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Mental Health Coverage on Health Insurance Policies

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The House voted last week to require health insurance companies to provide equal coverage for mental and physical health on policies that cover both types of illness. This is heralded as a big step forward by mental health advocates, but it will also place a strain on health insurance carriers, policy-holders who pay their own… Read more about Mental Health Coverage on Health Insurance Policies

Grand Rounds and the Cav are Hot Off the Press

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The latest issue of Grand Rounds is up at Science Roll.  A post I found interesting was from Bob Coffield at the Health Care Law Blog about the pilot project between Google and the Cleveland Clinic. Also, check out the latest Cavalcade of Risk put up by the wise wench.  That is where I noticed… Read more about Grand Rounds and the Cav are Hot Off the Press

If You Break It, You Buy It

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I read somewhere recently that compliance with hand washing standards in American hospitals is less than 50%. That alone is enough to make me thankful that Jay and I have chosen a home birth for our baby this spring, but it also raises lots of questions about medical care in general. If something as simple… Read more about If You Break It, You Buy It

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 Covering Infertility Treatment

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I wrote an article yesterday about how hard it is to get individual health insurance after you’ve had fertility treatments. We got a comment on the post that mentioned how ironic the whole thing is, considering health insurance almost never pays for the actual fertility treatment, even if you have coverage while you’re going through… Read more about Health Insurance Covering Infertility Treatment

Where Does The Rest Of The Government Stand?

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Health care has become quite the buzzword in this election year, and will likely stay near the top of the political radar for the foreseeable future. Managed Care Matters has a very informative piece that breaks down the similarities and differences in the health care reform proposals of Senators Obama and Clinton. And The Health… Read more about Where Does The Rest Of The Government Stand?

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

A Non-Profit Health Care System Would Be A Good Start

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This article at the The Health Care Blog is well worth the read. The article maintains that preventive medicine and proper management of chronic health conditions are the keys to lowering overall health care costs in America, and that until we adjust our model of medicine as a fix-what’s-broken system to one of keep-it-working-in-the-first-place, we… Read more about A Non-Profit Health Care System Would Be A Good Start

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?

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

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

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

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.

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

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

Health Insurance Can’t Be Optional

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In Mass, everyone has to have health insurance by January 1. Their new universal health insurance system has expanded government coverage options and driven down the price of private insurance with government subsidies and state collaboration with health insurance companies. But everyone has to sign up. If they don’t they’ll face tax penalties starting next… Read more about Health Insurance Can’t Be Optional