[…] But even if you have coverage for brand name prescriptions on your policy, asking for a generic will likely save you money. And it will save your health insurance company money. They are well aware of that fact, and apparently employ a lot more tactics than most of of realize to get doctors to prescribe generics and patients to request them. […]
pharmaceutical industry
Why Just Insuring Everyone Is Not The Answer
[…] just providing health insurance to the uninsured would still leave us with a pretty big mess. We don’t have enough primary care docs, our drugs are too expensive, our hospitals are too focused on turning a profit, we spent more than any other country on our healthcare, and yet our results are mediocre at best. […]
Hospital Bling A Bad Idea
[…] while some hospitals are adding beautiful atriums, Denver Health is struggling to stay afloat. Adding non-essential services in hospitals that cater to well-to-do clients may make the hospital experience more enjoyable for those who can afford it. But the unintended consequence is that as time goes on, fewer people will be able to afford health care at all.
Health Insurance Reform Alone Is Not The Solution
[…] At the Colorado Health Insurance Insider, we’re part of the health insurance industry, but we also try to look at health care reform from an unbiased position. We see the shortcomings in the health insurance industry; we also see failures throughout the health care industry in controlling costs and providing affordable access to health care for everyone. […]
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. […]
Health Care Reform Overshadowed By Economic Crisis
The Senate Finance Committee met this week to discuss ideas for lowering the number of Americans without health insurance. Democratic Senator Ken Salazar from Colorado mentioned that regardless of what ideas congress comes up with to reform our broken health care system, the “ominous cloud” of the government bail out for the financial industry “may… Read more about Health Care Reform Overshadowed By Economic Crisis
Drugs In Our Water
[…] The problem of drugs in our water supply in Colorado and throughout the US is scary and formidable. Drug companies should be required to implement safe systems for re-distribution of unused medications. Health insurance carriers should put pressure on pharmaceutical companies in this regard, since drugs that are getting flushed down the toilet aren’t free.
Electronic Prescription Transmittal
We used to have our Colorado health insurance clients fill out paper health insurance applications. Then we would check the application to make sure nothing was missed, and send it to the health insurance carrier. From there, the underwriters would enter the information into a computer, calling us along the way if they were unable to read an applicant’s handwriting, or […]
Health Wonk Review – Washington Week
Check out the latest Health Wonk Review: “Washington Week” on Health Affairs Blog. An article from the Colorado Health Insurance Insider is in the “Consumer and Patient Rights” section. And my favorite article this week comes from Ezra Klein with an article about “Why Doctors Overprescribe.” But just as interesting is an article from Bob… Read more about Health Wonk Review – Washington Week
A National Disgrace
Health care and the broken US health care system are big topics right now. We’re in the middle of an election year, and more and more Americans fed up with rising prices on health insurance, prescription drugs, and medical services in general. Health insurance companies claim that they’re barely scraping by and that the dramatic… Read more about A National Disgrace
More Regulation In Pharmaceutical Advertising
…drug industry has launched a huge advertising campaign – next time you’re watching TV, see how many ads go by before you see at least one for a prescription. The Colorado Health Insurance Insider has addressed this problem before, and it seems that lawmakers are starting to notice the impact that TV advertising of pharmaceuticals is […]
Disclosure Of Gifts Made To Doctors
At the Colorado Health Insurance Insider, we’ve made our position on the relationship between pharmaceutical companies and health care providers very clear. When pharmaceutical companies provide tangible benefits to doctors, hospitals, and universities, the lines between objectivity and bias become very blurred. And for patients without health insurance […]
If The Cancer Doesn’t Kill You, The Price Tag Might
What do you do when you’re 71 years old, battling blood cancer, and find out that your cost for the medication that is treating your cancer has gone from $60/month to $1051/month? Helen Geiger had to stop taking the cancer medication Thalomid for several months last year while her family and doctors appealed the insurance… Read more about If The Cancer Doesn’t Kill You, The Price Tag Might
A Pretty Lady, A Puppy, and Some Daisies
I was heartened today to see this article announcing that the FDA is going to start studying whether “relaxing, upbeat images featured in TV drug ads distract consumers from warnings about the drugs’ risks.” According to the article, drug companies in the US spent $29.9 billion on advertising in 2005 – up 330% from a… Read more about A Pretty Lady, A Puppy, and Some Daisies