Managed Care Magazine has a well written article by Alan Adler from Independence Blue Cross about the power of blogs in the health care policy discussion.
Policy
SCHIP Too Much?
Colorado business and health leaders have banned together to get health insurance for every child in Colorado and the country. President Bush is asking Congress to authorize $5 billion over the next five years for SCHIP (State Children’s Health Insurance Program), which is designed for the children of working class parents. Congress says that amount… Read more about SCHIP Too Much?
Cavalcade of Risk at The Sentinel Effect
The Cavalcade of Risk is up over at The Sentinel Effect. Richard has done a great job organizing so many posts. Take a look around the rest of the blog while you’re there. They write some unique, thought provoking stuff.
Health Wonk Review – July 12, 2007
The Health Wonk Review is THE top health policy roundup in the blogosphere. It’s known for only including the best and brightest, and only the keenest observations of the health policy community. The collection of articles below represent the cream of the crop of recent entries in the ongoing US health care policy discussion. I’m… Read more about Health Wonk Review – July 12, 2007
Enron Health Plan
With all the talk of universal health care lately, the most popular jab against it is to point out how inefficient the government is at running anything. Example: Katrina and FEMA. First of all, it’s been all to easy to point out incompetence in every government agency for the past 6 years. From Brown being… Read more about Enron Health Plan
Cavalcade of Risk
Julie of the Workers Comp Insider has put together a good collection of risk related posts in the latest edition of the Cavalcade of Risk. Check it out…
Diabetes – An Ounce of Prevention
“We are spending as much on diabetes as we are on the entire Department of Education.” That statement, from Dana Haza, a senior director for the National Changing Diabetes Program (NCDP) is an eye-opener. The numbers are staggering. 12% of the government health-care budget in 2005 was spent on treating diabetes. And a recent study found… Read more about Diabetes – An Ounce of Prevention
Anthem Blue Cross Leads The Way
Over the past couple years, I’ve made a push to eliminate bigotry from the Colorado health insurance market. My main focus has been to persuade Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield of Colorado into making those positive changes first. They’ve got the biggest market share of the Colorado individual and small group health insurance markets, so… Read more about Anthem Blue Cross Leads The Way
Health Wonk Review at Health Business Blog
You’ll find an interesting Health Wonk Review over at the Health Business Blog. I enjoyed the article from Michael Cannon at Cato@Liberty: Michael was able to negotiate 50% off his MRI bill. He had to do it because he has a high deductible HSA qualified health insurance plan and was paying out of pocket. This… Read more about Health Wonk Review at Health Business Blog
Even More Thoughts On Pregnancy Coverage
Over the past few weeks, I’ve written here and here about paying for pregnancy. I think that my ideas are sound, but Jay’s post yesterday made me rethink some of my plan. The program I envisioned would separate maternity care from health insurance, and would pay for pregnancy using tax money combined with contributions from… Read more about Even More Thoughts On Pregnancy Coverage
More Incompetence
Keeping with the status quo of his administration, President Bush has chosen to nominate an extremely unqualified buddy of his to be the next Surgeon General, Dr. James Holsinger. Holsinger was the Chief Medical Director at the Department of Veterans Affairs under George Bush Sr. Under his watch, the VA was found to be incompetent… Read more about More Incompetence
Memorial Day Grand Rounds
Colin at Medskool hosted a very well organized and visually attractive Grand Rounds. With about 50 articles, there is plenty of good reading to be done about the medical blogosphere.
Pregnancy Expenses Revisited
I recently wrote a post about paying for pregnancy. A comment from a reader caught my attention and I felt that it deserved a mention and a few more of my thoughts on the matter. The problem with having a pool of money from all insurance companies to pay for pregnancy (or anything else) is… Read more about Pregnancy Expenses Revisited
The Final Four
Just as we learn that health insurance premiums in Colorado have increased by 11% for the third straight year (followed by a 22% increase in 2002), the blue ribbon commission has narrowed down it’s options to four proposals. What are they aiming for? I would say the most important factor, even above efficiency, is a… Read more about The Final Four
Misperception of a Free Market
Proponents of private health care make it sound really simple to the average person. I always hear the statement “A free market system will ensure the best price and service”. While that may be true with most other industries, that argument over simplifies what healthcare is and misses the point. I’ll show you what I… Read more about Misperception of a Free Market
Paying for a Pregnancy
Lately I’ve been pondering the expenses involved with having a baby. Jay and I have been married four years, and we’ve started discussing the idea. Obviously, there are enormous costs that continue to accrue over the years – everything from cribs to college, most of which can be lowered through frugal living. But what about… Read more about Paying for a Pregnancy
Employer Group HSA Comparibility
Colorado employers that want to make HSA contributions to employees on a pre-tax basis are required to make those contributions on a “comparable” basis. This rule is designed to prevent employers from favoring one group of employees over another. Of course, it gets somewhat complicated. For one thing, the rules allow employers to treat the… Read more about Employer Group HSA Comparibility
What’s Next For Colorado Health Care?
Colorado currently has a universal health care system administered out of the emergency room. And companies like WellPoint aren’t doing much to prove that even if you have private health insurance you have any peace of mind. So Gov. Ritter’s Blue Ribbon Commission is hard at work finding a better healthcare system for Colorado by… Read more about What’s Next For Colorado Health Care?
Colorado House Bill 1355 Passes Senate
Colorado House Bill 1355 (in reference to small groups between 2 and 50 employees) was passed by the senate today including an amendment that would have the change slowly brought in over the course of two years. So it will go back to the House for consideration of this (and other) amendments. HB1355 is a… Read more about Colorado House Bill 1355 Passes Senate
Cutting Group Health Insurance Costs
A new study has found that obese employees have more workers’ comp claims than their fit counterparts. This should come as a surprise to no one, as obese people have higher medical costs in most aspects of life, not just during the work day. New York employment attorney Richard Corenthal cautioned employers not to overreact… Read more about Cutting Group Health Insurance Costs
Colorado Small Group Health Insurance Changes
Yesterday in Colorado, a senate committee approved a bill that would prohibit health insurance companies from using health status and claims history to set premiums for small groups (fewer than 50 employees). Since 2003, small groups in Colorado could have a discount of up to 25% or an increase of up to 10% on their… Read more about Colorado Small Group Health Insurance Changes
Colorado Health Insurance Reform
In Colorado, the legislature’s Blue Ribbon Commission on Health Care Reform is currently reviewing 31 proposals from various business, union, and consumer groups trying to find a way to solve the state’s health care crisis. There are about 770,000 people in Colorado with no health insurance, and the state has joined a handful of others… Read more about Colorado Health Insurance Reform
Insurance Help Hub Takes a Risk
A new and exciting blog called the Insurance Help Hub is the host of this weeks Cavalcade of Risk. With nice descriptions of each risk-related article, you’ll find plenty of interesting topics to catch your eye. My favorite article of this weeks Cavalcade is “Does Expanding Health Insurance Affect Health?” from Cato-at-liberty.
Personal Accountability in Health Care
I strongly agree with Marcy Morrison, the Colorado Insurance Commissioner, on her recent statements regarding personal accountability for health: “If people take better care of themselves, we can look at other options besides how to get more care. We read a lot about diet and exercise, but we have to ignite the public to put… Read more about Personal Accountability in Health Care
Gov. Ritter Fixes a Big Bill Owens Mistake
In May of 2006, a bill supported by 85 out of 100 Colorado legislators came across then-Gov. Bill Owens’ desk. S.B. 198 would have put an end to the practice of large health insurance companies taking advantage of family physicians by having their expert attorneys write contracts that (among other things) are purposely obfuscated and… Read more about Gov. Ritter Fixes a Big Bill Owens Mistake