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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

Christmas Cav

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The Christmas edition of risky blog posts is hosted by Matthew Paulson, who runs American Consumer News blog.  Check it out.

Shark Bait

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Business Week magazine has an alarming article in their December 3, 2007 edition. “Fresh Pain For The Uninsured” is a story of medicine and capitalism on a collision course, with the patient squashed squarely in the middle. For years, people without health insurance have been able to repay medical bills in small amounts, without interest… Read more about Shark Bait

Another Proposal For Health Care Reform In Colorado

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Last week Republican lawmakers in Colorado unveiled their version of health care reform. It’s an attempt to make small fixes to the state’s ailing health care system without raising taxes or turning health care over to the government. The proposed reforms are far less substantial than the options being considered by the Blue Ribbon Commission… Read more about Another Proposal For Health Care Reform In Colorado

Managed Care Matters Has Your Cavalcade of Risk

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Joe Paduda hosts the pre-holiday edition of the Cav and he’s done a great job explaining each article so you can just breeze through it and read what sounds interesting.  My favorite post was from Jonathan Pletzke who has just written a book called “Buying Health Insurance Without Getting Ripped Off“.  So he started a… Read more about Managed Care Matters Has Your Cavalcade of Risk

History Of Obstetrics Is Not Reassuring

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I’m reading a fascinating book right now – Birth, by Tina Cassidy. Ms. Cassidy gave birth in 2004 in a standard hospital setting, culminating in a cesarean and a healthy baby. Afterwards, she was intrigued by the cultural and historical influences on the process by which every one of us arrived on this planet. Her… Read more about History Of Obstetrics Is Not Reassuring

Health Insurance Policy Maximums Stuck in the 90s

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Ten years ago, it was very rare to hear of someone incurring a medical bill that topped $1 million. Twenty years ago, it was almost unheard of. But today, although it’s still not that common, it doesn’t surprise most people when they hear stories of seven-figure hospital bills. According to a Kaiser Network article, 34%… Read more about Health Insurance Policy Maximums Stuck in the 90s

Hospital Sale Will Limit Health Care

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Physicians and patients are watching a pending $611 million sale of Exempla Lutheran Medical Center in Wheatridge and Exempla Good Samaritan Medical Center in Lafayette to Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth Health System, a Catholic organization in Kansas. At issue are the “ethical and religious directives” that many hospitals owned by Catholic organizations must follow,… Read more about Hospital Sale Will Limit Health Care

More on Mandatory Health Insurance

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Several presidential candidates have put forth health care plans that include making health insurance mandatory, much like liability auto insurance. Governor Schwarzenegger has been pushing for universal health care in CA for months now, and part of his plan is to make health insurance mandatory. And Colorado is considering two proposals that would make health… Read more about More on Mandatory Health Insurance

Thanksgiving Cavalcade of Risk

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Welcome to the Thanksgiving edition of the Cavalcade of Risk at the Colorado Health Insurance Insider. We’ll start with insurance related articles and blend into finance and investing. Does your health insurance policy pay for sex? InsureBlog’s Bob Vineyard explores the question, and comes up with some surprising info with his post about Sex Insurance…. Read more about Thanksgiving Cavalcade of Risk

Losing Weight A Good Idea Before Surgery

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Francis Kinley-Manton has arthritic hips that have confined her to a wheelchair for two years. She wanted hip replacement surgery, but her doctor told her that she needed to lose 30 pounds before he would do the surgery. She lives in the UK, and the British National Health Service would have paid for the operation… Read more about Losing Weight A Good Idea Before Surgery