[…] There are plenty of people who advocate a free market approach to health care, and are complaining that the government shouldn’t be allowed to dictate that a particular treatment isn’t cost effective. But private health insurance does exactly the same thing. They don’t pay for unproven treatments, and it wouldn’t make sense for them to do otherwise […]
Medicare
The Real Price Of Brand Name Prescription Meds
[…] If a rep presents a new med to a doctor, mentions that it’s a whiz-bang drug, and brushes the cost off by saying something like “it’s a brand name drug, but the copays on brand names are usually only about 20 bucks more than generics” the fact that the drug actually costs more per month than most car payments will probably not factor into the doctor’s prescribing decisions. […]
Public Health Insurance Plan Deserves A Chance
[…] I like the idea of a public health insurance system operating side by side with our private system. I think that there are people who would immediately opt for one or other system just on principal. But I think that there are lots of people who would wait and see what happens. Either way, the idea of a public/private health insurance system deserves a chance.
Medicare Buy In Option A Good Idea
[…] I wonder what would happen if they did decide to open Medicare up to anyone who wanted it and was able to pay for it? If the premiums were lower than what you pay now, would you switch? I’m guessing that a lot of the 744,000 uninsured people here in Colorado would be willing to take a chance on government-run health care if they could afford the premiums. […]
Guest Blogger Writes About Health Care Reform
[…] Over half of all Americans have gone without needed health care (such as doctor visits, medications, and other treatments) due to cost. In most cases, it’s preventative care that suffers. That neglect leads to far higher costs for patients and society in the long run. In light of this study, many are calling for health care reform in the United States.
Big Pharma Likes The Free Market
[…] What it really boils down to is that it doesn’t matter how great the drugs are if people can’t afford them. Here in Colorado we’ve seen more and more health insurance carriers increase copays for drugs, add prescription deductibles, or cover only generic drugs in an effort to keep prescription costs under control. […]
Combining Public And Private Health Insurance
For the seventh straight year the percentage of Americans under 65 with employer-sponsored health insurance coverage has declined. In Colorado, the number of people getting health insurance through an employer dropped 6.5% over the last seven years, resulting in […]
Expanding Universal Health Coverage In America
[…] There’s a huge group of people with other serious illnesses who are having to struggle with not only their health condition but also with the status of their health insurance coverage. An expansion of Medicare to cover anyone with a chronic illness makes sense, and would eliminate some of the economic burden currently endured by those individuals.
Autism And Health Insurance
[…] In Colorado, health insurance carriers are not required to pay for behavior therapy to treat autism. But what if the government stepped in with a program like Medicare for autism? The government could negotiate lower reimbursement rates, but because all children with autism would be receiving care there would be an increased volume for providers.
Freedom Of Choice In Health Care
[…] We like to think that we have a free market health care system and can make our own choices about our care and our health insurance. But for a Colorado resident without an employer-sponsored health insurance policy, and with pre-existing conditions that put private health insurance out of reach, Cover Colorado is the only real option for health insurance.
A Health Insurance Report Card
Included in the ratings are Aetna, Anthem BCBS, Cigna, Coventry, Health Net, Humana, United Healthcare, and Medicare. In the individual health insurance market in Colorado, we deal extensively with Aetna, Anthem, Humana, and United Healthcare, so I was especially curious […]
Senate Starting To Address Health Care Reform
Overall, I’d say that at the Colorado Health Insurance Insider, we agree with Donna Shalala’s thoughts on health care reform. Limiting benefits and restricting coverage to fewer people (which would be the result of an age increase for Medicare […]
Why Is There A Balance To Bill In The First Place?
In CA, regulators are working to impose a ban on “balance billing” – the practice of billing patients for amounts over what their health insurance companies will pay for a given procedure. While most health insurance networks prohibit balance billing, there are only eight states that regulate the practice, and a good number of patients… Read more about Why Is There A Balance To Bill In The First Place?
Is Mandatory Health Insurance Unconstitutional?
I just came across an excellent article by Karl Manheim and Jamie Court. It presents some compelling explanations of how the idea of making private health insurance mandatory for American citizens may not be constitutional. At the Colorado Health Insurance Insider, I’ve come out in support of mandatory health insurance, and also very much in… Read more about Is Mandatory Health Insurance Unconstitutional?
Credit Checks On Uninsured Patients
At Colorado Health Insurance Insider we have written before about predatory collection practices at hospitals around the country. And now hospitals can be added to the long list of organizations that will access your credit report at some point during your transaction. Hospitals say that they pull credit reports on patients who do not have… Read more about Credit Checks On Uninsured Patients
Daily Dialysis Dramatically Better
I came across this article today about the benefits of home hemodialysis. My father has been on dialysis for nearly 7 years, since a rare autoimmune disease destroyed his kidneys in the summer of 2001. He was on hemodialysis for a while, and then switched to peritoneal dialysis. That worked for a couple years until… Read more about Daily Dialysis Dramatically Better
Retirement And Health Care
A recent study by Fidelity Investments estimates that a 65-year old couple retiring in 2008 will need $225,000 set aside in order to cover medical expenses during their golden years. And yet 39% of Americans over age 55 have less than $25,000 in total retirement savings. This presents a troubling picture of the financial future… Read more about Retirement And Health Care
Retiree Health Insurance Benefits Based On Age Makes Sense
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