Since health insurance is our niche, I tend to focus on health insurance related articles when I highlight entries for the Colorado Health Insurance Insider. But this week some posts that caught my eye had nothing to do with health insurance at all. I just liked them, and thought you might […]
Archives for July 2008
Freedom Of Choice In Health Care
[…] We like to think that we have a free market health care system and can make our own choices about our care and our health insurance. But for a Colorado resident without an employer-sponsored health insurance policy, and with pre-existing conditions that put private health insurance out of reach, Cover Colorado is the only real option for health insurance.
A Huge Fine For HealthMarkets
[…] HealthMarkets has been hit with a $20 million fine after a three year investigation led by insurance commissioners in 29 states, including Colorado. Colorado will get $650,000 in the settlement, which found that HealthMarkets was negligent in both front- and back-end issues – including agent training and disclosure to consumers, as well as the handling of claims and complaints.
Cavalcade Of Risk
[…] Everyone needs health insurance, except maybe Warren Buffet. I’ve never had any medical issues at all, but I sure as heck need health insurance. Tomorrow might be the day I trip over a sidewalk crack and break my neck, or find a lump where there’s not supposed to be one. Individual health insurance guards against possible future risk, rather than known current risk. The trade off is that it’s a lot less expensive than guaranteed issue policies.
Attracting More Docs To Primary Care
[…] private health insurance carriers and Medicare. It’s much more profitable to see a patient for 12 minutes and write a prescription (and repeat this process all day long) than it is to spend 45 minutes with the patient, putting together all the pieces of his health puzzle. A Colorado Springs Business Journal article describes the challenges faced by doctors who choose to spend time with their patients rather than squeezing as many patients as possible into a day.
Individual Health Insurance Vs Government Intervention
[…] regulations would also be eliminated. For example, state laws that mandate coverage for mammograms or hospital stays after childbirth could be ignored at will.” I’m not sure what they’re referring to here, as there are plenty of mandates on individual policies in Colorado, and I haven’t heard anything about individual health insurance carriers being able to ignore them.
Help Brainstorm the Perfect Health Care System
To keep running with some ideas started on this blog about how the best health care system should be run, I’ve created a wiki page on the Colorado Health Insurance Wiki for mass collaboration on the issue (by “mass,” I’m hoping a few more people will assist with the ideas Don and I have set… Read more about Help Brainstorm the Perfect Health Care System
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 at Health Business Blog
The Health Wonk Review is up at Health Business Blog. The Health Care Blog has an astute commentary on the state of the nation and how lobbying by special interest groups basically eliminates the possibility for meaningful reform in health care and a range of other issues. There’s a great graphic about obesity around the… Read more about Health Wonk Review at Health Business Blog
200th Grand Rounds At Grunt Doc
The Colorado Health Insurance Insider post about ACOG and the AMA and their positions on homebirth was included, along with another post about the same topic from Dr. Tienchin Ho, who also believes that homebirth should remain a legal and supported option for American women […]
You Only Need 2000 In A Day
[…]obese are contributing to the ever-increasing health insurance costs we pay. While I don’t think we should be forcing people to eat any particular way, adding calorie information to menus is a great way to empower the public, encourage restaurants to offer more nutritious fare, and lower the rates of obesity. I haven’t heard of any plans for Colorado to start requiring calorie postings on menus, but maybe we should if we want to hang on to our “least obese state” title.
Obama And Individual Health Insurance Mandate
[…]I’m curious how Obama’s plan would allow people to buy in groups without regard for pre-existing conditions, without driving the cost of health insurance even higher. Attacking the problem from the health insurance side is putting the cart before the horse. While I’m pleased to see health care taking such a major position in this election, I’d like to see both candidates focus on the underlying costs of our entire health care system, rather than just looking at ways to get everyone insured. Because if people can’t afford the insurance, and if insurance companies can’t afford to pay claims, simply having access to insurance won’t solve our health care problems.
Birth Control And Health Insurance
Assuming nobody is trying to outlaw birth control (which is a concern that has been voiced by some groups) – should health insurance cover it? At the Colorado Health Insurance Insider, we’ve written before about the definition of insurance. Health insurance is meant to protect us from financial ruin in the event of a serious illness or injury. If birth control were an extremely expensive […]
Demand For Health Care Decreasing
We’re noticing more and more of our Colorado clients requesting high deductible health insurance policies, with prescriptions covered only once the deductible is met. Does this mean that they are more likely to pass on meds? Probably it means that they’ll think twice before going to the doctor or filling a prescription. When an employer sponsored health insurance policy is paying for […]
Shame On You ACOG and AMA
Since homebirths are so much less expensive than hospital births (we paid our Colorado-registered midwife $3000 for the birth and all prenatal and postpartum care), you would think that health insurance carriers would have a vested interest in crying foul with regards to Resolution 205. But I guess they would rather pay for hospital births. I find it sad that ACOG is so determined […]
Running Out Of Benefits
Perhaps all private health insurance could cover up to $5 million, and then for the tiny percentage of patients who need coverage beyond that amount, a government catastrophic insurance policy could kick in. If you end up needing 100 doctor visits a year, and high-end drugs, and weeks in an ICU, you shouldn’t have to worry that your health insurance is going to run out.
Insureds With HSAs Dropping Meds
So while it would be nice to think that everyone who gets an HDHP is also setting up an HSA, funding it little by little until the account has enough money stashed away to cover the deductible, and then shopping around diligently for health care and avoiding unnecessary treatment – the reality is a bit different. Many of our Colorado clients who enroll in an HDHP do not set up an HSA […]
McCain Health Care And Individual Health Insurance
[…] because if we remove the underwriting from individual health insurance plans, the prices would increase dramatically. But for people with serious pre-existing conditions, options for coverage are seriously limited in the current market. In Colorado, we’re lucky to have a guaranteed issue high risk pool health insurance plan, but it’s expensive and has high out-of-pocket costs.
Health Insurance Premiums For Smokers
Individual health insurance carriers in Colorado typically consider tobacco use when setting premiums. Rate increases vary from one company to another, and sometimes depend on other factors like age, BMI, blood pressure, and cholesterol levels. When Aetna entered the individual market in Colorado, their underwriting did not call for a increase in price for a… Read more about Health Insurance Premiums For Smokers
Submit Your Ideas For Health Care Reform
It’s good to see a major health insurance carrier that we represent here in Colorado is spearheading this quest for ideas and change. In the best interests of the American public, the health insurance industry will need to be adaptable over the next several years. Without some major changes to the whole health care system, there is no sign that health insurance premiums […]
United Healthcare Settlement
[…] needs to be focusing on efficiency, service, and honesty. Anything less is likely to be looked at sharply as lawmakers and industry insiders work to lower the cost of healthcare and increase access to care for all Americans. I’m glad to see that United Healthcare – one of our major Colorado health insurers – has laid the SEC problem to rest and seems to be headed in the right direction.
Independence Cavalcade Of Risk
the 21st century involves exciting details like choosing an HSA qualified health insurance policy and making sure that we have adequate liability insurance for our cars. Much preferable to sticking my neck out as a traitor against the British Monarchy. Without further ado, the Colorado Health Insurance Insider presents the Independence Cavalcade of Risk […]