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Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield Product Enhancements

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Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield has long been a major player in the Colorado health insurance market. Brokers and clients alike tend to feel comfortable with Anthem Blue Cross, due in large part to their stability and network size. Yesterday I met with our Anthem Blue Cross representatives, and discussed some of their product enhancements…. Read more about Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield Product Enhancements

The Best from the Health Wonks at e-CareManagement

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The latest Health Wonk Review is being hosted by Vince Kuraitis of e-CareManagement. If you read the Health Wonk Review and also check out the rest of the blog, you’ll see that Vince has a pretty good sense of humor. He included a Colorado Health Insurance Insider article, Louise’s review of Sicko. But we were… Read more about The Best from the Health Wonks at e-CareManagement

Wealthy Candidates = No Universal Health Care?

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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

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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

Kaiser Permanente Hospital Change for PPO and POS Members

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Effective immediately, Longmont United Hospital will no longer be participating in Kaiser Permanente’s Colorado provider network for Preferred Provider Organization(PPO) and Point of Service (POS) benefit plans in the Private Healthcare Systems (PHCS) health insurance network. [Longmont United Hospital still works with the PHCS network – just not through Kaiser] Kaiser is very disappointed by… Read more about Kaiser Permanente Hospital Change for PPO and POS Members

Health Care Should Be Just Another Public Service

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Just a few more Colorado Health Insurance Insider thoughts on Michael Moore’s Sicko… One thing that struck me in the movie was when Moore pointed out that the US already has lots of public “socialized” systems, including firefighters and public education. I doubt that many people like the idea of having firefighting services that have… Read more about Health Care Should Be Just Another Public Service

HSAs Featured on the Cav

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One of my favorite bloggers, Julie Ferguson of the Workers Comp Insider, hosted this weeks Cavalcade of Risk.  Along with Louise’s recent article about how HSAs aren’t yet encouraging a true free market health care system, there were many other good HSA related articles. First off, Joe Paduda of Managed Care Matters explains the inaccuracy… Read more about HSAs Featured on the Cav

Not A Lot Of Comparison Shopping with HSAs Yet

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With health insurance premiums on an every-increasing trend, employers and individuals have been looking for ways to cut costs. High deductible health insurance plans in combination with health savings accounts have been widely touted by government officials as a way to lower costs. Indeed, the premiums for an HDHP are generally lower than premiums for… Read more about Not A Lot Of Comparison Shopping with HSAs Yet

Exempla Files Lawsuit To Block Hospital Sale

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Kudos to Exempla Healthcare. The hospital board filed a lawsuit in Denver today to stop the sale of two Exempla Hospitals that were to be bought by a Catholic organization. Denver, Colorado-area hospitals, Lutheran and Good Samaritan, were to be completely owned by the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth Health Systems as of the end… Read more about Exempla Files Lawsuit To Block Hospital Sale

More Thorough Underwriting A Good Idea

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A district court of appeals in CA has ruled that insurers must review health insurance applications for accuracy before a policy is issued, rather than wait until an insured has a large claim to initiate a review.  This seems like a very valid requirement, and is something I’d like to see implemented here in Colorado… Read more about More Thorough Underwriting A Good Idea

Religion and Medicine A Bad Mix

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As of the end of next month, the Catholic hospital group Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth Health System will be taking over two Denver, Colorado-area Exempla hospitals. Lutheran Medical Center in Wheat Ridge and Good Samaritan Medical Center in Lafayette will join Denver’s St. Joseph’s as hospitals controlled by the Catholic organization. The group reportedly… Read more about Religion and Medicine A Bad Mix

The High Price of Becoming A Doctor

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With all the talk about national health care and eliminating waste and excess spending in our broken health care system, some people assume that doctors are overpaid. On first glance, $250,000/year for an anesthesiologist does seem extravagant. But if we want to cut back on medical spending, we need to take a closer look at how doctors are trained and who pays for their education. The vast majority of new doctors are saddled with huge student loans. And almost without exception medical residents work ridiculous hours for very low pay […]

Retiree Health Insurance Benefits Based On Age Makes Sense

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Last week, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission agreed that employers have the right to reduce or eliminate medical benefits for retirees who reach age 65 and become eligible for federally funded Medicare. This ruling has been met with both support and criticism from several sides. It includes a specific provision that exempts employers from age… Read more about Retiree Health Insurance Benefits Based On Age Makes Sense

Best Health Insurance Book Hosts New Year’s Cav

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Jonathan Pletzke of Consumer’s Health Insurance Blog did a thorough job of organizing the latest risk related articles in the blogosphere into an easily readable and organized format in the New Year’s edition of the Cavalcade of Risk.  The Colorado Health Insurance Insider was noted because of Louise’s post about the latest AHIP (association of… Read more about Best Health Insurance Book Hosts New Year’s Cav

Autism Funding Still A Struggle

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Abby Tappert has autism. The four year old from Boulder, Colorado has had developmental difficulties since birth, and didn’t take her first step until age two. But with Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) therapy, she has improved dramatically, and can now talk and interact with her family – something they didn’t know if she would ever… Read more about Autism Funding Still A Struggle

The Vaccination Debate – Emotions Trumping Logic

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Jay and I have been researching vaccines lately. We’ve both been vaccinated numerous times (my vaccine record is a mile long, after spending two years in the Peace Corps), but for our baby, we wanted to know more before we just blindly followed the majority and vaccinated according to schedule. I’ve been reading for weeks,… Read more about The Vaccination Debate – Emotions Trumping Logic

Individual Health Insurance Not That Affordable Or Accessible

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America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) has released a comprehensive survey of the individual health insurance market in this country, and has come to the conclusion that individual health insurance is “more accessible and affordable than is widely known.” It’s hard to view the results as completely unbiased, considering that AHIP is a national trade association… Read more about Individual Health Insurance Not That Affordable Or Accessible

Continuing Discussion on Vaccines and Choice

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The Public Health Council in NJ has voted 5-2 to make flu shots mandatory for preschoolers. The Department of Health and Human Services has a vaccination schedule that calls for at least 34 vaccines by the time a child is six years old. As a parent-to-be, I am very uneasy about the ever-increasing number of… Read more about Continuing Discussion on Vaccines and Choice

Another Step Forward for the Blue Ribbon Commission

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The Colorado Blue Ribbon Commission for Health Care Reform is moving closer to its goal of overhauling the Colorado health care system. On Thursday, the members of the commission presented a 101 page draft of their final recommendations on changes that need to be made to the ailing health care system in the state. The… Read more about Another Step Forward for the Blue Ribbon Commission