are in the process of choosing insurance right now, you might want to visit Dignity Health’s “Find a Care Center and Health Plan” page.  Here you will be able to find facilities that offer Dignity Health doctors near you as well as which insurance companies allow you to access these facilities and doctors.

If you are self employed and don’t get insurance through an employer, you can get more information from the insurance experts via Dignity Health.  You simply click the Open Enrollment page and go to the “Individual and Family Health Insurance Plans page.”

Giveaway

In case you also love this dress (and want a little retail therapy after the stressful Open Enrollment period), enter to win a $25 Anthropologie gift card using the Rafflecopter form below.  I will choose one winner after 12/19/18.  Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Posted By: Cristen Casados · In: Life