We know we’re not perfect. Who is? And we want to constantly improve what we do and how we help you with your insurance needs. Consequently, getting honest testimonials and feedback from our customers is important to helping us serve you better. Most importantly, we don’t sell your name or email address. (privacy policy) During… Read more about Testimonials
I Got the Bill
Note: This is the third entry in my experiment with price transparency in the US health care system. See the first entry here, the second entry here, the fourth entry here, and the fifth entry here. I finally got the bill for the surgery (pdf). It was quite high compared to the estimate I received…. Read more about I Got the Bill
It’s All About Inspiration
Grand Rounds is up at the Wandering Visitor. She made the theme “things that inspire you”. She got over 3 dozen posts. I think you’ll find the inspiration to read what medbloggers find inspiring themselves. Enjoy!
What is a Copay?
First of all, a plan with copays is usually going to be a waste of money. A copay is a dollar amount the health insurance company has specified that you’ll pay for either doctors visits or prescription drugs. A typical plan will have $25 doctors visit copays and $15 copays for generic Rx and $30… Read more about What is a Copay?
Cavalcade of Risk
Julie of the Workers Comp Insider has put together a good collection of risk related posts in the latest edition of the Cavalcade of Risk. Check it out…
Anthem Blue Cross Leads The Way
Over the past couple years, I’ve made a push to eliminate bigotry from the Colorado health insurance market. My main focus has been to persuade Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield of Colorado into making those positive changes first. They’ve got the biggest market share of the Colorado individual and small group health insurance markets, so… Read more about Anthem Blue Cross Leads The Way
Health Wonk Review at Health Business Blog
You’ll find an interesting Health Wonk Review over at the Health Business Blog. I enjoyed the article from Michael Cannon at Cato@Liberty: Michael was able to negotiate 50% off his MRI bill. He had to do it because he has a high deductible HSA qualified health insurance plan and was paying out of pocket. This… Read more about Health Wonk Review at Health Business Blog
Cavalcade of Risk – Anniversary Edition
Congratulations to Hank Stern of InsureBlog for completing his first year with the Cavalcade of Risk. Hank usually hunts for extra risk related blogs to include in each edition, but for the anniversary edition he decided to stick with just us “regulars”. That was still enough to get 15 top quality posts. It was interesting… Read more about Cavalcade of Risk – Anniversary Edition
Scum
It’s easy to see how people can be against socialized medicine, or even an expansion of Medicaid. The more people you hear about like “Ashley” on Yahoo Answers, the more it seems like you’re just subsidizing their irresponsibility. She asks… Hey all. Just the other day I went to apply for Medicaid. I live in… Read more about Scum
Grand Rounds
Inside Surgery hosts this weeks Grand Rounds. It was a fitting blog post to include my article about how hard it is to get pricing transparency on a surgery if you’ve got an HSA qualified plan in Colorado.
IRS Announces 2008 COLA Amounts for HSAs
The Internal Revenue Service has announced the 2008 cost of living adjustments (COLAs) for high deductible health plans (HDHPs) that are offered in conjunction with health savings accounts (HSAs). The minimum required annual deductibles for HDHPs will remain unchanged in 2008. However, the annual contribution limits and the maximum out-of-pocket limits will be raised. For… Read more about IRS Announces 2008 COLA Amounts for HSAs
More Incompetence
Keeping with the status quo of his administration, President Bush has chosen to nominate an extremely unqualified buddy of his to be the next Surgeon General, Dr. James Holsinger. Holsinger was the Chief Medical Director at the Department of Veterans Affairs under George Bush Sr. Under his watch, the VA was found to be incompetent… Read more about More Incompetence
Still No Transparency
Note: This is the second entry in this nightmare to get some transparency on a simple lipoma removal surgery. See the first entry here, and the third entry here. I found a dermatologist that could remove my lipoma (if you haven’t done so already – read part 1) in her office (Boulder Valley Center for… Read more about Still No Transparency
Memorial Day Grand Rounds
Colin at Medskool hosted a very well organized and visually attractive Grand Rounds. With about 50 articles, there is plenty of good reading to be done about the medical blogosphere.
Cavalcade of Risk #26
Everything you do in your life involves some risk. Every decision you make has consequences and the best way to manage the everyday risks is to stay informed. So I present the 26’th Cavalcade of Risk. You won’t find a better source of information about risk anywhere on the internets. I think the most interesting… Read more about Cavalcade of Risk #26
The Final Four
Just as we learn that health insurance premiums in Colorado have increased by 11% for the third straight year (followed by a 22% increase in 2002), the blue ribbon commission has narrowed down it’s options to four proposals. What are they aiming for? I would say the most important factor, even above efficiency, is a… Read more about The Final Four
Submit to the Cavalcade of Risk
I just found out that I’ll be hosting the Cavalcade of Risk on Wednesday. If you have any good risk related articles that you’ve written or know of one somebody else has written, email it to me at jay (at) insuranceshoppers (dot) net.
Misperception of a Free Market
Proponents of private health care make it sound really simple to the average person. I always hear the statement “A free market system will ensure the best price and service”. While that may be true with most other industries, that argument over simplifies what healthcare is and misses the point. I’ll show you what I… Read more about Misperception of a Free Market
Green Cavalcade
Getting Green has a short, but sweet Cavalcade of Risk this week. Check it out!
What if…
What if businesses weren’t allowed to deduct the cost of employee health insurance benefits? And what if businesses were required to show the employees how much they pay for their benefits and offer the choice for the employee to either keep receiving the group insurance benefit or to get that same amount as a raise?… Read more about What if…
Employer Group HSA Comparibility
Colorado employers that want to make HSA contributions to employees on a pre-tax basis are required to make those contributions on a “comparable” basis. This rule is designed to prevent employers from favoring one group of employees over another. Of course, it gets somewhat complicated. For one thing, the rules allow employers to treat the… Read more about Employer Group HSA Comparibility
Non-Transparency
Note: This is the first entry in this nightmare to get some transparency on a simple lipoma removal surgery. See the second entry here, and the third entry here. I’ve had a lipoma on my right shoulder blade for the past 5 years. I didn’t do anything about it right away because the doctor told… Read more about Non-Transparency
What’s Next For Colorado Health Care?
Colorado currently has a universal health care system administered out of the emergency room. And companies like WellPoint aren’t doing much to prove that even if you have private health insurance you have any peace of mind. So Gov. Ritter’s Blue Ribbon Commission is hard at work finding a better healthcare system for Colorado by… Read more about What’s Next For Colorado Health Care?
Colorado House Bill 1355 Passes Senate
Colorado House Bill 1355 (in reference to small groups between 2 and 50 employees) was passed by the senate today including an amendment that would have the change slowly brought in over the course of two years. So it will go back to the House for consideration of this (and other) amendments. HB1355 is a… Read more about Colorado House Bill 1355 Passes Senate
A Very Risky Cavalcade
The Cavalcade of Risk #24 is up over at The Digerati Life. A good selection of, but not too many, posts all put together in a good looking presentation will make it easy for you to browse for something of interest. Might I suggest one? Getting Green will open up your eyes with the article: Over… Read more about A Very Risky Cavalcade