Since Wal-Mart rolled out their $4 generic prescription program in Colorado, I’ve talked to several people who said they don’t need a policy with prescription coverage “because Wal-Mart has $4 prescriptions now“. The $4 prescriptions at Wal-Mart were such big news, I don’t think the message got through in the media that generics weren’t that expensive… Read more about Don’t Confuse Generic with Brand Name
How Do You Like Your HSA?
I haven’t actually kept any statistics, but a lot (maybe half) of our Colorado health insurance clients that I talk to with HSA qualified high deductible health insurance plans haven’t opened up a health savings account to go with it. They usually say they got the plan because it was just one of the cheapest… Read more about How Do You Like Your HSA?
HSAs Wont Cleanup the Waste
After writing about how health insurance invites waste, I came upon an article Ezra Klein wrote about the fact that even HSAs won’t help slow that waste. He makes a good point because the total exposures are usually the same. But once the out-of-pocket maximum is met, there is nothing to slow the wasteful spending… Read more about HSAs Wont Cleanup the Waste
For Health Wonks Only
Michael Cannon has put together a great Health Wonk Review over on Cato at liberty. He does a great job commenting and describing each post so you’ll have an easy time deciding which articles suit your interest.
Health Insurance Invites Waste
What if you had supermarket insurance and 20% was the most you would pay for any item you bought? Would you be as choosy about what you buy as you are now? Would you care as much about price? If you didn’t care as much about price, would the supermarket have an incentive to keep… Read more about Health Insurance Invites Waste
How To Save on Health Insurance in Colorado
1. Get quotes from multiple Colorado health insurance companies Premiums for health insurance in Colorado can vary greatly, sometimes as much as 50% for similar plans. When comparing plans, be sure to look at the benefits as well as the monthly premium. Make sure your plan provides adequate catastrophic coverage, preferably at least two million… Read more about How To Save on Health Insurance in Colorado
A Legal Scam
After David and Darlene Henderson had more than $210,000 in hospital bills, their health insurance company only paid $33,428, leaving more than $180,000 for the Henderson’s to pay by themselves. For $400 a month, the couple said, the Mega agent told them that they could have a catastrophic group health insurance policy that would cover… Read more about A Legal Scam
Doctor Anonymous Hosts Grand Rounds
This week, Doctor Anonymous gives us a peek into each article by quoting a good chunk of his favorites and explaining a little about the best of the rest. The Colorado Health Insurance Insider made the best of the rest with Louise’s article on sending healthcare overseas. There were a few other articles that the… Read more about Doctor Anonymous Hosts Grand Rounds
The Logical Insurance Salesman Has Skinny Kids
I was recently talking to a Colorado client about her husbands health insurance options. She had the option of adding him to her group plan for $415 per month. They had been shopping all over the internet for an individual health insurance plan and had decided that they wanted the most comprehensive plan available and… Read more about The Logical Insurance Salesman Has Skinny Kids
IRS Issues 2007 HSA Contribution Limits
The IRS just announced the HSA limits for 2007. The maximum HSA contribution (not including catch-up contributions) will be $2,850 for self-only coverage and $5,650 for family coverage in 2007. Additionally, the maximum out-of-pocket expense—including deductibles—that employees with single coverage can be required to pay will rise to $5,500, up from $5,250 in 2006, and… Read more about IRS Issues 2007 HSA Contribution Limits
Back To Reality
Sorry about the lack of posts over the last few weeks. Louise and I haven’t been in Colorado since October 23’rd because we were on vacation. We were still able to keep up with all of our health insurance clients by helping get claims paid, solving billing problems, and helping them compare alternate plans. But… Read more about Back To Reality
Why is the Cost of Health Insurance Rising So Fast?
When people try to explain why health insurance premiums are rising so fast, the common explanation you’ll get is that the cost of healthcare is rising. And, yes, this does have something to do with the reason health insurance premiums are increasing. But it’s not the reason health insurance premiums are so out of control. … Read more about Why is the Cost of Health Insurance Rising So Fast?
The Wrong Idea
I was recently going over some health insurance options with a client. We were comparing some high deductible HSA qualified plans with some lower deductible copay plans. She then asked about some of the really cheap plans she saw on our instant quote engine like Right Start from Assurant. I explained that we don’t recommend… Read more about The Wrong Idea
Ezra Klein Rules!!
Now I admit that healthcare topics may not be the most interesting reading on the internet – for some people. But Ezra Klein is hosting the Health Wonk Review this week and boy, oh boy does he have a way with words! He kept it short, to the point, and most of all… entertaining.
Make Love Not Debt Talks Personal Finance
There is a LOT of talk about debt and personal finance over at Make Love Not Debt today. I wish I had the time to go through and read all of them, because there are some really interesting topics in this weeks edition of the Carnival of Personal Finance. My favorite one is from InsureBlog… Read more about Make Love Not Debt Talks Personal Finance
Primer for Your Weekend
The weekend is almost here, and many of us are ready to unwind after a long, stressful work week. There are so many ways to relax, which do you prefer? Drinks Mixed with Diet Soda Are More Intoxicating Researchers in Australia found out that when you drink alcohol with diet soda, the artificial sugars in the… Read more about Primer for Your Weekend
United Healthcare in a Tough Battle
After United Healthcare lapsed their contract with HCA, things got ugly. Dr. Craig Keyes, CEO of United’s Colorado division, was accosted and his house vandalized in July. HCA was was even attempting to get United Healthcare clients to switch to carriers contracted with HCA. Well now, Frontier Airlines, which is based in Denver, is switching… Read more about United Healthcare in a Tough Battle
Harvest Moon Health Wonk Review
Joe Paduda over at Managed Care Matters hosts this weeks HWR. He cut the fat and kept the list down to an all star list of 15 entries, each with a very helpful commentary. Ezra Klein discusses an idea by Jacob Hacker called Universal Insurance. An all-purpose insurance that covers health expenses, disability, or “whatever”. … Read more about Harvest Moon Health Wonk Review
A Very Grand Rounds
Grand Rounds version 3.2 is up over at RDoctor. There are some really great articles in this edition, so I recommend hopping over there for some amusement. It includes an article from the Colorado Health Insurance Insider that Louise wrote about Financial Incentives for Good Health. I really enjoyed an article about the overuse of antibiotics… Read more about A Very Grand Rounds
Colorado Businesses Pay More for Health Insurance, Especially Greeley
The Greeley Tribune reports that small businesses in Colorado pay more for health insurance than companies in other states, with Greeley paying Colorado’s highest health insurance costs. The article does a good job of attempting to explain this, but misses the point. A study of more than 650,000 businesses across the U.S. that had 50… Read more about Colorado Businesses Pay More for Health Insurance, Especially Greeley
We’ve Gone Pink
In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month and a close friend that was recently diagnosed with breast cancer, Colorado Health Insurance Insider is sporting a pink monochrome throughout October to promote awareness. Many sites across the internet, especially within the blogosphere, have redesigned their layouts in pink to promote awareness of this disease. Breast cancer is the… Read more about We’ve Gone Pink
Ask Your Agent if This is a “Push Week”
I was at the gym the other day and I overheard a guy talking to his buddies about a plan he’d come up with. He said “Next week is a Push Week, so I wonder if you could buy a policy from me and we could just cancel it the next week. You’ll get all… Read more about Ask Your Agent if This is a “Push Week”
Personal Finance on The Oregon Trail
This week, Punny Money put together the best Carnival of Personal Finance I’ve ever read. If you’re like me and into personal finance, it’ll arouse some nostalgia from about 1984 and also give some very good reading about personal finance along the journey. This adventure from 1868 is a can’t miss and has a great… Read more about Personal Finance on The Oregon Trail
Another Use for Your HSA
Inside many Colorado Target, Wal-mart, Kroger, and Walgreens stores you’ll find walk-in clinics like MedPoint Express, MinuteClinic, RediClinic, and now SmartCare Family Medical Centers. These in-store clinics allow a fast and convenient option for those with a minor medical need, like an ear infection, and want quick treatment. The problem with these clinics, right now, is… Read more about Another Use for Your HSA
HSA Usage
A Kaiser Family Foundation poll found that out of all the people with job related health insurance, only 4 percent are enrolled in an HSA qualified plan. “We don’t know yet whether workers and employers ultimately will embrace consumer-driven health plans in big numbers, but it certainly hasn’t been a tidal wave,” study co-author Gary… Read more about HSA Usage