In OR, over 91,000 people have signed up to be included in a lottery that the state is holding to fill 3,000 available slots in their state health plan. The plan is low cost (zero to $20 per month) and provides health and dental benefits to people that would otherwise be uninsured. For the 3,000… Read more about When The Lottery Becomes A Matter Of Life And Death
Lower Share Prices For Humana And Wellpoint
Humana and Wellpoint – both major players in the Colorado health insurance market – lowered their 2008 earnings projections on Wall Street this week. In both cases, higher-than-expected claims volume is partially to blame. Humana’s earnings drop is mainly tied to claims with their Medicare prescription drug program, which the company says will reset after… Read more about Lower Share Prices For Humana And Wellpoint
No Out Of State Health Insurance For Colorado Residents
The Colorado House of Representatives rejected a proposal yesterday that would have made it possible for Colorado residents to buy health insurance from out-of-state carriers not licensed in Colorado. The vote was close, but failed 6-5 in the committee meeting. I think that the state-by-state system of health insurance in this country is ridiculous, considering… Read more about No Out Of State Health Insurance For Colorado Residents
Mental Health Coverage on Health Insurance Policies
The House voted last week to require health insurance companies to provide equal coverage for mental and physical health on policies that cover both types of illness. This is heralded as a big step forward by mental health advocates, but it will also place a strain on health insurance carriers, policy-holders who pay their own… Read more about Mental Health Coverage on Health Insurance Policies
Newspapers Support "Free Market" Health Care Reform
I just came across an interesting article by Michelle Swenson at the Health Blog. The gist of the article is that the two major Colorado newspapers – the Rocky Mountain News and the Denver Post – consistently presented a skewed view of the health care reform proposals that were evaluated over the last year by… Read more about Newspapers Support "Free Market" Health Care Reform
Retirement And Health Care
A recent study by Fidelity Investments estimates that a 65-year old couple retiring in 2008 will need $225,000 set aside in order to cover medical expenses during their golden years. And yet 39% of Americans over age 55 have less than $25,000 in total retirement savings. This presents a troubling picture of the financial future… Read more about Retirement And Health Care
Health Care For All
Does having health insurance guarantee that someone has access to health care? Not really. This article does an excellent job of comparing auto insurance and health insurance, and explaining how the health insurance industry hasn’t really been able to keep up with the changing face of health care over the last several decades. In addition… Read more about Health Care For All
More Transparency For Network Negotiated Prices
When Jay had an MRI on his knee last month, we were charged $1200. The EOB tells us that the Vail Valley Medical Center in Vail, Colorado, charges $1600 for the procedure. Our Humana health insurance has a negotiated rate of $1200, which is what we paid (we hadn’t met the deductible yet, so we… Read more about More Transparency For Network Negotiated Prices
They Should Have Just Paid For The Chemo
HealthNet in CA has been ordered to pay $9 million to an insured who had her policy canceled midway through treatment for breast cancer. The bulk of the award – $8.4 million – was punitive damages, which should leave health insurance companies all over the country feeling a little nervous. Patsy Bates got her HealthNet… Read more about They Should Have Just Paid For The Chemo
Physical Therapy Expenses
We’ve started getting EOBs for Jay’s knee surgery, and I’m finding it very interesting to see first-hand what all these medical procedures cost. The anesthesia was billed at $1155, (our Humana network price was $748) and the initial physical therapy that was done on the first day after the surgery was billed at $637 (reduced… Read more about Physical Therapy Expenses
Without A Paddle
As health insurance brokers, we talk with people every day who have various pre-existing medical conditions. We go over options with them, although it’s usually a case of picking the lesser of two evils. I just read Kyla’s story about her family’s struggle to get health insurance for their little girl. She wrote more details… Read more about Without A Paddle
If You Break It, You Buy It
I read somewhere recently that compliance with hand washing standards in American hospitals is less than 50%. That alone is enough to make me thankful that Jay and I have chosen a home birth for our baby this spring, but it also raises lots of questions about medical care in general. If something as simple… Read more about If You Break It, You Buy It
Medicaid Recipients More Likely To Be Diagnosed With Advanced Cancer
The American Cancer Society has released data indicating that uninsured Americans are 2.1 times as likely as those with private health insurance to have cancer initially diagnosed at an advanced stage. This shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, since people without health insurance tend to put off going to the doctor out of concern… Read more about Medicaid Recipients More Likely To Be Diagnosed With Advanced Cancer
Higher Medicare Drug Premiums For Wealthy Seniors
President Bush wants to charge wealthy American seniors more for their prescription drug coverage. In a plan that will be presented to congress for approval, the administration is proposing a premium increase for Medicare beneficiaries who earn more than $82,000/year as a single person or $164,000 for a married couple. The amount of the premium… Read more about Higher Medicare Drug Premiums For Wealthy Seniors
Health Insurance Covering Infertility Treatment
I wrote an article yesterday about how hard it is to get individual health insurance after you’ve had fertility treatments. We got a comment on the post that mentioned how ironic the whole thing is, considering health insurance almost never pays for the actual fertility treatment, even if you have coverage while you’re going through… Read more about Health Insurance Covering Infertility Treatment
Health Insurance After Infertility Treatment
I just read a post by ForHealth about infertility treatment and individual health insurance. Her experience is one we’ve seen with some clients over the years. She went through fertility treatment – Clomid, in this case – which was unsuccessful. Three years later, she applied for an individual health insurance policy and was declined. The… Read more about Health Insurance After Infertility Treatment
Maybe The Big Picture Should Be About More Than Money
So it turns out that losing weight won’t save health care dollars. But it will make you live longer. A Dutch study has concluded that lifetime health care costs are actually higher for normal-weight, non smokers than for their peers who are obese or who use tobacco. But what about health care dollars per year… Read more about Maybe The Big Picture Should Be About More Than Money
Colorado Blue Ribbon Commission Report Finalized
The Colorado Blue Ribbon Commission for Health Care Reform made its final report to the Colorado General Assembly last week. The 176 page document was endorsed by 24 of the 27 diverse commissioners, and includes provisions that the Commission says will reduce the number of Coloradans without health insurance (currently 792,000 people) by 88%. The… Read more about Colorado Blue Ribbon Commission Report Finalized
Where Does The Rest Of The Government Stand?
Health care has become quite the buzzword in this election year, and will likely stay near the top of the political radar for the foreseeable future. Managed Care Matters has a very informative piece that breaks down the similarities and differences in the health care reform proposals of Senators Obama and Clinton. And The Health… Read more about Where Does The Rest Of The Government Stand?
Automatic Payroll Deduction For Health Insurance Premiums
I’ll preface this post by saying that Hillary Clinton is not my choice for America’s next president. But that doesn’t mean I don’t like some of her ideas. I just read an article that described her plans for enforcement of her proposal to make health insurance mandatory for all Americans. Garnishing wages of workers who… Read more about Automatic Payroll Deduction For Health Insurance Premiums
A Non-Profit Health Care System Would Be A Good Start
This article at the The Health Care Blog is well worth the read. The article maintains that preventive medicine and proper management of chronic health conditions are the keys to lowering overall health care costs in America, and that until we adjust our model of medicine as a fix-what’s-broken system to one of keep-it-working-in-the-first-place, we… Read more about A Non-Profit Health Care System Would Be A Good Start
Is Mandatory Health Insurance Really That Unreasonable?
The political catfight that always ensues during a presidential election year is well underway, and health care seems to be mentioned at every turn. Each candidate has a different view of how to fix the mess, although it’s hard to untangle true intentions from lobbyist influence and political alliances. One issue that has generated quite… Read more about Is Mandatory Health Insurance Really That Unreasonable?
HSAs Only Help If You Fund Them
Jay and I are in Vail, Colorado this week, getting his knee fixed at the Steadman|Hawkins clinic at Vail Valley Medical Center. The surgery on Monday went great – far better than we had expected. His physical therapy is going very well too – they’re seeing him twice a day this week and I’m going… Read more about HSAs Only Help If You Fund Them
Wealthy Candidates = No Universal Health Care?
Joe Paduda wrote a very interesting article about how the main GOP presidential candidates are all opposed to universal health care, while the majority of American Republicans – like their Democratic counterparts – are in favor of universal health care. The article is an insightful look at the various conservative groups and how they view… Read more about Wealthy Candidates = No Universal Health Care?
Restrictions On Wellness Programs A Bad Idea
The Labor Department has laid out new regulations that would mostly prevent employers from requiring that employees with self-inflicted health problems pay more for health insurance or carry higher deductibles than their healthier coworkers. HIPAA standards require that in group health plans, everyone pays the same premiums without regard for health status. But supplemental coverage… Read more about Restrictions On Wellness Programs A Bad Idea