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President Bush Signs HSA Bill

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President George W. Bush signed the Health Opportunity Patient Empowerment Act of 2006 today, enhancing Americans’ access to tax- advantaged health care savings. The law, part of the Tax Relief and Health Care Act of 2006, provides new opportunities for health savings account (HSA) participants’ to build their funds. “Health savings accounts are improving the… Read more about President Bush Signs HSA Bill

Universal Private Health Insurance for All

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In a previous article on the Colorado Health Insurance Insider, we were excited about Gov.-elect Bill Ritter’s promise to provide health insurance to the 760,000 residents of Colorado that are uninsured, but skeptical of universal health insurance plans recently enacted in other states. However, I’ve since reviewed a new plan by Senator Ron Wyden (D OR)… Read more about Universal Private Health Insurance for All

Health Wonk Review #22

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You’ll find the latest edition of the Health Wonk Review over at the MSSP Nexus blog.  The Colorado Health Insurance Insider gets mentioned with Louise’s opinion of what needs to be done to fix the health care crisis in this country.  You’ll also find an article by InsureBlog, which comments on what a county in California is actually… Read more about Health Wonk Review #22

What Needs To Be Done

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There is a crisis in the American health care system.  The government got very excited about health savings accounts a couple years ago, but HSAs have not fixed anything.  There are 41 million uninsured people in this country – and that doesn’t count everyone who’s already on government-sponsored Medicare and Medicaid.  It is not uncommon… Read more about What Needs To Be Done

Big News for HSAs

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Over the weekend, Congress passed huge new changes in HSA Legislation, it only needs the President’s signature to become law. With an effective date of 2007 for the law, we wanted to make Colorado Health Insurance Insider readers aware of the possible changes. All of the legislation is an improvement for HSAs and includes the following. Full HSA Deduction. The new… Read more about Big News for HSAs

Eagle County Colorado Offering Same Sex Partner Benefits

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Eagle County, in the Colorado mountains, will begin offering health insurance benefits to their employees’ same sex partners, provided the couple meets the same “common law” guidelines required for heterosexual couples to obtain benefits.  Same sex partner benefits are becoming more common among private companies, but Eagle County is the first public (ie, tax-payer funded)… Read more about Eagle County Colorado Offering Same Sex Partner Benefits

Health Insurance For All Colorado Citizens by 2010

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America’s health system is breaking down and health costs are increasing more than five times the earnings increase for Colorado workers.  HSAs were introduced in 2004 as a way to cut down on over-utilization, but they aren’t gaining wide acceptance, they don’t really help the problem anyway, and they won’t work.  But there is a more progressive… Read more about Health Insurance For All Colorado Citizens by 2010

Battling Prescription Drug Prices

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Rising pharmaceutical costs has been an issue in healthcare for quite some time.  Television advertising for prescription drugs has resulted in more patients demanding that their doctors give them specific prescriptions, even if something else -or nothing at all – may work better.  This practice has been widely criticized, but is showing no signs of… Read more about Battling Prescription Drug Prices

Why is the Cost of Health Insurance Rising So Fast?

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When people try to explain why health insurance premiums are rising so fast, the common explanation you’ll get is that the cost of healthcare is rising.  And, yes, this does have something to do with the reason health insurance premiums are increasing.  But it’s not the reason health insurance premiums are so out of control. … Read more about Why is the Cost of Health Insurance Rising So Fast?

Ezra Klein Rules!!

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Now I admit that healthcare topics may not be the most interesting reading on the internet – for some people.  But Ezra Klein is hosting the Health Wonk Review this week and boy, oh boy does he have a way with words!  He kept it short, to the point, and most of all… entertaining.

Financial Incentives For Good Health

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I have a friend who is a physician’s assistant, and spent some time working for a city wellness program.  The plan was set up to help city employees improve their overall health, and in the process, get a discount on the health insurance premiums that were deducted from their paychecks.  I think this could be… Read more about Financial Incentives For Good Health