Without action, TRS-Care will eventually fail altogether……..Is Reference Based Pricing the Solution or will Texas continue to drink managed care cool aid?……………..or follow Montana’s example? Montana Adopts Reference Based Pricing Strategies
Archive for January, 2017
Report Warns of Financial Catastrophe for State Health Plans
Tuesday, January 31st, 2017Shared Perceptions: Yellow Cab, Kodak, General Motors, Borders & U.S. Health Care
Tuesday, January 31st, 2017Ask most Americans about obtaining their health care outside of the United States, and they respond with disdain and negativity……. Of course, that’s exactly what Yellow Cab thought about Uber, Kodak thought about digital photography, General Motors thought about Toyota and Borders thought about Amazon.
Texas To Tackle Health Care Costs
Monday, January 30th, 2017 Jane Nelson
On January 23, 2017 Texas Finance Committee Chairwoman Jane Nelson created the health care cost work group…………………
Liability Needle For RBP Lawsuits
Sunday, January 29th, 2017By Bill Rusteberg
Reference Based Pricing plans have been around for many years now. Fear of lawsuits by medical caregivers is a concern for middle and late adapters of the model, causing many to pay a premium for protection against them. And, the cost to do so can be significant.
Does Your Insurance Consultant Have Proper E&O Cover?
Saturday, January 28th, 2017Going Bare VS Looking For Cover
Does your insurance consultant have proper E&O cover? You may be surprised that is answer may be “no” in some cases.
There Is A Proper Way To Repeal Obamacare
Wednesday, January 25th, 2017 Dr. Alan Preston
Revamped health savings accounts, portable employee plans would ease financial burden on consumers
By Alan Preston, For the Express-News January 21, 2017
One of the campaign promises of the Trump administration is to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, and Congress is working on precisely that. As with most legislation, the ACA has parts that are helpful and parts that are hurtful. Some of the good or bad of the law depends on whether or not you benefit from it.
Killing Snakes
Wednesday, January 25th, 2017“I come from an environment where if you see a snake, you kill it. At GM, if you see a snake, the first thing you do is hire a snake consultant. Then you get a committee on snakes and discuss it for a couple of years.” – Ross Perot
Health Insurance Brokers Transition Into Survival Mode
Wednesday, January 25th, 2017Mullen Sentencing Postponed To March 15
Tuesday, January 24th, 2017Sam Mullen has plead guilty to bribing an insurance consultant and faces up to 5 years in prison. Sentencing was set for Jan. 25, 2017 but now has been delayed until March 15.
Broker Tip of The Day
Monday, January 23rd, 2017If the ACA individual mandate goes away, the biggest loser for insurance brokers will be MEC plans while the biggest winner will be Short Term Medical plans. MEC plans offer limited coverage and often cost up to $100 per month while Short Term Medical plans offer comprehensive coverage at similar or lower costs. Smart brokers with MEC plans on the books should be prepared to adapt to what we believe will be a transformational market in 2017.
One broker is ready to accommodate the market – www.agilehealthinsurance.com
Monday, January 23rd, 2017
BREAKING: DOJ Wins Bid To Block $37B Aetna-Humana Merger
A District of Columbia federal judge on Monday sided with the U.S. Department of Justice in the government’s suit to block the proposed $37 billion merger between health insurance giants Aetna Inc. and Humana Inc.
Drug Company Raised Price of Life-Saving Drug 85,000%
Sunday, January 22nd, 2017“Questcor took advantage of its monopoly to repeatedly raise the price of Acthar, from $40 per vial in 2001 to more than $34,000 per vial today – an 85,000 percent increase,” said FTC Chairwoman Edith Ramirez.
Survival Requires Killing Predatory Healthcare Pricing
Sunday, January 22nd, 2017Price is To Damn High!
“All the current reform proposals are a delaying tactic to continue to protect healthcare providers from free market, legitimate pricing”.
The Coming Demise of PPO Networks
Sunday, January 22nd, 2017Free At Last, Free At Last, God Almighty Free At Last!
Sunday, January 22nd, 2017Government meted punishment against citizens may end. Individual freedoms may be restored………..
Texas Insurance Agent To Be Sentenced Jan. 25? Paid Bribes To Consultant
Sunday, January 22nd, 2017Samuel Mullen , who now lives in the Rio Grande Valley, appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge John Primomo and pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud. Sentencing was set for Jan. 25 before U.S. District Judge Xavier Rodriguez.
Medicaid Changes Loom Large For Health Care Industry
Saturday, January 21st, 2017Medicaid is expected to remain a flashpoint as Democrat and Republican governors from around the country press the new Congress and President-elect Donald Trump to keep the ACA’s expansion in place.
California Halts Health Insurance Plan For Illegal Immigrants
Saturday, January 21st, 2017The plan to sell (give) health insurance to undocumented immigrants is the first California casualty of the Trump presidency…………
Beginning of Repeal & Replace
Saturday, January 21st, 2017ObamaCare is doomed. Everyone acknowledges that, including those who won’t admit it. But the mantra now is Replace. And the question is “With What!” The answer should a “Free Market”………………….It may just happen
Doctors May Accept Low Fee From Medicare, But Not From All Patients
Thursday, January 19th, 2017“I want to raise awareness of some specialists’ profit-driven behaviors,” said lead author Ge Bai, of the Johns Hopkins Carey Business School in Baltimore. “Then, we can look for solutions.”
THE HEROISM OF INCREMENTAL CARE
Wednesday, January 18th, 2017The following article was send to us from Brian Klepper, PhD, health care industry expert.
Cash Pay Health Plans – The Future of Health Care Financing
Sunday, January 15th, 2017Memo To Congress: Health Insurance is Not Health Care
Sunday, January 15th, 2017“Everyone is talking about Congress repealing ObamaCare and replacing it with something else. How about replacing it with a free market?” – Molly Mulebriar
UnitedHealth Group To Become Largest Operator Of Outpatient Surgery Centers
Saturday, January 14th, 2017“Screw You UHC!”
Hospital Administrator Reacts To News
A UnitedHealth Group division is poised to become one of the nation’s largest operators of outpatient surgery centers with a $2.3 billion acquisition announced Monday.
Massachusetts Out-of-Network ED Physicians Charge 798% of Medicare Rates
Saturday, January 14th, 2017Massachusetts out-of-network ED physicians charge 798% of Medicare rates
Written by Brooke Murphy | January 12, 2017
Here are six findings on healthcare cost trends in Massachusetts, according to the Health Policy Commission’s 2016 Cost Trends Report.
How To Get A New Hip
Saturday, January 14th, 2017What Is The Actual Cost Of An Employee’s Doctor Visit?
Friday, January 13th, 2017There is a lot of discussion about the costs of healthcare, both for users and their employers if the employer is providing insurance.
Side Note: We have seen claim experience that document average cost of a doctor visit is $700. Yes, that’s correct, $700. This includes doctor charges, lab test, radiology, prescription drug/s. Consumers, shielded by low co-pays don’t see this, nor do they care. Four office visits in a year could eat up the premiums paid toward coverage. This is not insurance………….
Thursday, January 12th, 2017
RiskManagers.us is a specialty company in the benefits market that, while not an insurance company, works directly with health entities, medical providers, and businesses to identify and develop cost effective benefits packages, emphasizing transparency and fairness in direct reimbursement compensation methods.
Tenet To Sell Multiple Hospitals & Exit Health Plan Business
Wednesday, January 11th, 2017Dallas-based Tenet Healthcare is seeking to further refine its hospital operations portfolio by selling hospitals in noncore markets………..Tenet expects to fully exit the health plan business this year.
Are PPO Networks the Worst Negotiators in the World?
Wednesday, January 11th, 2017“An industry insider shared an example that I’ll anonymize. An analysis was done for a school district and one of the things looked at was where lab tests were done. This school district had nearly 1,500 metabolic profiles in the measurement period and paid well over $200,000 when they should have only paid under $10,000. Direct contracting/cash prices averaged 96% less in their market. That’s an average of $150 a test for what should be a $7 test.”
Whole Foods Adopts Reference Based Pricing Model
Tuesday, January 10th, 2017 Whole Foods has implemented Reference Based pricing strategies. AMPS ( advancedpricing.com) has acquired Whole Foods as a client and is currently managing a beta-test for them in Austin and in Los Angeles.
Tucker Carlson Interviews Steven Weissman on Health Care Problems
Tuesday, January 10th, 2017Great Piece to Include on Your Blog. Tucker Carlson – Fmr Hospital Chief Steven Weissman on Health Care Problems (4 minutes 27 seconds)
Employers May Adopt ‘Narrow Networks’ of Health Care Providers
Tuesday, January 10th, 2017“There are signs that employers’ interest in narrow networks may grow in the near future.” But that is problematic. Why limit choice of providers when you can simply pay all providers the same? That solves access and financial issues for plan sponsors where the difference between profit and loss many times is tied to health care costs. Isn’t it about time consumers realize they are helping to drive costs up by accepting terms and conditions set by insurance companies and complicit plan sponsors too dumb to realize the implication of good intentions (providing employee health insurance) is having a reverse effect on their bottom line? – Signed: Ranting and Raving (Name held upon request).
100 Year Old Doctor Still Working – Thinking About Going To Law School
Monday, January 9th, 2017After decades of work at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, Dr. Walter Guralnick cut back. He’s now in the office just three days a week. It’s an achievement second only perhaps to his age. In November, he turned 100 years old.
Britain’s Socialized Medicine In “Humanitarian Crisis”
Saturday, January 7th, 2017California Funds 1st Inmate Sex Reassignment
Friday, January 6th, 2017Hi, I’m Gail, Inmate # 206946
A 57-year-old convicted killer serving a life sentence in California became the first U.S. inmate to receive state-funded sex-reassignment surgery…………
Will Potluck Dinners, Employee Terminations Attract More Paying Patients?
Thursday, January 5th, 2017Struggling to stem a red tide of falling income is tough when the core cause is not identified and addressed…………………..Could high prices be driving away customers?
No Decision On Layoffs At MD Anderson
Thursday, January 5th, 2017Higher treatment costs left MD Anderson out of the Affordable Care Act marketplace…… the challenge for MD Anderson is funding a high level of research while facing a potential decrease in the number of patients receiving treatment……………………
Oh Oh…………..Oh My God!
Thursday, January 5th, 2017This Is What Obamacare Repeal Will Do
Tuesday, January 3rd, 2017Texas Opposes Sex Act
Monday, January 2nd, 2017Washington bureaucrats implemented a new rule in July that defined the term “sex” in the Affordable Care Act……………Texas says Sex is in the domain of state control, not federal oversight………