Reprinted from the Health District's quarterly publication mailed to district residents (Winter 2002)

The National Health Law Program has launched a new resource to help consumers understand the confusing world of healthcare and health insurance. HealthCareCoach.com is useful for:
• Choosing and understanding a healthcare plan
• Appealing a health insurance claim denial
• Becoming an informed healthcare consumer.

HealthCareCoach.com has three online centers: Your Insurance, Your Health and Your Action Center. Each center provides informational articles and links to other resources on the web.
At “Your Insurance,” the site provides practical, easy-to-read information to help consumers understand, select and use health insurance. Features in this section include “What is an HMO” and “Protecting Your Coverage.” Under “Your Health,” users will find tips for selecting medical providers, links to medical dictionaries, tips for learning more about a new medical diagnosis as well as articles on healthy living. “Your Action Center” is designed for consumers experiencing problems with the health insurance system. This collection of resources is useful for consumer who can’t find health insurance and those who have had an insurance claim denied.

Visitors to this consumer advocacy site also will find articles and resources in the following areas (on the left menu bar):
• Families and Health
• Managing Changes
• Lowering Costs
• Women’s Health

Whether you’re having problems with your health insurance, or just hoping to avoid them, HealthCareCoach.com can help you become an advocate for your own health and healthcare.

Polly Anderson is the site editor for www.HealthInfoSource.com, a new local health information web site created by the Larimer County Department of Health and Environment, Poudre Valley Hospital and Foundation and the Health District. If you would like to suggest a web resource to be reviewed in this column, contact her at panderson@healthdistrict.org