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Individual/Family Health

Medicaid Recipients More Likely To Be Diagnosed With Advanced Cancer

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The American Cancer Society has released data indicating that uninsured Americans are 2.1 times as likely as those with private health insurance to have cancer initially diagnosed at an advanced stage. This shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, since people without health insurance tend to put off going to the doctor out of concern… Read more about Medicaid Recipients More Likely To Be Diagnosed With Advanced Cancer

Higher Medicare Drug Premiums For Wealthy Seniors

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President Bush wants to charge wealthy American seniors more for their prescription drug coverage.  In a plan that will be presented to congress for approval, the administration is proposing a premium increase for Medicare beneficiaries who earn more than $82,000/year as a single person or $164,000 for a married couple.  The amount of the premium… Read more about Higher Medicare Drug Premiums For Wealthy Seniors

Health Insurance After Infertility Treatment

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I just read a post by ForHealth about infertility treatment and individual health insurance. Her experience is one we’ve seen with some clients over the years. She went through fertility treatment – Clomid, in this case – which was unsuccessful. Three years later, she applied for an individual health insurance policy and was declined. The… Read more about Health Insurance After Infertility Treatment

Automatic Payroll Deduction For Health Insurance Premiums

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I’ll preface this post by saying that Hillary Clinton is not my choice for America’s next president. But that doesn’t mean I don’t like some of her ideas. I just read an article that described her plans for enforcement of her proposal to make health insurance mandatory for all Americans. Garnishing wages of workers who… Read more about Automatic Payroll Deduction For Health Insurance Premiums

Is Mandatory Health Insurance Really That Unreasonable?

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The political catfight that always ensues during a presidential election year is well underway, and health care seems to be mentioned at every turn. Each candidate has a different view of how to fix the mess, although it’s hard to untangle true intentions from lobbyist influence and political alliances. One issue that has generated quite… Read more about Is Mandatory Health Insurance Really That Unreasonable?

Risk is Everywhere

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The Digerati Life hosted a HUGE Cavalcade of Risk yesterday.  It took me a while to get all the way through it.  The Colorado Health Insurance Insider is included.  Also, in the “Insurance and Risk Management” section was a good article by Consumers Health Insurance Blog about the Consumer Reports article “12 Money Mistakes that… Read more about Risk is Everywhere

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

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

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

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

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

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