September 2010

Narrow Provider Networks Not Likely To Please Patients

by Louise September 30, 2010

[...] As David pointed out, there’s also likely to be frustration for patients as providers move in and out of networks. This can happen regardless of the size of a network, but if networks are purposely kept small, it’s more likely to happen. Patients tend to be wary of having to find new doctors, and having to do so simply because of network changes isn’t likely to make people happy. Hopefully the idea of narrow provider networks won’t become a widespread trend with employers, medical providers, or health insurance carriers.

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Regulators And Insurers Still Working On Child-Only Coverage Issue

by Louise September 29, 2010

[...] So far, none of the carriers who had backed out of the child-only market have commented on whether the open enrollment periods might make them change their minds, but AHIP (America’s Health Insurance Plans) has said that they are continuing to work with regulators to try to find solutions that would make the child-only market feasible for insurers in the future.

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Very Few Real Estate Transactions Will Be Impacted By New Medicare Tax

by Louise September 27, 2010

[...] One of the rumors that has been circulating via email lately proclaims that the PPACA includes a 3.8% tax on all real estate transactions. This is simply not true. [...] Most houses do not sell for profits of anywhere near the capital gains threshold. And most families don’t qualify as high income households. So most real estate transactions will not be impacted in any way by the new Medicare tax.

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CBS Story Leaves Out Important Options For Kids

by Jay September 23, 2010

[...] As I said, I have no knowledge of this particular family’s situation. But child-only policies have always been rare, and there is usually another option for those children to obtain coverage. They can be covered as a dependent on a parent’s policy (which can now include policies in the individual market), by Cover Colorado, or possibly by Medicaid or CHP+. Even situations like Thomas Wilkes, who was maxing out the lifetime caps, now has a solution because Healthcare Reform has removed lifetime maximums. There is a long way to go, and this situation is frustrating. But if you ever hear anybody say that they have no options to get their child covered in Colorado, please pass this information along. I hope that Mr. Serrano signs Maria up for some health insurance today, whether it is on a family policy with him, Cover Colorado, or CHP+. We should not be hearing anymore stories about uninsured children simply because their parents aren’t aware of the options available.

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Colorado Division Of Insurance Still Reviewing Rates

by Louise September 21, 2010

We mentioned last week that the Colorado Division of Insurance had not yet approved rates past 9/23 for several carriers, and unfortunately, that is still the situation. For carriers that allow any effective date, quotes can still be generated for 9/22, but carriers that only allow 1st and 15th of the month effective dates are unable to quote new policies now (and have been since 9/15) if their rates have not been approved. This is causing a bit of a traffic jam for people who are searching for a new individual health insurance policy right now. [...]

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Doctors Contracting Directly With Patients

by Louise September 19, 2010

[...] Personally, I would be open to the idea of seeing a family practice doctor who doesn’t contract with health insurance carriers, and paying for routine care out of pocket, if there were some way to combine that with a discount on our health insurance premiums… If the DocTalker Family Medicine idea were to become more widespread and if insurers could account for this type of care when setting premiums, I can see it making a lot of sense for healthy families who want to use health insurance for large medical bills and budget for smaller bills themselves.

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Healthcare.gov A Good Resource For Brokers

by Louise September 17, 2010

I spent some time on the Healthcare.gov website this morning, and found some great resources that could be particularly helpful for people with pre-existing conditions who are unable to obtain coverage in the individual market. The website was set up in conjunction with the PPACA and was designed to help people navigate the myriad of health insurance options available, along with the changes that will happen over the next few years as the provisions of the PPACA go into effect. [...]

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Quoting Blackout On Most Plans and Effective Dates

by Jay September 17, 2010

Many plans with most carriers still haven’t gotten the rates approved past 9/23. These plans with carriers like Anthem BCBS can still be quoted with effective dates of 9/22 and before.
Carriers like Cigna only have 1st and 15th of the month effective date options. Therefore, rates and plans are not being quoted at all until the DOI approves their rates. Hopefully any moment.
Make sure to subscribe via email or follow us on Facebook for rate approval updates.

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Health Wonk Review – Politics, Money and Health

by Louise September 16, 2010

Welcome to the Health Wonk Review. Health care costs, politics, and the economics of health care seemed to be the prevailing themes in the submissions this time, and there are some great ideas floating around here. Enjoy! [...]

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