“What News?”(05.20.2012)
The Lund Report 05.20.12
- Regence loses $10.2 million while CEO and president of Cambia Health Solutions (aka Regence) earned $1.6 million from Regence plans in Oregon and Washington. Utah and Idaho which are part of CHS refused to disclose his compensation.
Read more: The Lund Report
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CBS Sunday Morning 01.16.11
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Timeline 01.14.11
- 3 actions from June 28th, 2010 to September 16th, 2010, Federal Register and several other links to enable easy access to what’s going on with the health care bill. Administratively… this is a financial cost to medical providers & health plans to implement even the first wave, which in turn costs U ~~~~~ have you felt the effects yet? How’s your premiums? Have you gone to the doctor now because the cost to receive care has gone down? You can finally pay out of your pocket?
Read more:
Health Care Reform – US Government site to the actual bill
Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
I know I have not posted my proposal yet, but still plan to do it. All good things….etc.
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Percent of Premium Lowered by the Feds 11.22.10
- Huh? Am I understanding this correctly? Health insurance premiums should go for actual medical care—not insurers’ overhead and profits—the Obama administration said Monday in rules that for the first time require the companies to give consumers a rebate*.
* “Who do you think will pay for that? The insurance carriers? By the way, all of these providers of health insurance are not-for-profit.
Read more:
Requires 80-85 percent of premiums go toward payment of medical care and quality.
88.5% 2009. I am aware that the goal has been this and more. I am not advocating one carrier over another, or in anyway to be construed as advertisement. Just the facts.
Can find it! Where is the percent of premium? I’m not sure the reform applies to health care providers who also provide health insurance? I do know that this provider must have a large advertising budget. Who pays for that?
No, it’s not here either. I wonder how much of your premium goes toward direct medical care costs vs administration and profit?
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Getting Ready to Post “My Proposal” 5.28.10
- Health Care – Back-burner? or Diversion? Could it be? – either way, I need to move on to begin my new project, which will be posted it here. I will still follow Health Care in American and more than likely be in a position to say, “I told ya so!”
You have read a hero’s story of WWII, The Battle Babies, one of many of our heroes. This hero also went on to beat alcohol addiction and begin the first DUI school in Nevada along with the first alcohol program on an Indian reservation in Nevada. I have a lot of content to get through including hours of tapes, which include radio station interviews, and conferences around the country. The man sat down and put his boots up on Nevada’s Governor’s desk… let’s talk. Went to Washington DC and rattled the Senator to promote his programs. Lots to tell ya.
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Health Insurance Fast Food Investment! 4.16.10
- OMG – The blame game. Could it be that health insurers have done their homework and understand without a doubt that Americans are addicted to fast food? American’s want cheap choices and they want it fast from food to medical care. We have become lazy and addicted to carbohydrates, sugar, and saturated fat. It’s just as bad as alcohol addiction. Insurers and probably even our government and medical care providers are wagering a bet… that we can not break the addiction to these substances and have investments too. But make no mistake, if we stop eating fast food, no one will be investing money in it. What if… just what if.. we began to eat healthy? Do you think more healthy fast food places would become popular and thereby attract investors? Americans increasingly find blame and point fingers and not take accountability. That’s my opinion about this article.
Read more:
Fast-food, big profits and the silliest attack on insurers yet
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Interesting Incident 3.21.10
- Urgent Care Clinic recommends ER. My sister told me she went to an urgent care clinic in San Diego which told her she should have gone to the ER at the hospital. She replied, but this is not an emergency. The clinic treated her and set up a follow-up visit. She did not have a life threatening condition yet they advised her to go to the ER. Why do you think that is? My sister does not have health insurance. This clinic obviously wanted to pass on the cost to the hospital ER, even though it was not an emergency. As you know, this cost is passed on to you and reported in the news as shameful not to mention more costly and increases health insurance premiums. Hummm…
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Breaking News! Health Bill Posted – 3.18.10
- Here is what’s coming down on us. And it’s FREE! Mark my words, this will fly in the face on Americans.
Read more:
The Bill
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The President’s Proposal, read for yourself.
- Warning, most of this will probably go right over your head. Intentionally? You decide. Based on my experience in the health insurance industry, make no mistake, insurance premiums will increase for all Americans as a result of this proposed reform. The proposal states premiums will go down (first bullet item) based on the fact that more Americans will be in the pool. This is not true. We will be adding more unhealthy and chronically sick people to the pool as well. That will cost. It’s NOT budget neutral. Meaning yes there will be more people in the pool but there will also be more who will use the services. Have you checked the cost of a Liver Transplant lately?
Here is just one small point taken directly from the President’s Proposal, last paragraph: The President’s Proposal appropriates $1 billion for the Administration to implement health insurance reform policies. —You’ll pay for that via taxes.—
Each and every health insurance company must interpret the reform which = a lot of lawyers, actuarial, underwriters, project administrators, computer programmers, administrative staff, etc. If it costs the Government $1 billion for the Administration to implement, it will cost each and every insurer as well and this cost is added into the cost of premiums. I’ve been there on ground as an administrator. This will also cost each and every health care provider to implement the reform. That cost is passed on to you via medical cost. Nothing is free.
And finally, out of the many provision in the proposal here is one that is a good example of why you should be concerned about the other provisions:
Increase in Fees on Brand Name Pharmaceuticals – 4th paragraph.
As more Americans gain health insurance, more will be able to pay for prescription drugs. Moreover, the President’s plan closes the Medicare “donut hole,” ensuring that seniors do not skip or cut back on needed prescriptions. Both policies will result in new revenue for the pharmaceutical industry. The President’s Proposal increases the revenue from the assessment on this industry which is $23 billion in the Senate bill by $10 billion over 10 years. It also delays the implementation of these fees by one year, until 2011, and makes changes to facilitate administration by the IRS.
New revenue for pharmaceutical industry! What? They have been ripping off Americans for years. I just returned from Los Algodones, Mexico. Believe me, Americans are not skipping or cutting back on needed prescriptions! $23 billion to $10 billion? Increased revenue means more money for the Government too. Do you think for one minute that cost will not be added into the cost of prescriptions?
Read more:
The President’s Official Proposal
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Health Care Summit needs a Professional Mediator! Hire one!
(These elected officials just jabber* with no other goal or purpose but to exercise freedom of speech . If business in America performed like our Government, there would be no business at all)
- *jabber: to talk or utter rapidly, indistinctly, incoherently, or nonsensically; chatter.
Read more jabber here:
KEY QUOTES from the White House healthcare summit, Feb 25 (Reuters)
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In 1993, as President Bill Clinton launched the last overhaul effort, health-care spending was 13.7 percent of the nation’s gross domestic product. Last year, it was 16.2 percent, much higher than any major country in the world and rising at a faster clip.
- The Market demonstrates my point. Notice that if a republican gets office, health insurance stocks go up. If a democrat gets office, medical care (hospital) stocks go up. The latter has nothing to do with lowering medical care cost, but “hospitals caring for large numbers of uninsured patients are seen as benefiting from an expansion of health coverage to millions more Americans.” -Do you really believe that will lower cost of medical care?The Market says no.
Read more:
Managed-Care Stocks Surge, Hospitals Drop On Mass. Election January 19.2010 11:15 A.M. ET
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- The proof is in the pudding! It’s not just about health insurance carriers. Insurance only provide the means by which health care providers are funded.
Read more:
Oregon hospital costs hit $7.5 billion a year – January 17. 2010
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The Lund Report! What he said: Despite pronouncements by Congress, reforming the health insurance industry won’t curb escalating costs unless politicians confront the provider delivery system, according to Jack Friedman, CEO of Providence Health Plans.
Read more:
Health Reform Needs to Focus on Controlling Costs January 14. 2010
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- Finally, one of the best reporting on health care I have seen to date!
Great reporting Business Week.
Read more:
Business Week – January 11. 2010
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- “I told ya so” - Just in case you missed it…. Veteran’s Administration is a Federal Government program and they are denying benefits without reasonable justification. Do you really think our Government will pay your medical bills any better than a health insurance carrier? I’ve been around awhile…let me be clear…they will not. Policy is policy and our Government has more policy than anyone and everyone.
Read more:
“DELAY, DENY AND HOPE THAT I DIE”
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- Just in case you missed it, the cost of medical care (not insurance) is finally being discussed by the media. Don’t be afraid now, it’s really not what you think. No one is taking your freedom of choices away, or at least not yet. Awareness is the beginning of change!
Watch Video: 60 Minutes, The Cost of Dying
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- Blank check to doctors and hospitals? This article was published March 28, 1982! Yet it seems we are still on that road…
Read more:
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- But the legislation has no master plan for dealing with the problem of soaring medical costs. And this is a source of deep unease.
- Tangible and Unseen Health-Care Costs - Spending by Doctors Extends Beyond Insurance as Many Take Steps to Protect Themselves; Patients’ Wishes Push Up Bills, Too
