A trend that is gaining steam and creating a divide is doc's that shun health insurance in favor of cash.Let's face it. Dependence on health insurance is over the top. Do you really need to pay an insurance carrier to cover expenditures less than $500? If so, you have bigger issues of concern.Some medical practices are limiting...
So what do these three (seemingly disparate) groups have in common:■ People in prison■ People living below the poverty line■ Illegal immigrantsGive up?"In just 14 months, Americans will be required to prove that they have federally "qualified" health insurance or face an [ObamaTax] of $695 to $2,085"Well, most Americans. The...
A report from the Physician’s Foundation lays out a very grim picture of the future of medicine in America.“Over half of physicians surveyed have reached a tippingpoint and plan to make changes to their practices. Many intend to take one ormore steps likely to reduce patient access to their services, limitingphysician availability...
Not. Happenin'.From United Health One (formerly Golden Rule) email:"We will no longer provide our initial 12-month rate guarantee for plans with January 1, 2013 or later effective dates to allow for required changes resulting from the [ObamaTax]."Ooops.UPDATE: And the Cato Institute's Michael Cannon reports that the Golden...
So it appears that I wasn't the only one underwhelmed by last week's Health Wonk Review: The Disease Management Care Blog's Jaan Siderov was also unimpressed with (his term) Hurricane Maggie's "efforts."Here's a taste:"Hurricane Maggie repetitively retreads the cost-control talking points from reform architect Peter Orszag, surgeon Golden Boy Atul Gawande and the White House Office of Management and...
The ObamaTax is gonna hit us in the wallet, and the waiting room:"A non-partisan study found that, by 2017, individual premiums in Ohio will increase by as much as 85 percent. In addition, Obamacare will deeply cut Medicare Advantage for more than 700,000 Ohio seniors enrolled in the program. And more than 30 percent of Ohio...
If you are interested in the relationship of science, religion and current events, you might want to check out a new blog by a good friend (and mentor) of mine, Dr Stuart Fickler.Called the "Secular Kabbalist," Stuart has a Ph.D.in theoretical physics, and "is dedicated to exploring the complementary relationship between religion and science, and its impact on the realities of today."From one of his...
"Caroline Cassin, 29, who suffers from Cystic Fibrosis (CF) has been offered a new drug free of charge for a limited period by the makers but her NHS hospital is refusing."Why would that be?One must read to the very end of the article to find out."The trust decided not to obtain Kalydeco on a compassionate basis because the drug company scheme is temporary and the trust would face ...
Bob posted about a woman who was charged for “asking too many questions.” The article in question is about a woman, Susan Krantz, a registered nurse who was confused by her bill. The article's title - "Questions can trigger split charge" - is misleading, as no one is charged for asking too many questions. What happened in her case is that she went in for a wellness visit and then asked...
"Americans support [PPACA] repeal by an even wider margin than they did in the immediate aftermath of its highly unpopular passage ... by a margin of 15 percentage points (54 to 39 percent), likely voters now support the repeal of President Obama’s centerpiece legislation. In the first three polls taken in the wake of the House’s passage of Obamacare (on March 21, 2010), Rasmussen showed...
What you need to know about Medicare open enrollment 2012. How to save money. Should you change plans or find a new one? Avoid rate increases. Get the help you need. Make good choices.Choices for Medicare Open Enrollment 2012Medicare consumers "ride out the price increases," Walters adds. "They don't do the math. They are worried that their doctors won't be covered under a new plan ......
It's that time of year when the airwaves are flooded with zombies and other assorted monsters. So it should come as no surprise that the long-thought-dead Public Option has been given new life under the ObamaTax:"The [Obamastration] will soon take on a new role as the sponsor of at least two nationwide health insurance plans...
With election day less than 2 weeks away the "October surprise" may take on a different twist this year.It looks like the announcement of the controversial move to discontinue TRICARE Prime for military members and their families in certain states, though, will wait until after Election Day.As first reported by Military...
For those in the path of Hurricane/TS Sandy (and/or for those who may face other severe weather conditions) the Insurance Information Institute has a cool - and helpful! - app for disaster preparedness. From email:"The I.I.I.’s “Know Your Plan” app for iPhone provides users with a library of preloaded checklists to guide them...
OK sports fans, here are three paragraphs from an interview with a brilliant and well-known college professor.I’m quoting these paragraphs here only because in the course of the interview - which is mostly focused on other things - the conversation eventually comes around to ObamaCare. And then the professor really lets loose.Aside from the interesting points made about ObamaCare, my question...
Maggie Maher hosts an unwieldy and, ultimately, unsatisfying HWR this week. As a long-time participant and supporter, I feel obligated to link to it but I cannot recommend clicking through.My understanding of, and experience with, hosting an edition of the Health Wonk Review is that one chooses which posts to include, along with a (brief) description. Sometimes, a snide or supportive remark by the...
We've written before about Critical Illness (CI) policies. These plans pay one a lump sum upon diagnosis of a specific major illness or other similar kind of medical issue (transplants, permanent paralysis, that kind of thing). They're relatively inexpensive, and can provide a much needed transfusion of cash, especially if...
Ray at Excess Return hosts next week's Cavalcade of Risk - Entries are due by Monday (the 29th).To submit your risk-related post, just click here to email it.You'll need to provide:■ Your post's url and title■ Your blog's url and name■ Your name and email■ A (brief) summary of the postPLEASE remember: ONLY posts that relate to risk (not personal finance tips and the like). And please only...
My oldest daughter was born with several health issues; a cleft palate, low muscle tone, windswept feet, and jaundice. As new parents, my husband and I were beside ourselves on how to care for our new baby. We were lucky to find a pediatrician who calmed our fears while offering great care to our daughter. A piece of advice that he gave me is that he trusts a mother’s intuition regarding...
When they're not screwing up consumers' life insurance choices, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) does try to do positive things. For example, they have a whole committee that's been working to strengthen support of Medicare supplement plans that limit beneficiaries' out of pocket expenses.The Senior...
Assurant's Jeremy Fink tips us to the latest news from the Council for Disability Awareness (CDA), which recently released the results of its annual Long-Term Disability Claims Review. The review includes data from 17 member companies which participated in the 2011 survey. It's important to note that these 17 carriers represent...
'Twas nice while it lasted.I'm no fan of dental plans in general, so this news isn't exactly heart-breaking for me, personally. Still, it's one more nail in the "pro-choice" coffin:"The [ObamaTax] could create a new divide between consumers who have high-end dental coverage and consumers who have bare-bones dental coverage,...
If you read the law, the HSA (Health Savings Account) qualified health insurance plans will go away in 2014. The deductibles are too high, they don't have copay's, and most of them have much more out of pocket than the government says you should have.But the folks in the cornhusker state have other ideas.Nebraska Gov. Dave...
Susan Krantz was upset when she opened a recent bill. Along with the list of procedures was the itemized charge of $50.06 for something she couldn’t make out. When she questioned Park Nicollet, the response puzzled her.“You can be charged an extra office visit if you ask too many questions,” she said. “I said I don’t understand that, because isn’t that what this visit is for?”CBS Minnesota " Questions...
The 2012 Annual Report of the Boards of Trustees of the Federal Hospital Insurance and Federal Supplementary Medical Insurance Trust Funds was submitted April 23, 2012 to John Boehner and Joseph Biden, Speaker of the House and President of the Senate, respectively. That report states (at page 6 et seq)"The estimated exhaustion date for the HI trust fund remains at 2024, the same year shown in...
Mike gave us a very cogent analysis of the actual, as-implemented MassCare plan, which was, in fact, much different than the original program set forth by Gov Romney. LifeHealthPro's Allison Bell offers her take on key differences between the two Presidential contenders' visions.Here are a few examples; I really recommend that you read the whole thing:"2. Women’s health and abortion"Contrary to the...
It all sounded so warm and fuzzy 4 years ago. My how time flies. The folks in and around DC are going to find their options somewhat limited due to the closure of the private health insurance exchange.The D.C. Health Benefits Exchange Board unanimously approved closure of the private insurance...
We've discussed the Liverpool Death March Pathway before; in brief, the program's "being used to cut costs instead of as simply a more humane mode of care ... allows medical staff to withhold fluid and drugs in a patient’s final days."Turns out, even this draconian measure's not enough for the Much Vaunted National Health...
Are those "free" routine physicals over-priced? The WSJ's Shirley Wang reports that they may, in fact, be less helpful than one might believe:"General medical checkups for healthy adults may not be as beneficial as people tend to think ... raising questions about whether spending on preventive services should be more focused on tests shown to be effective."This doesn't mean, of course, that they're...
Behemoth tax and accounting firm Ernst & Young has put out a comprehensive study of exactly how the new ObamaTax fees penalties taxes will impact business (and anyone employed by a business). And it ain't pretty:"[T]he employer community has reacted with concern to ... the [ObamaTax's] Medicaid provisions, allowing...
While it may seem counter intuitive, it is possible to outlive your life insurance policy. A lot of folks buy term plans with premiums that are level for 10, 20, even 30 years. But when that lock-in period expires, rates go through the roof. Often, we're much older and not necessarily in great health, making it more difficult - and expensive - to buy a new plan.No problem, Henry, by that time my mortgage...
The "PR" in this case being Paul Ryan. We've been pretty rough on the AMA (whose membership, IB readers may recall, "represents only 17% of the doctors in the U.S."). But fair's fair, and one of that organization's committees has come out with a plan that looks just like...well, let's FoIB Avik Roy set the stage:"[T]his past weekend, the AMA’s key policy committee, the Council on Medical Service,...
In no particular order:■ As we've noted, the "Essential Benefits" facet of the ObamaTax continues to be up in the air. Those states that have gone "all in" on the train wreck have been sending out a flurry of info:"More states have been posting essential health benefits (EHB) announcements on the Web ... [HHS Secretary Shecantbeserious'...
