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An Honest Look At End Of Life Care

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[…] But Amy’s story is particularly important when we look at end-of-life scenarios, where doctors and hospitals will often take the approach of sustaining life at all costs, simply because it’s what we’re used to. I’m not advocating the rationing of health care in people who are terminally ill; patients should be given choices regardless of their prognosis. But honest discussions about end-of-life care and a genuine focus on quality of life might help to not only make life better for patients facing terminal illnesses, they could also result in lower health care costs.

Colorado House Bill 1025 Would Repeal Health Care Affordability Act

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[…] HB 1025, introduced by Colorado Springs Republican Rep Janak Joshi, would repeal the Health Care Affordability Act of 2009 (HB 1293). That Act introduced the Hospital Provider Fee system to generate about $600 million annually in funds for the expansion of Medicaid, the Colorado Indigent Care Program (CICP) and Child Health Plan Plus (CHP+). Those funds are supplemented with federal matching of an additional $600 million for the expansion of those programs in Colorado. The Health Care Affordability Act was widely supported by hospital and medical groups in the state. […]

Few Carriers Offering Child Only Policies During Open Enrollment

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[…] You can still get quotes for child-only plans, but the only options that will appear on quote engines that work with major health insurance carriers are Rocky Mountain Health Plans, and Kaiser Permanente for people in the Denver/Boulder area. We wanted to clarify this point in case there is confusion surrounding the open enrollment period. It’s unknown whether the other major carriers will be able to find a way to make child-only coverage a profitable venture as time goes by, but for now, the options are still quite limited in the child-only market in Colorado, regardless of the open enrollment window.

Colorado Bill Would Allow Employers To Reimburse Employee Premiums

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The 2011 Colorado legislative session is now underway, and Senate Bill 19 will be particularly interesting to watch. Since 1994, Colorado has had a law that bans employers from reimbursing employees for individual health insurance premiums. If any portion of the premiums for such plans are paid or reimbursed by the employer, the Colorado Division of Insurance considers the employer to have created a small group health insurance plan, and the plan must adhere to small group regulations (this impacts things like underwriting, and also has tax implications for the employer). […]

ACOs 101

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Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) have received a lot of buzz lately as the nation grapples with ways to reign in health care costs. But I think that there’s still a lot of confusion about how they would work. A couple of very informative posts on the topic were included in this week’s Grand Rounds, and I wanted to share them with our readers. […]

Health Care Costs Are The Driving Factor Behind Premium Hikes

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I’ve long supported the idea that our health care system was in need of reform that would make care more affordable and accessible to everyone, regardless of their health or financial situation. But I’m starting to feel a bit frustrated by what feels like an over-emphasis on regulation of health insurance carriers and not enough focus on ways to actually control the cost of health care (including over-utilization). If people are thinking of this process as health insurance reform rather than health care reform, it’s doomed to failure. […]

Is A Symbolic Repeal Vote Worth The Time?

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[…] Political analysts generally agree that a repeal vote in the House is likely to pass, but much less likely to clear the Senate. If it did, it would be virtually impossible to override a presidential veto. So the vote next week is basically symbolic – which can also be looked at as a waste of congressional time and resources. A more productive solution might be to start looking for ways to significantly reduce the actual cost of health care. […]

Looking For Ulterior Motives

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Health care costs are rising at a dizzying pace. For most Americans, this translates into increasing health insurance premiums, which are driven mostly by the cost of health care. Getting health care costs under control is a necessary step, and one that politicians generally say is important. But what is said and what is done are not always in line with each other. This outstanding article on Emergency Physicians Monthly is a perfect example of health care costs run amok. […]

Three Years To Iron Out Details For Health Insurance Exchange

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For anyone curious about the logistics that will go into setting up the new health insurance exchanges that will become active in 2014, this Denver Post article is an excellent overview. The article notes that the 2011 legislature will have to pass a bill to set up basic guidelines for the exchange, and a governing structure to oversee the process. There will be monthly committee meetings to hash out the details, and once you start to ponder all of the questions that still remain unanswered, it’s clear why it might take a few years to get the exchange up and running. […]

Humana 2011 Rates Are Official

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Clients in Colorado can now get quotes and apply for HumanaOne with effective dates of 1/1/2011 or later.  Remember, these will include maternity coverage as a base benefit.  Existing members with an Enhanced, Copay, HSA, or Value plan will receive these benefit changes at the time of their renewal. For clients who have an Autograph,… Read more about Humana 2011 Rates Are Official

Cigna 2011 Rates Are Live

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Cigna is quoting 2011 rates on their online quote tool. And our quote comparison engine is being updated right now and will be quoting Cigna soon. Click through to the article for links.

Double Digit Premium Increases Continue In Colorado

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The Colorado Division of Insurance issued a press release on Monday, addressing the fact that health insurance premiums in Colorado are continuing to increase. They reiterated some numbers from earlier this fall, noting that less than 5% of the overall rate increases for next year can be attributed to changes implemented by federal health care reform. The vast majority of the rate hikes that insureds will see in 2011 are due to factors that have been driving health insurance premiums for years, long before federal reform became an issue. As long as the cost of health care continues to rise, the cost of health insurance will rise along with it. […]

Possible Alternatives To The Individual Mandate

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[…] While many other aspects of reform are generally popular (like the provision to allow young adults to remain on their parents’ health insurance until age 26, and the requirement that all policies be guaranteed issue starting in 2014), the individual mandate has raised a lot of hackles, with people feeling that the government is infringing on their rights by telling them that they have to buy a product (and in most cases, that product will come from a private company). […]

Colorado Falls To 13th In America’s Health Ranking

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America’s Health Rankings released their annual report this month, and Colorado fell from 8th place in 2009 to 13th place in 2010. Overall, Colorado does quite well in terms of current health outcomes, but we fall short in terms of some factors that could lead to lower health outcomes over time (insurance coverage, geographic disparity, and immunization rates). […]

Standardized Language For Health Insurance

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[…] In Colorado, all policies have long been required to have a standardized plan description form (separate from the carrier-created marketing brochure), and House Bill 1166 passed earlier this year, requiring that all policy information be written at no more than a 10th grade reading level. But I think that most consumers tend to look at brochures, mailers, online advertising, and other marketing materials designed by each insurance carrier. […]

More Than 200 Waivers Granted By HHS For Limited Benefit Plans

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[…] As of last week, the number of waivers granted by HHS has grown to 222, and more than 1.5 million plan enrollees will continue to be covered next year by policies that provide limited benefits, despite the fact that those policies do not conform to the PPACA rules. Some of the exempted plans cover only a few workers, but some have thousands of enrollees. […]

Even Well-Off Americans Face Problems With Health Care Costs

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[…] People in the US pay a significantly larger chunk of their income for health care (either through health insurance premiums, or directly to providers) than people in other countries. […] Until we can get our health care costs in line with what other developed countries spend, health insurance premiums will continue to be a financial stretch for many families, and cost will continue to be a barrier standing in the way of health care access for a large number of Americans.

Consumer Reports Health Insurance Rankings

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I recently picked up a copy of the November issue of Consumer Reports, which included a section about health insurance. The article featured an interview with President Obama, and a good overview of how the changes included in the PPACA will impact consumers. In addition, Consumer Reports published a ranking of 227 HMO and POS (point-of-service) plans (you have to subscribe to Consumer Reports Health in order to be able to see the details online), according to data compiled by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA). […]