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Individual Health Insurance Vs Government Intervention

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[…] regulations would also be eliminated. For example, state laws that mandate coverage for mammograms or hospital stays after childbirth could be ignored at will.” I’m not sure what they’re referring to here, as there are plenty of mandates on individual policies in Colorado, and I haven’t heard anything about individual health insurance carriers being able to ignore them.

Electronic Prescription Transmittal

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We used to have our Colorado health insurance clients fill out paper health insurance applications. Then we would check the application to make sure nothing was missed, and send it to the health insurance carrier. From there, the underwriters would enter the information into a computer, calling us along the way if they were unable to read an applicant’s handwriting, or […]

200th Grand Rounds At Grunt Doc

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The Colorado Health Insurance Insider post about ACOG and the AMA and their positions on homebirth was included, along with another post about the same topic from Dr. Tienchin Ho, who also believes that homebirth should remain a legal and supported option for American women […]

You Only Need 2000 In A Day

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[…]obese are contributing to the ever-increasing health insurance costs we pay. While I don’t think we should be forcing people to eat any particular way, adding calorie information to menus is a great way to empower the public, encourage restaurants to offer more nutritious fare, and lower the rates of obesity. I haven’t heard of any plans for Colorado to start requiring calorie postings on menus, but maybe we should if we want to hang on to our “least obese state” title.

Obama And Individual Health Insurance Mandate

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[…]I’m curious how Obama’s plan would allow people to buy in groups without regard for pre-existing conditions, without driving the cost of health insurance even higher. Attacking the problem from the health insurance side is putting the cart before the horse. While I’m pleased to see health care taking such a major position in this election, I’d like to see both candidates focus on the underlying costs of our entire health care system, rather than just looking at ways to get everyone insured. Because if people can’t afford the insurance, and if insurance companies can’t afford to pay claims, simply having access to insurance won’t solve our health care problems.

Birth Control And Health Insurance

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Assuming nobody is trying to outlaw birth control (which is a concern that has been voiced by some groups) – should health insurance cover it? At the Colorado Health Insurance Insider, we’ve written before about the definition of insurance. Health insurance is meant to protect us from financial ruin in the event of a serious illness or injury. If birth control were an extremely expensive […]

Demand For Health Care Decreasing

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We’re noticing more and more of our Colorado clients requesting high deductible health insurance policies, with prescriptions covered only once the deductible is met. Does this mean that they are more likely to pass on meds? Probably it means that they’ll think twice before going to the doctor or filling a prescription. When an employer sponsored health insurance policy is paying for […]

Shame On You ACOG and AMA

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Since homebirths are so much less expensive than hospital births (we paid our Colorado-registered midwife $3000 for the birth and all prenatal and postpartum care), you would think that health insurance carriers would have a vested interest in crying foul with regards to Resolution 205. But I guess they would rather pay for hospital births. I find it sad that ACOG is so determined […]

Running Out Of Benefits

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Perhaps all private health insurance could cover up to $5 million, and then for the tiny percentage of patients who need coverage beyond that amount, a government catastrophic insurance policy could kick in. If you end up needing 100 doctor visits a year, and high-end drugs, and weeks in an ICU, you shouldn’t have to worry that your health insurance is going to run out.

Insureds With HSAs Dropping Meds

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So while it would be nice to think that everyone who gets an HDHP is also setting up an HSA, funding it little by little until the account has enough money stashed away to cover the deductible, and then shopping around diligently for health care and avoiding unnecessary treatment – the reality is a bit different. Many of our Colorado clients who enroll in an HDHP do not set up an HSA […]

Filed Under: HSA

McCain Health Care And Individual Health Insurance

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[…] because if we remove the underwriting from individual health insurance plans, the prices would increase dramatically. But for people with serious pre-existing conditions, options for coverage are seriously limited in the current market. In Colorado, we’re lucky to have a guaranteed issue high risk pool health insurance plan, but it’s expensive and has high out-of-pocket costs.

Health Insurance Premiums For Smokers

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Individual health insurance carriers in Colorado typically consider tobacco use when setting premiums. Rate increases vary from one company to another, and sometimes depend on other factors like age, BMI, blood pressure, and cholesterol levels. When Aetna entered the individual market in Colorado, their underwriting did not call for a increase in price for a… Read more about Health Insurance Premiums For Smokers

Submit Your Ideas For Health Care Reform

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It’s good to see a major health insurance carrier that we represent here in Colorado is spearheading this quest for ideas and change. In the best interests of the American public, the health insurance industry will need to be adaptable over the next several years. Without some major changes to the whole health care system, there is no sign that health insurance premiums […]

United Healthcare Settlement

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[…] needs to be focusing on efficiency, service, and honesty. Anything less is likely to be looked at sharply as lawmakers and industry insiders work to lower the cost of healthcare and increase access to care for all Americans. I’m glad to see that United Healthcare – one of our major Colorado health insurers – has laid the SEC problem to rest and seems to be headed in the right direction.

Independence Cavalcade Of Risk

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the 21st century involves exciting details like choosing an HSA qualified health insurance policy and making sure that we have adequate liability insurance for our cars. Much preferable to sticking my neck out as a traitor against the British Monarchy. Without further ado, the Colorado Health Insurance Insider presents the Independence Cavalcade of Risk […]

Why Would It Not Work Here?

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We Stand Firm has written an interesting article about the Colorado Medical Society and their support of health care coverage for Coloradans that should be “universal, continuous, portable, and mandatory.” I’m strongly in favor of health insurance for everyone in Colorado (and indeed, the US) that is universal, continuous, portable, and mandatory. I know this… Read more about Why Would It Not Work Here?

Health Wonk Review

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The Health Wonk Review is up at the Disease Management Care Blog.  The Colorado Health Insurance Insider post about HR676 is included. Insure Blog has a good post about Fed Chairman Bernanke’s assessment of health care costs.  I agree with Hank that health care costs are driving health insurance premiums.  But I think there’s more… Read more about Health Wonk Review

Colorado Businesses Don’t Want Mandatory Health Insurance

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The Blue Ribbon Commission for health care reform in Colorado has recommended a mandate for health insurance coverage, but not necessarily coverage that is tied to employment. And it should come as no surprise that business owners on the western slope – just like business owners all over Colorado – are not excited about the idea of being required to provide employees […]

Grand Rounds

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A somewhat Apple-biased Grand Rounds is up at Shrink Rap.  It’s worth checking out just to see the ultra-cool graphic… an iPhone with nifty little icons for every post… The Colorado Health Insurance Insider post about hospitals and breastfeeding has a little icon of a breastfeeding baby! I appreciated Mother Jones post about cell phones… Read more about Grand Rounds

HR676 Headed In The Right Direction

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I agree with PICU that it’s tough for individual voices to be heard in the healthcare reform process. Some stares are making an effort at reform – including Colorado – but it’s going to take unified, nationwide changes to really fix our health care system. Unfortunately there is a long line of deep-pocketed special interest groups who are deeply invested in maintaining the status quo […]

Unhappy Doctors

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Here in Colorado, we insureds are lucky to have a multitude of options for our health insurance. But I suppose the more options we have, the more hassle the doctors have with billing. Apparently, doctors don’t have the highest job satisfaction these days. There are many issues involved – I have to say, if I worked these hours, I’d be unhappy with my job too. But I […]

AMA Issues Guidelines For Medical Tourism

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The AMA has issued medical tourism guidelines for American patients, employers and health insurance companies. At the Colorado Health Insurance Insider, we’ve written about medical tourism and how health insurance carriers are seeing it as a way to lower costs by encouraging insureds to travel abroad to get quality medical care for far less than… Read more about AMA Issues Guidelines For Medical Tourism

Elective Cesareans Not A Complication Of Pregnancy

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We got a notice in the mail yesterday from Humana, one of the health insurance carriers we represent in Colorado. They have revised their definition of complication of pregnancy to include cesareans, but not elective cesareans. I was very pleased to see this, and I’m glad that Humana is differentiating between the two. Obviously someone who schedules a c-section […]