Kudos to Exempla Healthcare. The hospital board filed a lawsuit in Denver today to stop the sale of two Exempla Hospitals that were to be bought by a Catholic organization. Denver, Colorado-area hospitals, Lutheran and Good Samaritan, were to be completely owned by the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth Health Systems as of the end… Read more about Exempla Files Lawsuit To Block Hospital Sale
Providers
Religion and Medicine A Bad Mix
As of the end of next month, the Catholic hospital group Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth Health System will be taking over two Denver, Colorado-area Exempla hospitals. Lutheran Medical Center in Wheat Ridge and Good Samaritan Medical Center in Lafayette will join Denver’s St. Joseph’s as hospitals controlled by the Catholic organization. The group reportedly… Read more about Religion and Medicine A Bad Mix
The High Price of Becoming A Doctor
With all the talk about national health care and eliminating waste and excess spending in our broken health care system, some people assume that doctors are overpaid. On first glance, $250,000/year for an anesthesiologist does seem extravagant. But if we want to cut back on medical spending, we need to take a closer look at how doctors are trained and who pays for their education. The vast majority of new doctors are saddled with huge student loans. And almost without exception medical residents work ridiculous hours for very low pay […]
Autism Funding Still A Struggle
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
Shark Bait
Business Week magazine has an alarming article in their December 3, 2007 edition. “Fresh Pain For The Uninsured” is a story of medicine and capitalism on a collision course, with the patient squashed squarely in the middle. For years, people without health insurance have been able to repay medical bills in small amounts, without interest… Read more about Shark Bait
History Of Obstetrics Is Not Reassuring
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
Pelvic Exams During Pregnancy
This post is a little more personal than most I write. Jay and I are expecting a baby in the spring, and have been seeing a midwife for the past couple months for prenatal care. We’re planning a home birth and are covering the cost of the midwife ourselves, since our health insurance doesn’t cover… Read more about Pelvic Exams During Pregnancy
An Inappropriate Relationship
When you go to your doctor and leave with a prescription for a fancy new drug, how do you know that it’s really in your best interest? You don’t. An eye-opening new study shows that 67% of academic leaders at US medical schools and teaching hospitals have received some type of financial support from the… Read more about An Inappropriate Relationship
Health Insurance Hoops
One of our clients gave birth to a baby boy on Sunday, 9/2. She has health insurance through her employer, but her husband and daughter have an individual Colorado health insurance policy through our agency. She called me on Wednesday to see about adding the new baby to her husband’s policy, since it will cost… Read more about Health Insurance Hoops
How Unfortunate for Me
Note: This is the fifth entry on my experience with transparency in the US health care system. See the first entry here, the second entry here, the third entry here, and the fourth entry here. I just got off of the phone with Boulder Valley Center for Dermatology. So far, they’ve agreed to give me… Read more about How Unfortunate for Me
I Got the Bill
Note: This is the third entry in my experiment with price transparency in the US health care system. See the first entry here, the second entry here, the fourth entry here, and the fifth entry here. I finally got the bill for the surgery (pdf). It was quite high compared to the estimate I received…. Read more about I Got the Bill
Still No Transparency
Note: This is the second entry in this nightmare to get some transparency on a simple lipoma removal surgery. See the first entry here, and the third entry here. I found a dermatologist that could remove my lipoma (if you haven’t done so already – read part 1) in her office (Boulder Valley Center for… Read more about Still No Transparency
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
Doctors Fight Back Against United Healthcare
United Healthcare has shown that it can be thuggish with its providers in the past by threatening to fine them $50 if patients decide to get testing done at facilities other than Laboratory Corp. of America or other United Healthcare selected labs. Readers have commented that the “AMA could of course advise physicians not to… Read more about Doctors Fight Back Against United Healthcare
United Healthcare Pushes Around Doctors
Doctors say UnitedHealth Group Inc. is threatening to fine them over something they can’t control: patients’ behavior.Beginning March 1, UnitedHealth said it could fine a doctor $50 if a patient has tests done in facilities besides Laboratory Corp. of America or other labs that the company has selected. Doctors with patients who go out of… Read more about United Healthcare Pushes Around Doctors
New Kaiser Permanente Contracts for Longmont and Boulder Valley
The provider network for Kaiser Permanente of Colorado, Private Healthcare Systems (PHCS), has signed a new contract with Longmont United Hospital (LUH), effective January 1, 2007 through December 31, 2007. In addition, 192 physicians of the Boulder Valley Individual Practice Associates (BVIPA) have agreed to return to the PHCS network. These providers have hospital privileges… Read more about New Kaiser Permanente Contracts for Longmont and Boulder Valley
Anthem Blue Cross of Colorado Small Group Health Insurance News
Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield health insurance recently announced the expansion of their HMOSelect network in Colorado to Elbert, El Paso and Teller counties effective November 1, 2006. What this means For cost-conscious Small Group employers, there’s bound to be an HMOSelect plan that fits their unique needs. These employers can make the most… Read more about Anthem Blue Cross of Colorado Small Group Health Insurance News
Don’t Confuse Generic with Brand Name
Since Wal-Mart rolled out their $4 generic prescription program in Colorado, I’ve talked to several people who said they don’t need a policy with prescription coverage “because Wal-Mart has $4 prescriptions now“. The $4 prescriptions at Wal-Mart were such big news, I don’t think the message got through in the media that generics weren’t that expensive… Read more about Don’t Confuse Generic with Brand Name
Wasting Health Care Dollars
My best friend is an emergency room nurse at a large hospital in Denver, Colorado. In the past two months, two of her friends have given birth. One is a fellow nurse, and the other a dentist. Both have a solid knowledge base in medicine, and had thoroughly researched pregnancy and childbirth. Both women wrote… Read more about Wasting Health Care Dollars
Doctor Anonymous Hosts Grand Rounds
This week, Doctor Anonymous gives us a peek into each article by quoting a good chunk of his favorites and explaining a little about the best of the rest. The Colorado Health Insurance Insider made the best of the rest with Louise’s article on sending healthcare overseas. There were a few other articles that the… Read more about Doctor Anonymous Hosts Grand Rounds
IRS Issues 2007 HSA Contribution Limits
The IRS just announced the HSA limits for 2007. The maximum HSA contribution (not including catch-up contributions) will be $2,850 for self-only coverage and $5,650 for family coverage in 2007. Additionally, the maximum out-of-pocket expense—including deductibles—that employees with single coverage can be required to pay will rise to $5,500, up from $5,250 in 2006, and… Read more about IRS Issues 2007 HSA Contribution Limits
Battling Prescription Drug Prices
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
Tax-Deductible Gym Memberships
The Personal Health Investment Today Act of 2006 is currently under consideration in the House of Representatives. Since we are big fans of maintaining health rather than trying to fix health problems after they develop, we think this bill would be a great addition to our myriad of tax laws. Basically, it would allow Americans to… Read more about Tax-Deductible Gym Memberships
Insurance Mergers and Network Shrinkage Hurts Consumers
I have a good friend who is seven months pregnant with her first child. Her employer-sponsored health insurance is with PacifiCare, which recently merged with United HealthCare. Ever since her first prenatal visit in April, she has been seeing a nurse-midwife and an OB/GYN with whom she feels very comfortable. She had planned to deliver… Read more about Insurance Mergers and Network Shrinkage Hurts Consumers
Funding Health Care with Tobacco Tax
The governor of Oregon has proposed an $0.85/pack tax increase on cigarettes with the expected $150 to $170 million in revenue being used to subsidize health care for children in Oregon. I think this is a great idea, and one that could be implemented in every state to help with the health care crisis in… Read more about Funding Health Care with Tobacco Tax