“Drug prices are out of control, and Big Pharma continues to raise the prices for all Americans……….Not only does that mean higher prices at the pharmacy counter, it also means higher premiums and other healthcare costs for everyone.”
Archive for January, 2020
Happy New Year! Your Drug Prices Just Went Up!
Friday, January 31st, 2020Dual Coverage Dilemma
Thursday, January 30th, 2020After satisfying their initial waiting period averaging 47 years, approximately 30% of the American workforce is eligible for special health care pricing while the remaining 70% aren’t. Paying for it during their entire waiting period, they deserve better pricing………………..
Austin Independent School District Seeks Insurance Consultant
Wednesday, January 29th, 2020Okahoma To Eliminate PBM Middlemen
Sunday, January 26th, 2020“It’s time we cut out the middleman and get our citizens the savings they desperately need.”
Half Pregnant Tulip Lovers vs Cliff Dwellers
Saturday, January 25th, 2020Progressive plan sponsors are either half pregnant flower lovers with a passion for tulips or cliff dwellers not afraid of sharks.
Washington D.C. Symposium Highlights Private Initiatives in Health Care
Friday, January 24th, 2020The purpose of this event is to inform employers, brokers, legislators and regulators about emerging initiatives to expand access, improve quality and reduce the cost of health care. – Dan Meylan
Pandemic?
Friday, January 24th, 2020The fatality rate may prove to be comparable to the Spanish Flu pandemic in 1918 so it is a significant concern globally……………
Once Deported Illegal Back – Demands $5,000,000 Plus Needed Medical Care
Wednesday, January 22nd, 2020Health Policy Predictions for 2020
Wednesday, January 22nd, 2020Texas ER Doc’s Gravy Train in Jeopardy
Wednesday, January 22nd, 2020Emergency room physicians (and their anesthesiologist cousins) are a different breed. They don’t often join managed care networks. They serve a captive audience. The only emergency room door exit is to the billing department. They charge an arm and a leg. They are the Balance Bill Kings of Health Care because they almost always do and never, almost never, ever, negotiate. But that’s about to change in Texas………………unless your’e insured through an Arm & A Leg Plan (self-insured plan).
Self-Funded Employers Driving Health Care Cost Containment
Monday, January 20th, 2020Under prevalent status quo heath plans, cost containment means higher deductibles, higher out-of-pocket expenses, less choice. All are impediments to health care.
On the other hand, under Reference Based Pricing plans, cost containment means lower deductibles, lower out-of-pocket expenses, more choice. There are less impediments to health care.
The WellRithms Shield
Sunday, January 19th, 2020The Shield is an ERISA-compliant product that deals with high-dollar medical claims and COMPLETELY PROTECTS the member from balance billing abuses with guaranteed savings.
CIGNA Sued For RICO Violations
Sunday, January 19th, 2020In summary, the lawsuit alleges that CIGNA accepts the out-of-network provider’s claims at the full billed charges and requests the same amount from the self-insured health plan.
Everything Starts With A Spark
Sunday, January 19th, 2020Psst……Have You Heard About Distilled Concepts?
These guys are marketing geniuses – well done website effectively sends the message that health plans can be made better……………..It starts with a Spark………..
Schuessler Takes Aim At Rural Health Care
Saturday, January 18th, 2020The creator of The Schuessler Stick™, Carl Schuessler explains his success in building a rural community health care plan while freezing his ass off in a Georgia deer blind. Listen to Carl starting at 8:00 – 20:30.
Texas School Districts Want More Choice in Health Care
Friday, January 17th, 2020Texas school districts enrolled in TRS ActiveCare have not had competitive options available to them until now. No matter how large a risk pool is, economies of scale doesn’t matter when risk management systemically fails to adopt proven strategies in a dynamic and changing market.
Reverse Engineering A Health Plan
Wednesday, January 15th, 2020“We have budgeted $2 million for our employee health insurance plan. Build me a plan for my 350 employees that doesn’t cost a penny more than that!” was the directive from the CEO, a Type A personality who doesn’t take “no” for an answer and expects results even if impossible. So we did……………..
CIGNA Says “Sorry, It Ain’t Yours!
Tuesday, January 14th, 2020“It is a common misconception that clients are entitled to receive any data, at any time, simply by virtue of being self-insured and having elected to receive Protected Health Information (PHI). This is not the case…….”
High Deductibles Are Silly – Rural Hospitals & Patients Suffer The Most
Monday, January 13th, 2020High deductibles are road blocks to needed health care and do nothing to impact health care costs. Smart employers are discovering they can improve benefits and lower costs at the same time. The following article referred by Dan Meylan describes the problem we all face to these man made barriers to health care……………..
Houston Doctor Joins DPC Revolution
Sunday, January 12th, 2020Dr. Rebecca is passionate about providing holistic primary care to families. She understands that healthcare is expensive, which is why she is starting her practice with an innovative new model called “Direct Primary Care.”
$40,000,000,000 Fraud – Reporting Non-Existent Diagnosis
Friday, January 10th, 2020Inspectors found that Medicare Advantage insurers had added diagnoses for diabetes, heart disease and other conditions in 99.3% of chart reviews of patient information…………….
Best Practices In RBP Negotiation
Thursday, January 9th, 2020Click on the link below and learn how Bartlett successfully moved the State of Montana state health plan over to Reference Based Pricing……………..It’s all about Rational Analytics and ARM TWISTING…..
Cigna Group Insurance Acquired By New York Life
Thursday, January 9th, 2020From: Bill Smith, President, Cigna Group Insurance [mailto:businesscommunications@cigna.com]
Sent: Wednesday, December 18, 2019 12:03 PM
To:
Subject: Important news from Bill Smith, President, Cigna Group Insurance
David John Rendall
Thursday, January 9th, 2020David John Rendall
March 19, 1937 – January 1, 2020
David used his marketing skills and passion for deal making to start several healthcare related businesses that have evolved into a large enterprise, which currently has operations in 4 continents and clients in over 80 countries.
Congress Delivers Christmas To Health Care Industry
Tuesday, January 7th, 2020Congress showers health care industry with multibillion-dollar victory after wagging finger at it for much of 2019
Large Claims Present Large Problems
Monday, January 6th, 2020“The emergence of biologics and gene specific medications will serve to drive these increases further as we move forward, as evidenced by Zolgensma (treats Spinal Muscular Atrophy) at an estimated $2.1 million and Luxturna (gene therapy for a retinal disease) at an estimated $850,000.”
HUB International Names Stephen Cali Benefits Consultant
Monday, January 6th, 2020Posted by: MBJ Newswires in Insurance, Newsmakers 01/06/2020
Stephen Cali is joining HUB International’s Employee Benefits division, accepting the role of Sr. Vice President / Sr. Benefits Consultant.
Non-Profit Hospitals Are Making a Killing
Monday, January 6th, 2020“The problem is moral hazard in an administrative state………..people alter behavior when they don’t have to pay for something………”
RBP Business Plan – 5 August 2005
Saturday, January 4th, 2020Market Evolution of Reference Based Pricing Plans
Timing is everything when it comes to new and innovative ideas in health care delivery as the market must be ready and receptive. In 2005 it wasn’t……………..But two years later it slowly took hold in Texas…………And we were ready.
Another Great Article By Mark Flores
Friday, January 3rd, 2020Cigna Sued for RICO Violations, “Brazen Embezzlement and Conversion Scheme” -Health Plan Litigation Tsunami: Part 2
The New Age of Primary Care
Friday, January 3rd, 2020Primary care has revived as it is viewed as a less expensive way to lower downstream health care spending.
“Although maybe only 5% of health care cost is incurred in the primary [care] environment, a good or bad decision determines what the next 95% looks like”
ERISA Class-Action Litigation over Fees in Health and Welfare Plans
Thursday, January 2nd, 2020“Health-plan participants could conceivably choose to challenge health-plan fees with general fiduciary-breach claims. In fact, it is reasonable to expect that such claims will be made against other health-plan sponsors, given that plaintiffs’ firms have begun to solicit potential class representatives and request health-plan fee information from employers.”
Risk Tolerance & Reference Based Pricing Strategies
Thursday, January 2nd, 2020The problem I see with most health insurance consultants is almost all pre-determine a client’s tolerance for risk before determining where the risk tolerance actually lies.
HealthShare Works
Thursday, January 2nd, 2020For over 30 years I have helped individuals and corporations obtain the best ways of paying for medical care.
Pocahontas Endorses Reference Based Pricing For All
Thursday, January 2nd, 2020Doctors would be paid at the Medicare level while hospitals would be reimbursed at 110% of Medicare’s rate………..
An Unhealthy Addiction
Wednesday, January 1st, 2020Whenever I give a talk about healthcare, I ask the audience, “What is the worst addiction problem we have in the United States?”
Reversing the Health Care Cost Spiral
Wednesday, January 1st, 2020Health care is a business like any other, and it can follow good business principles. Like other industries it can benefit from bottom-up innovation by entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs, rather than rely solely on top-down reforms coming out of Washington, DC. That’s what this book is about.
Personal Care Act
Wednesday, January 1st, 2020If this passes it will have a profound effect on the future of employer sponsored health plans………no longer held hostage to jobs they hate but need for health care benefits, plan members will be able to control their own health care benefit decisions………..