[…]In Colorado, we have the health plan description form that is standardized and makes comparing plans somewhat simple. But it tends to get buried in marketing materials, and is often overlooked by consumers. I would take this a step further and make sure that all plans – regardless of where they are sold – clearly state the important details up front.[…]
We Are What We Eat
[…] no matter how comprehensive or affordable our health insurance is, we won’t be healthy without a good deal of personal commitment. But it’s unrealistic to expect people to purchase fruits and vegetables over less expensive grain products. As long as we continue to subsidize the grain products, they will continue to be less expensive and more widely available.
Personal And Government Responsibility For Health Care
[…] So while we need to do a better job of stressing personal responsibility in health care, we also need to make sure that everyone has access to quality health care and a good catastrophic health insurance policy. The health care problems that we’re facing aren’t going to be solved by government alone, but they also aren’t going to be solved without any government action at all.
Fines Are Not The Same Thing As Taxes
[…] Most people without health insurance aren’t uninsured by choice, and don’t need the threat of a fine to motivate them to try to get coverage. The fines are to motivate people who can afford health insurance but would otherwise choose to go without (potentially transferring the cost of a significant emergency room bill onto the population that does pay for health insurance). […]
Colorado Senator Morgan Carroll On Health Insurance
Colorado state senator Morgan Carroll has written a very persuasive article about why we should end gender-based pricing in the individual health insurance market. I agree that it makes more sense to average premiums across the entire population, but I also understand that doing so would mean a rate increase for men to offset the rate decrease for women. […]
Why Mandatory Health Insurance Makes Sense
[…] no matter how careful we are, we never really know what is around the bend when it comes to our health. Accidents can happen to even the healthiest people. Freak illnesses can strike otherwise healthy people. And when these situations arise for people who are uninsured, the cost is eventually borne by those who have health insurance.
Emphasizing Science In Health Care Reform
[…] One of the problems facing our health care system is that there are so many people involved who are looking out for their own best interests, rather than what is best for the system as a whole and patients as individuals. The sheer force of the lobbying power that has descended on Washington this summer is evidence of that. […]
Illegal Immigrants And Health Care Reform
Both sides are fired up about this, and it’s a very contentious issue. We’ve already had the abortion issue get dragged into health care reform, and now illegal immigration has added more fuel to the fire. Some people might be uninterested in health care refom otherwise, but when you start talking about things like abortion and illegal immigration, it gets attention. […]
The Impact Of Medical Underwriting On Premiums
[…] Many proponents of a shift away from medical underwriting want to require everyone to carry health insurance. That would help spread the cost of care across a larger population, and would likely help to contain the price increase that we would see if medical underwriting were to cease. But my guess is that we would still see a rather dramatic increase in premiums.
Drug Industry Wrongs Impacting Health Insurance Benefits
Pfizer was also illegally marketing Bextra, Lyrica, and Zyvox. They have settled for a record $2.3 billion, but Dr. Zhang points out that the sum is equal to three weeks of sales at Pfizer. Seems a bit paltry when you think about it. It’s like fining the average family a couple thousand dollars. Sure, it would sting a bit, but it wouldn’t really take that long to pay it off and forget about it. […]
Efforts To Reduce Never Events
[…] Ideally, we should have enough safeguards in place that “never events” truly never happen. But even if we eliminate the worst errors, there are still a lot of medical errors that could be prevented with extra checks and fail-safe systems in place. A trend towards not paying for mistakes could go a long way towards reducing the number of preventable medical errors in our hospitals.
Outcome Based Incentives For Doctors
[…] In order to truly provide quality care, a doctor is likely going to have to spend more time with sicker patients. This should be reflected in how the doctor is compensated, along with the outcome-based incentives. There are ways to implement an outcome-based incentive system for doctors while at the same time making sure that they aren’t encouraged to avoid the sickest patients.
The Safety Of Planned Home Births
[…] I’d like to see homebirth midwifery legalized and regulated in every state. I’d also like to see it as a covered expense on any health insurance policy that covers maternity. In Colorado, home birth midwifery is legal and regulated, but midwives have to jump through a lot of hoops to get paid on the rare occasions when their clients’ health insurance policies cover home birth expenses. […]
Differing Opinions On Health Care Reform
[…] What makes this story different from most of the other ones out there is that Loralee got to speak with Valerie Jarrett at BlogHer last month, and has written a very detailed post about the experience. Loralee describes herself as a moderate Republican, but is very much in support of health care reform as proposed by the current administration. […]
The Counter Productive Death Panel Concept
[…] There are two sides to the health care debate, and plenty of misconceptions. Genuine access to health care for all Americans is vitally important. But so are the financial implications – both on a personal and national level – of any health care reform bill. To discredit either side flippantly is disingenuous, but so is using terms like “death panel” to incite fear and anger instead of rational discourse.
What Canadians Think Of Their Health Care
Canada’s health care system has become a major talking point for both sides of the American health care reform debate. Proponents of public health insurance point to Canada as a shining example of a country where every citizen has access to health care. But people who want less government involvement in our health care system note that Canadians often face long waits for care. […]
Cooperatives And The Colorado Health Insurance Market
[…] One of the criticisms of the private health insurance industry is that there isn’t much real competition. Proponents of the co-op idea believe that co-ops would increase competition and thus drive down costs. I’m sure that this is the case in some markets, but here in Colorado we have a pretty robust health insurance market, with lots of companies competing with each other. […]
Public And Private Enterprises Can Coexist
[…] There is all sorts of competition and cooperation that already exists between the private and public sector. One way or another, I’m hopeful that we’ll end up with some sort of compromise that results in expanded access to health insurance and health care for more people.
Advance Directives Not The Biggest Issue
[…] It’s unfortunate that this has become such a point of contention in the health care reform debate. Although I do think that it could have been an important benefit for some peope, I also think it has taken the focus off of some of the much more important aspects of health care reform. And that is the unfortunate part.
Prevention Versus Early Detection
Much has been said about the merits of preventive medicine. It’s been a major talking point for politicians on both sides of the aisle throughout the health care reform debate. Whatever reform measures end up being enacted, there is likely to be an enhanced focus on screening tests. […] But does preventive medicine really help? […]
Some Claims Should Be Denied
What if they refused to pay for some of the CT scans being done at a clinic that purchased its own CT scanner and subsequently had a 700% increase in the number of scans ordered? Would the health insurers be held up as the bad guys, for not paying for the scans? I have to imagine they would, even though it’s likely that a good number of those scans were unnecessary. […]
Not Just Health Insurance That Needs Reform
Has anyone else noticed that the the term “health insurance reform” has started to be used in place of the term “health care reform”? Perhaps reform proponents are counting on the poor perception of the health insurance industry held by many Americans. By renaming the reform, perhaps they believe that more people will support it. […]
What Women Want
[…] Glenna’s article sheds light on what most of us (not just women) want when it comes to health care reform. We want something that is well-thought-out, focused on what works best for patients and health care professionals alike, and with a minimum of political grandstanding.
What We Expect Of Insurance
[…] In Colorado, if a person chooses to go without health insurance and ends up with a catastrophic medical bill, bankruptcy will be the likely outcome. Same story for a person who chooses to drive without car insurance and then causes a serious accident, except that the person driving without car insurance will also be facing legal action for making that choice. […]
Physicians, Not Providers
I wonder how many times I’ve used the term “primary care provider” on this site? I try to be as PC as possible, but I never knew that term wasn’t appreciated by the doctors to whom it refers, until I read an article by Dr. Toni Brayer at ACP Internist. It seems the term primary care provider was created by health insurance companies, not doctors. […]