Health and Wellness

What is asthma? What can you do to control asthma symptoms? Do you need to see how to use a metered-dose inhaler? If you’re struggling to control your or your child’s asthma, this site can help.

Here you’ll find useful tips, interactive tools, asthma-related apps and helpful resources to answer your questions and help you take control. You’ll learn about things like making an asthma action plan, how to learn your asthma triggers and when to call the doctor. Find out what small steps you can take right now to help improve your quality of life.

Community Health Workers are also trained to provide information and assess your living spaces for triggers that might affect your asthma. For more information, visit our Care Management page.

   

Diabetes Prevention Program

The Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) is a lifestyle change program proven to delay type 2 diabetes among people found with prediabetes. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) created the National Diabetes Prevention Program, also known as the CDC Diabetes Prevention Recognition Program (DPRP).

Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) providers

Providers use a CDC-approved lifestyle change program that:

• Supports self-monitoring and problem solving
• Gives coach input
• Includes notes to support program goals
• Calls for weigh-ins to track and meet program goals

Coaches

DPP sessions are led by coaches who promote real lifestyle changes, inspire weight loss through healthy eating and staying active, and carry out the DPP course of study. A coach may be a doctor, non-physician practitioner or an unlicensed person who is trained to give the needed content and who has the skills, knowledge and qualities stated in the most up-to-date CDC DPRP rules.

Program format

Medi-Cal managed care plans (MCPs) cover at least 22 DPP sessions for the first twelve months of the DPP benefit. Months one through twelve most often have weekly sessions in the first six months (months one through six), followed by monthly sessions in the next six months (months seven through twelve). MCPs may then give twelve months of ongoing sessions (months 13 through 24) to qualified members to promote continued healthy activity. A member qualifies for the ongoing support sessions if the member reaches and/or keeps weight loss of at least 5 percent from the first session and meets the attendance requirement as outlined in the Medi-Cal Provider Manual. MCPs decide fair methods for required weigh-ins, including in-person, at a DPP session or DPP provider location, a remote weigh-in or self-reported weigh-ins.

Members must meet the most up to date CDC DPRP eligibility terms to get the DPP benefit. To learn more about the CDC DPRP program visit https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes-prevention/.

DPP sessions

Medi-Cal MCPs can cover these types of sessions when clinically needed:

• In-person: for in-person delivery, members are physically present in a classroom or classroom-like setting with a coach
• Distance learning: distance learning is when a coach leads sessions from a distant classroom. The coach is in one place while members call in or take part by video-conference from some other place
• Online: members can log into DPP sessions using a computer, laptop, tablet or mobile phone from any place, without a doctor or coach there. Members must also keep in touch with coaches as needed through online classes, emails, phone calls or texts
• Combination: any combination of in-person, distance learning or online methods

Frequency

The Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) may be offered as often as needed if the member’s health care record shows their condition calls for more help. Examples needing more help:

• Member switched enrollment from one MCP to another MCP
• Member changed from Fee-for-Service Medi-Cal into a MCP
• Member moved to another county
• Member had a lapse in Medi-Cal enrollment
• Member had health issues that kept them from DPP sessions

If you have any questions, please call the Customer Care Center at 1-800-407-4627 (TTY 1-888-757-6034) or 1-888-285-7801 (TTY 711) for members in Los Angeles, Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Pacific time.
 
Source: www.cdc.gov/diabetes/prevention

 

Change your mind, change your life.

This online program is here to help you take care of your emotional health with virtual courses and coaching support.

Log in to your account to get started

When is the right time to start or expand your family? Access to quality family planning services and contraceptives is important. Contraceptives people control over their choices and whether they want to expand their families. Anthem members can get contraceptives, or birth control, at no cost. You can set up a no-cost appointment to talk about family planning with your doctor. If you need to find a doctor, call the Customer Care Center Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. toll free at 800-407-4627 (TTY 711), or 888-285-7801 (TTY 711) for members in Los Angeles.

Useful tools

You have a lot of choices when it comes to contraceptives. To learn about the effectiveness of birth control methods, visit healthwise.net. This will help you to compare different birth control methods to find what is right for you.

Here is a list of resources about women’s health and wellness, family planning, and contraceptives:

• Condoms (female)
• Condoms (male)
• Bedsider
• Medline Plus
• Office of Adolescent Health
• Office on Women's Health
• National Institute of Health
• Preconception health and healthcare
• Show Your Love | Preconception healthcare app

Helpful family planning topics and resources

• Contraception for men (English)
• Contraception for men (Spanish)
• Which birth control is right for me? (English)

Doula services

Doula services are available as a preventive service. Doula services include personal, emotional, and physical support to women and families from pregnancy experience through childbirth and postpartum. Doulas have been shown to prevent perinatal complications, improve birth outcomes, and reduce health disparities.

Doulas offer various types of support including:

• Perinatal and labor support and guidance
• Health navigation
• Evidence-based education (development of birth plans, linkages to community-based resources, etc.)

Anthem-covered doula services include:

• One initial visit
• Up to eight additional visits that may be provided in any combination of prenatal and postpartum visits
• Support during labor and delivery (including labor and delivery resulting in a stillbirth), abortion, or miscarriage
• Up to two extended three-hour postpartum visits after the end of a pregnancy

For more information on doula services, please visit the DHCS Doula Services page .

Would you like to have more energy or lose some weight? Could you benefit from changing your diet or being more active? If you want to take steps towards a healthier you, this site can help.

Fit Mind Apps

Interactive Tools

What is heart disease? What can you do to reduce your risk of heart attack or stroke? Are you looking for ways to lower your cholesterol or control your high blood pressure? If so, this site can help.

Here you'll find useful tips, interactive tools, heart health-related apps and helpful resources to answer your questions and help you take control. You'll learn about things like making changes in your lifestyle, important health care screenings and when to call the doctor. Find out about small steps you can take to help improve your health.

What health screenings do women need? How can you stay healthy if you’re pregnant or planning to get pregnant? What are your options for birth control? This site can help you find the answers you need.

Visit our Pregnancy and Women’s Health page learn more about:

• Women’s health information and resources
• Incentives and rewards programs
• Interactive tools
• Pregnancy and childbirth-related apps

Whether you are thinking about having a baby, pregnant, a new mom, or aren’t planning to have a baby, we can help you stay healthy.

Learn more

Is your use of alcohol or drugs affecting your daily life? Is it causing problems at work, at home or in your relationships? If so, it may be time to seek help. Addiction is a disease, just like diabetes or heart disease.

Here you'll find useful tips, interactive tools, addiction-related apps and helpful resources. You'll learn about things like how to spot the signs of drug or alcohol addiction, treatment options and where to find support. This site can help you take steps to become alcohol and drug free.

Have you ever thought about quitting smoking, chewing or dipping? How much healthier would you be if you stopped using tobacco? How much money would you save? Making a change can be hard, but you can do it! This site can help.

Here you’ll find useful tips, interactive tools and helpful resources. You’ll learn about things like how to know if you’re ready to quit, steps you can take to help you break the habit and where to find support. You can be tobacco-free for good.