My new article us up ...
At Answers.com:"Traveling abroad can be fun and educational, but one must also be prepared for unplanned medical expenses. An International Medical Plan can help defray these expenses, as well as those non-medical charges associated with them."Original content copyright © InsureBlog (Source: InsureBlog)
Source: InsureBlog - December 2, 2013 Category: Medical Lawyers and Insurers Source Type: blogs
Monday Afternoon LinkFest [UPDATED]
From the spindle:■ A whole raft of ObamaTaxes are due to hit shortly, including:"Section 9010 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act requires health plans and commercial insurers to pay $8 billion in new taxes in the coming year, and more in later years, to help compensate for the new, subsidized business PPACA is supposed to send to carriers."A quibble with the phrase "health plans and commercial insurers to pay $8 billion in new taxes." Um, no - neither insurers nor health plans will pay these taxes, you will. As regular readers know, businesses don't pay taxes.■ SHOP dropped (temporarily):"An online healt...
Source: InsureBlog - December 2, 2013 Category: Medical Lawyers and Insurers Source Type: blogs
Why do we tolerate hospitals ripping off anyone?
"The patient had health insurance through her husband’s job. But it was cancelled just after the hospital validated it, because the employer failed to pay the premium. The procedure was performed, and the patient was charged as “self-pay.”If Medicare had been the payor in this case, the hospital’s total reimbursement would have been a little less than $2,000. But the lithotripsy and associated costs were billed at $33,160, or just under 17 times the Medicare rate. After the patient applied for financial assistance, a 30% contractual adjustment was applied, reducing her bill to just under 12 times the Medicare...
Source: InsureBlog - December 2, 2013 Category: Medical Lawyers and Insurers Source Type: blogs
Mission Accomplished!
For a certain value of "accomplished:""The Obama administration claimed victory Sunday for making HealthCare.gov workable for the vast majority of users ... officials acknowledge that there are more errors to fix with HealthCare.gov"And 80% of the time, you'll get better.The best part? A fully functional website is the least of their problems.At least 80% of the time, anyway. Original content copyright © InsureBlog (Source: InsureBlog)
Source: InsureBlog - December 2, 2013 Category: Medical Lawyers and Insurers Source Type: blogs
Let. It. Go.
Longtime readers may recall the sorry saga of California insurance agent Glenn Neasham, whose conviction on apparently trumped-up fraud charges was recently dismissed.Not content to lick her wounds and take the loss as an appropriate repudiation, Deputy Attorney General Hanna Chung is petitioning the California State Supreme Court to reverse the reversal.Since I'm not a lawyer (nor do I play one on TV), I can't speak to the validity of Ms Chung's arguments. Hopefully, she'll be laughed out of (Supreme) Court; we'll keep you posted as this drags on goes forward.Original content copyright © InsureBlog (Source: InsureBlog)
Source: InsureBlog - November 29, 2013 Category: Medical Lawyers and Insurers Source Type: blogs
Giving Thanks
Original content copyright © InsureBlog (Source: InsureBlog)
Source: InsureBlog - November 28, 2013 Category: Medical Lawyers and Insurers Source Type: blogs
Avoiding the Thanksgiving ObamaTax Rush
So it's come to this:"White House officials, fearful that the federal health care website may again be overwhelmed this weekend, have urged their allies to hold back enrollment efforts so the insurance marketplace does not collapse under a crush of new users."Which reminds me:Did y'all see that plea from Amazon to take it easy on the orders come Black Friday?Musta missed that one.Original content copyright © InsureBlog (Source: InsureBlog)
Source: InsureBlog - November 27, 2013 Category: Medical Lawyers and Insurers Source Type: blogs
Thanksgiving Risk Parade
There's wild turkey (for the roaster, fryer or smoker) and then there's Wild Turkey (for the shot glass or the tumbler). While most of us are quite aware of the risks involved in preparing the former (salmonella, fire, etc), we shouldn't overlook the risks inherent in serving the latter.Margarita (heh!) Tapia, of the IIABA tips us that "party hosts need to understand their responsibilities when inviting others into their homes and serving food and drinks."That includes potent potables, of course, but also food that your guests may bring, or that you have catered in. The organization reminds us that:"Even if food was prepar...
Source: InsureBlog - November 27, 2013 Category: Medical Lawyers and Insurers Source Type: blogs
Health Co-Ops Never Had a Chance
"[T]hese co-ops, started as a great hope for lowering insurance costs, are already in danger, says the Washington Post." (Tip o' the hat to John Goodman at NCPA.)But wait. I sense something, a presence I've not felt since . . .. . . since January 4, 2013: "Turns out, the CO-OPs are now taking their turn under the bus". . . or since January 7, 2013: " Notwithstanding this generous, reckless federal plunge into more “investments” it does not understand, CO-OPs will encounter harsh reality . . . I think the appropriate taxpayer response to CO-OPS, is “Uh-oh”.". . . or since June 12,...
Source: InsureBlog - November 27, 2013 Category: Medical Lawyers and Insurers Source Type: blogs
Cavalcade of Risk #197: Happy Thanksgiving edition
Louise Norris hosts a very special Thanksgiving edition of the Cavalcade. She's done a terrific job of adding her own thoughts and context to each post. Kudos, Louise!!Original content copyright © InsureBlog (Source: InsureBlog)
Source: InsureBlog - November 27, 2013 Category: Medical Lawyers and Insurers Source Type: blogs
Government Motors Meets Obamacare
Our fleet of company vehicles is due for a major overhaul so today I am out car shopping. I’m looking at several different options because come January the prices of the cars are going up by 40%-80% and the selection of options for the vehicles will become extremely limited.Lucky for me President Obama is allowing a couple of options to avoid the major aspects of his new car law. There are two options I can choose from. One is renewing my leases early without having the dealership check the mileage and wear and tear. The other is renewing my leases when they are due April 1st but now the dealer has the right to increase ...
Source: InsureBlog - November 26, 2013 Category: Medical Lawyers and Insurers Source Type: blogs
How many millions... [UPDATED]
Will lose their current plan? Turns out, those who thought that their employer-based coverage was sacrosanct are about to find out - the hard way - that it's not:"Almost 80 million people with employer health plans could find their coverage canceled because they are not compliant with [the ObamaTax]"This comes on top of the 5 million or so currently slated to lose their individual plans.But remember, if you like your insurance, you can...oh. Never mind!UPDATE: 80 million is a statistic, perhaps. But one is a tragedy:[Hat Tip for vido: Ace of Spades]Original content copyright © InsureBlog (Source: InsureBlog)
Source: InsureBlog - November 26, 2013 Category: Medical Lawyers and Insurers Source Type: blogs
My new article is up...
At Answers.com:"Gap Filler insurance plans are a way to help mitigate the additional out-of-pocket expenses one may accrue due to co-pays and deductibles. They are often reasonably-priced, but it's important to compare different plans to see which, if any, fit your particular needs."Original content copyright © InsureBlog (Source: InsureBlog)
Source: InsureBlog - November 26, 2013 Category: Medical Lawyers and Insurers Source Type: blogs
Told ya so
As we pointed out nearly 2 weeks ago, it's one thing for Our Betters in Capital City to magnanimously proclaim that, despite what the ObamaTax law actually mandates, "if you like your policy you can keep it." T'is quite another to make that a reality:"It's one thing if an insurer erroneously cancels your policy... But it's quite another thing when the insurer must cancel an entire policy form"As we asked then, "[h]ow can the government force carriers to re-file cancelled policy forms, and how do they handle the immediate problem that these plans are unlawful under the ObamaTax?"Today we learn the answer, and it ain't prett...
Source: InsureBlog - November 25, 2013 Category: Medical Lawyers and Insurers Source Type: blogs
Monday Exchange Blues
Submitted by an anonymous reader:[Click to embiggen]Your tax dollars at work.UPDATE: Timing is everything. Here's the latest from Ms Shecantbeserious, courtesy of our friends at Cornerstone:All brokers – update on changes to ACA Individual Deadlines INDIVIDUAL ACA ANNOUNCEMENTS – DEADLINE CHANGES CMS announces extension date for individual sign-up to December 23, 2013The Obama Administration announced (Friday, November 22, 2013) they are giving consumers an extra eight days to sign up for health coverage that takes effect Jan. 1, 2014. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services — a part of the U.S. Dep...
Source: InsureBlog - November 25, 2013 Category: Medical Lawyers and Insurers Source Type: blogs
