Texas ER Doc’s Gravy Train in Jeopardy

Emergency 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). 

Continue reading Texas ER Doc’s Gravy Train in Jeopardy

Self-Funded Employers Driving Health Care Cost Containment

Under 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. 

Continue reading Self-Funded Employers Driving Health Care Cost Containment

High Deductibles Are Silly – Rural Hospitals & Patients Suffer The Most

High 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……………..

Continue reading High Deductibles Are Silly – Rural Hospitals & Patients Suffer The Most

ERISA Class-Action Litigation over Fees in Health and Welfare Plans

“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.”

Continue reading ERISA Class-Action Litigation over Fees in Health and Welfare Plans