Everyone wants to be healthy, but no one enjoys mulling over health plans and insurance models. PPO? HMO? It’s an alphabet headache!

Yet the decisions you make will impact you and your family for years to come. When you choose a health plan, it’s just the first step on your path to good health. Make sure the coverage you select fits you and your family’s needs. Pay close attention to co-pays and deductibles. Review your choice of physicians and programs. And if the language is confusing, ask for help.

NorthBay Healthcare wants to make the whole process as simple as possible.

In this issue  we’ll not only explain many of the terms you’ll need to understand, but we’ll also show you many of NorthBay Healthcare’s offerings —  from physicians and specialists to programs, emergency services and more.

Why Now?

It’s Open Enrollment season — between now and December — when most people can review and modify their health insurance and other benefit programs. It affects people signing up for Medicare, job-based health insurance and individual market health insurance.

Although employers can schedule open enrollment any time of the year, most schedule it in the fall, because new coverage often begins on Jan. 1. The window for open enrollment can range anywhere from a few weeks to several months. For example, Medicare open enrollment runs from Oct. 15 to Dec. 7 each year.

What Comes First?

For most people, it’s about choosing the right insurance plan. NorthBay Healthcare works with more than 20 insurance companies (see partial list at NorthBay.org/insurance), and most Medicare supplement plans.

NorthBay Healthcare is here to help you get started. Use this guide to figure out what health plan works best for you and your family. Then use the pages that follow to find a physician, learn about after-hours care, see where our facilities fall on the map of Northern Solano County and read the stories of some of our patients.