Thanks to everyone who submitted articles to the COR throughout the year; I always enjoy reading what you write. Risk – particularly financial risk – has been on a lot of minds lately with the state of our economy. Here’s hoping that things get better in 2009, but for now, here’s the best of the risk-related blogosphere as we close out the year. […]
Archives for December 2008
Medicare Buy In Option A Good Idea
[…] I wonder what would happen if they did decide to open Medicare up to anyone who wanted it and was able to pay for it? If the premiums were lower than what you pay now, would you switch? I’m guessing that a lot of the 744,000 uninsured people here in Colorado would be willing to take a chance on government-run health care if they could afford the premiums. […]
Brainstorm Means All Views Are Welcome
[…] There are plenty of people in the health care industry who are genuinely interested in making the system more efficient and inclusive. And regardless of their views on health care reform, people who are in the health care industry should have just as much of a voice in this as anyone else.
A Cost Saving Idea For Health Insurance Companies
In the nearly seven years we’ve been selling health insurance in Colorado, we’ve seen a lot of technology advancements. These days, applications are online and there are broker websites where we log in to see the status of applications, current premiums for each client, renewal premiums, etc. But health insurance companies still send too much paper mail to agents.
Your Health Insurance Company Prefers Generics
[…] 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. […]
Most Americans Unaware Of PCP Shortage
[…] People whose employers pay the majority of their health insurance premiums are often unaware of just how expensive health insurance really is. People with health insurance are often unaware of how expensive health care really is. And people who aren’t experiencing a PCP shortage in their own lives tend to be unaware of the overall PCP shortage. […]
Lowering Our Health Insurance Premiums
[…] We did the same math that we always encourage our clients to do when considering various deductible levels. Our current health insurance policy has a $3,000 deductible, and costs $498/month. We found an option with a $5,000 deductible for $341/month. Switching to the $5000 deductible saves $1,884/year in premiums. […]
eCare Management Has the Health Wonk Review
At the Colorado Health Insurance Insider, we’ve written about how PCPs are an effective weapon in the battle against overuse of technology and increasing costs in health care. We’ve also written about how a salary (based on quality and outcomes) for PCPs would make more sense than the piecemeal income they currently earn.
Huffington Post Digs Grand Rounds
Thanks to Alvaro Fernandez at Sharp Brains, the Huffington Post has cross posted the latest Grand Rounds. And the neat thing is that a Colorado Health Insurance Insider article is the first one mentioned (about the cost of treating the uninsured at Denver Health). Check it out.
The Art And Science Of Choosing Providers
[…] Provider quality rankings are a piece of the puzzle for sure, but they’re not the only piece. I do think they will get more popular if health insurance carriers start actively encouraging patients to select from among the highest ranking providers. But there are other factors that go into choosing a provider that can’t be quantified on a spreadsheet or a graph.
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.
United HealthCare Lets You Buy Future Insurability
[…] Golden Rule has launched Continuity in 25 states, and is working to roll out the program in the other states where they market policies. Colorado isn’t one of the first 25 states, although Golden Rule is a big part of the individual health insurance market here, so I expect that we’ll see the Continuity option here before long. […]
How Guaranteed Issue Health Insurance Could Work
[…] I do believe that such a system could work under roughly the same framework that we have today in the private health insurance market. It remains to be seen what health insurance reform will actually come about over the next few years. I think that the combination of guaranteed issue and mandatory coverage has a lot of merit and deserves a second look.
Cancer And Poverty In Colorado
A Rocky Mountain News article reports that Colorado residents who live in poverty are more likely to get cancer and more likely to die from it than Coloradans who live above the poverty level. Some changes in our tax and employment systems to eradicate poverty might be a good place to start. This would benefit all of us, not just the impoverished. […]
Health Care Sticker Shock
Individual deductibles on employer-sponsored health insurance polices rose to $1000 this year, from $500 in 2007. If you buy your own health insurance, this probably seems like a bargain. Our Colorado clients have hundreds of options for coverage, but $500 is the lowest deductible offered by most carriers; some don’t offer deductibles below $1000 […]