Here in Colorado, Denver Health Medical Center treats a large number of patients without health insurance, and the cost is staggering. Last year, it cost the hospital $275 million to treat uninsured patients. That number rose to $300 million this year, and is projected to increase to […]
Archives for November 2008
Guest Blogger Writes About Health Care Reform
[…] Over half of all Americans have gone without needed health care (such as doctor visits, medications, and other treatments) due to cost. In most cases, it’s preventative care that suffers. That neglect leads to far higher costs for patients and society in the long run. In light of this study, many are calling for health care reform in the United States.
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. […]
Mandatory And Guaranteed Issue Health Insurance
[…] I think scrapping medical underwriting would drive health insurance premiums out of reach for the average American. That would mean even more people without health insurance. Here in Colorado, making health insurance mandatory gained a lot of ground last year with the Blue Ribbon Commission on Health Care, but we haven’t seen any changes yet.
United Healthcare Eliminates FACT Fee
United Healthcare/Golden Rule has always required that members joined an association called “FACT” in order to purchase the health insurance. It was only $3/month, but it was still annoying. For applicants submitting new applications from today on, there is no more FACT fee!
The Failings Of The Free Market In Health Care
At the Colorado Health Insurance Insider, we’ve often written about the “free market” in health care. In our corner of the industry, there’s really only a free market for the healthiest of applicants. Those with pre-existing conditions can’t get some polices no matter how much they’re […]
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. […]
The Affordability Of Individual Health Insurance
[…] Colorado has average premiums below the national rate, at $141/month for an individual. If you’re healthy there are plenty of affordable options available, and in the event of a serious health problem, an individual health insurance policy will protect your assets. Which is why we have health insurance in the first place.
Colorado Earns D On Prematurity Report Card
The March of Dimes has released a report card on the nation’s premature birth rates. Colorado got a D. Not good, but we’ve got a lot of company: the whole country got a D overall. Only nine states earned grades higher than a D, and not one state got an A. It turns out that a lack of health insurance is a big part of the problem. […]
Health Wonk Review – The Election Is Over Edition
If you’re wondering what to do with yourself now that the election is over and you can’t listen to pundits debate the finer points of political campaigning, the Health Wonk Review is here to entertain and educate. So how exactly will health care reform fare under our new […]
The Future Of Our Health Care System
[…] Here in Colorado, Cigna has just started offering individual health insurance policies, and Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield has rolled out their new Smart Sense plan for individuals. I doubt that reputable carriers like Cigna and Anthem would be putting time and money into new plans if they sensed single payer health care just around the corner.
The Cover Colorado Option
[…] going uninsured means that if (when) they do run into an expensive medical problem in the future, they will be out of luck, as Cover Colorado (and other high risk pools) will enforce a waiting period on pre-existing conditions. So we still find ourselves in a situation where people are uninsured and lacking realistic access to health care.
Combining Public And Private Health Insurance
For the seventh straight year the percentage of Americans under 65 with employer-sponsored health insurance coverage has declined. In Colorado, the number of people getting health insurance through an employer dropped 6.5% over the last seven years, resulting in […]
Improving Public Opinion Of Health Insurance Companies
[…] A renewed focus on customer service, simplicity, speedy payment of claims and lowered overhead expenses would go a long way towards improving public opinion of health insurance companies. Health insurance carriers hold lives and livlihoods in their hands. This responsibility cannot be taken lightly.
Colorado Businesses To Pay More For Health Insurance
[…] Because nearly two thirds of small businesses in Colorado currently receive a discount on their health insurance based on health and claims history, and because any such discounts will be disappearing in January because of HB1355, I think this could be playing a significant role in the premium increases that Colorado employers will be facing next year.
Health Insurance Premiums For Men And Women
The issue of women paying more than men for health insurance has been in the news quite a bit in recent days. In Colorado – as in most states – women pay more than men for health insurance until age 50-55. I believe it would be more logical to average the costs of health insurance for men and women, and charge the same rates to both groups. […]
Abilify vs Havidol
Louise and I were watching Saturday Night Live last night and the first commercial after one of the skits was for “Abilify”. A lot of times SNL has a parody commercial right after the skits before the real commercials. I was 100% sure this was a parody, obviously a joke name, a list of really… Read more about Abilify vs Havidol