access to a personal health advocate on health care and insurance questions

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How long has Health Advocate been in business?
A: Health Advocate has been in business since January 2002

Q: What are the advantages of Health Advocate?
A: Health Advocate offers a number of important benefits including providing expert assistance solving health and insurance-related problems and saving individuals both time and money. Most important, Health Advocate gives individuals a special advantage by having someone dedicated to helping them obtain the most from their healthcare experience.

Q: How does Health Advocate work?
A: Health Advocate assists organizations and their employees/members through its staff of Personal Health Advocates (PHA). Members requiring assistance call a special toll-free Health Advocate telephone number. The member speaks with a PHA, who is assigned to them personally, and explains their problem or need for assistance. After obtaining the necessary background information, the PHA, assisted by our staff of medical directors and administrative experts, researches and resolves the inquiry, allowing the member to get back to what they were doing.

Q: What issues does Health Advocate typically handle?
A: The company serves as a liaison for members with healthcare providers, insurance plans and other health-related community resources. Our comprehensive services help members with clinical and administrative issues involving medical, hospital, vision, dental, pharmacy and other healthcare needs. For example, we provide assistance finding primary care, specialist physicians and medical institutions and solve claims, billing and related administrative problems. Health Advocate also helps members’ access community resources, including senior care services that fall outside traditional health insurance coverage.

Q: How does Health Advocate help save money?
A: First, we save our clients and members a good deal of time, which typically translates into large financial and productivity savings. Our staff of experts knows the "ins and outs" of the healthcare and insurance worlds. We get to the bottom of the problem quickly and provide solutions that save a good deal of money.

Second, we often find billing and claims errors providing additional savings. We also help negotiate provider charges, which is another source of savings.

Finally, we help get members in need of medical care to the right provider quickly, avoiding unnecessary shuffling between multiple providers and duplicate medical testing, etc. This is not only an area of considerable cost and productivity savings but also helps to enhance the quality of our members’ healthcare experience.

The Fine Print

Vendor Info:

Health Advocate, Inc., (www.healthadvocate.com) the nation’s leading healthcare advocacy and assistance company, serves millions of Americans nationwide through its more than 6,000 client relationships. Since our founding in 2001, we have been helping members navigate the healthcare system through our full spectrum of time- and money-saving solutions.

Our Core Advocacy service is centered around our team of Personal Health Advocates, typically registered nurses, supported by medical directors and benefits and claims specialists. Our highly personalized services range from addressing a host of healthcare and insurance-related issues to providing one-on-one support for improving health and well-being. Coverage extends to the employee, spouse, dependent children, parents and parents-in-law.

Health Advocate’s programs offer medical cost-savings for clients and members alike, increased productivity for employers, enhanced customer loyalty for health plans, a better healthcare experience for members, and for employees to improve their health and well-being.