Kaiser Permanente has expanded hospital access across metro Denver, adding trusted locations like Rose Medical Center and St. Anthony North. Members now have more convenient options for care, including emergency, maternity, and specialty services. Learn how this update improves flexibility and keeps high-quality care close to home.
Boulder
Why ACA Compliant Plan Premiums Will Vary Significantly In 2014
David Williams did an excellent job with the most recent edition of the Health Wonk Review – be sure to check it out. One post that everyone should read comes from Health Affairs Blog, and was written by Joel Ario, Adam Block and Ian Spatz. They dig into the details of Silver plan premiums in four major US cities, finding lots of variation in pricing in some areas, and surprisingly little variation in others. As premiums have been slowly publicized over the last several weeks, I’ve seen numerous articles describing rates for ACA-compliant plans and how they vary from one plan to another within the same metal designation. But the Health Affairs article is the most thorough and helpful that I’ve read. The authors not only explain the details, but they also provide five very well-reasoned explanations for rate variation. If you’re confused about premiums for ACA-compliant plans, this article is a must-read. It’s also helpful in terms of helping people understand how plans can differ – even at the same metal level – beyond the basic deductible/copay amounts.
Wide variation in health insurance rates is nothing new. When I run current quotes (not yet 2014 ACA-compliant) for my own family, I get 11 pages of results, with prices ranging from $238/month to $1889/month. Much of that is explained by the vast differences in deductibles ($10,000 for the lowest priced plan, $500 for the highest), but even if I focus on plans that all have the same deductible ($5000, just to pick a middle-of-the-road number), I still get rates that range from $325/month to $924/month. Plan designs can vary greatly from one carrier to another, and provider networks make a big difference in terms of explaining premium variation from one area to another within a state (as an example here in Colorado, the carriers that offer the best rates in the Denver metro area and along the front range are typically not the same carriers that offer the best rates in the mountains or even in nearby Boulder, and much of the variation has to do with provider networks).
So it’s not at all surprising that rates will be significantly different from one carrier to another next year, both in and out of the exchanges. In most states […]
Anthem Blue Cross And Boulder Chamber Offer New Health Insurance
[…] This is a big step forward for health insurance. Boulder is a great place to start something like this, as residents there do utilize alternative health care a bit more than the average Colorado resident. But over the years, we’ve had inquiries from people all over the state who are looking for a health insurance policy that will allow them to utilize alternative care. […]
Free Health Care For Some Laid Off Workers
[…] It’s laudable that the clinics are offering free health care at all; they have to structure this in such a way that they don’t end up driving themselves out of business in the process. By requiring that a patient (who might think that a job/health insurance loss is on the horizon) come in for a paid visit first, the clinics will likely boost their revenue in the early phase of this program.
Most Americans Unaware Of PCP Shortage
[…] People whose employers pay the majority of their health insurance premiums are often unaware of just how expensive health insurance really is. People with health insurance are often unaware of how expensive health care really is. And people who aren’t experiencing a PCP shortage in their own lives tend to be unaware of the overall PCP shortage. […]
The Art And Science Of Choosing Providers
[…] Provider quality rankings are a piece of the puzzle for sure, but they’re not the only piece. I do think they will get more popular if health insurance carriers start actively encouraging patients to select from among the highest ranking providers. But there are other factors that go into choosing a provider that can’t be quantified on a spreadsheet or a graph.
Where The Uninsureds Live
[…] In Colorado, there are 12 counties with at least 29.7% of their population with no health insurance. I think this micro-analysis of the uninsured population is long overdue, and I’m hopeful that it will help lawmakers and health insurance carriers target the hardest hit areas when new policy designs and future government health care subsidies are introduced.
Kaiser Permanente Provider Change for Boulder/Longmont Area
Effective June 1, 2008, Boulder Valley Individual Practice Association (BVIPA) and the Longmont Clinic will no longer participate in the Kaiser Permanente Private Healthcare Systems (PHCS) provider network. PHCS is the provider network available to Kaiser Permanente Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) and Point of Service (POS) members in Colorado. Kaiser says […]
Kaiser Permanente Hospital Change for PPO and POS Members
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
Steve Dieckhoff Benefit
Update: Steve Dieckhoff died Saturday morning (3/15) just as the sun began to rise, friends said. He was 56 years old. A memorial service in Boulder has not yet been scheduled. Daily Camera story here Latest info and pics here Steve Dieckhoff is a local Boulder rock climber who is battling lymphoma. His friends and… Read more about Steve Dieckhoff Benefit
New Kaiser Permanente Contracts for Longmont and Boulder Valley
The provider network for Kaiser Permanente of Colorado, Private Healthcare Systems (PHCS), has signed a new contract with Longmont United Hospital (LUH), effective January 1, 2007 through December 31, 2007. In addition, 192 physicians of the Boulder Valley Individual Practice Associates (BVIPA) have agreed to return to the PHCS network. These providers have hospital privileges… Read more about New Kaiser Permanente Contracts for Longmont and Boulder Valley