Archive for April, 2022

Health Insurance Bonus Commission Roundup

Thursday, April 28th, 2022

“Now you can earn $100 per enrolled employee for every NEW Small Group (5 to 50 employees) you enroll into our Anthem Balanced Funding (ABF) plans, through 6/1/22 effective dates. Thereʼs no cap on how much you can make.”

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Maine Enacts Canadian Reference Pricing Law to Study Savings in Prescription Drug Costs

Wednesday, April 27th, 2022

“Maine’s Democratic governor, Janet Mills, signed legislation directing the Maine Health Data Organization (MHDO) to report annually on the potential savings if certain drugs were subjected to a referenced rate, which is the lowest of the prices available among Canada’s four largest provinces and the wholesale acquisition cost, beginning January 1, 2023.”  MORE >>

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You Don’t Want To Miss Tomorrow’s TRS ActiveCare Board Meeting

Wednesday, April 27th, 2022

Watch a health insurance renewal presentation on a 450,000 life case unfold before your very own eyes! Will rates go up? Will benefits reduce? Or will something magical happen?

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4% Of American Hospitals Don’t Take BCBS & 5% of Doctors Don’t Either

Wednesday, April 27th, 2022

“Blue Cross Members Get a Network with 95% of Doctors and 96% of Hospitals in the U.S.”

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Adopting a “Pure” Reference-Based Pricing Strategy

Tuesday, April 26th, 2022

“The most effective way to address the No Surprises Act (NSA) legislation, particularly elements of the Independent Dispute Resolution (IDR) process, may be to adopt a pure RBP plan that does not contract with providers……………….”

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Life Insurance For Diabetics

Monday, April 25th, 2022

Do you shudder when a prospect tells you they are diabetic?

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TRS ActiveCare To Release 2022-2023 Renewal This Week

Monday, April 25th, 2022

The open portions of the April 28, 2022, meeting are being broadcast over the Internet…….

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1115 Waiver Remains Alive & Well in Texas

Monday, April 25th, 2022

Texas hospital officials expressed relief that the future of the waiver was no longer in question but continued to push for other programs to help pay for the care of Texas’ uninsured population — the largest in the nation.

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Aldeen’s Sunday Morning Bathroom Read

Sunday, April 24th, 2022

By Doug Aldeen on Linkedin

In Alec Baldwin’s iconic role in the seminal 1992 movie, Glengarry Ross, he advised his underlings to “always be closing ” (“ABC”). In Colorado, for hospitals under HB 1285, “ABC” =always be compliant… .

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Employers Rejoice – Government To Grant Telehealth Freedom

Sunday, April 24th, 2022

Government To Remove ACA Handcuff?

The Telehealth Benefit Expansion for Workers Act would allow employers to offer standalone telehealth service programs……………

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Direct Provider Contracts Will Be Secret No More……….

Thursday, April 21st, 2022

A reference based pricing plan having direct provider contracts is by definition a “network” plan. (See definition of “in-network” in Code of Federal Regulations, 147.210, XII) In that instance a plan sponsor must publicly display in-network information containing name, CPT code and negotiated rate and fee schedule rates.

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The Great Aldeenie Makes Television Debut

Thursday, April 21st, 2022

“Coming soon to a television near you: Our own Doug Aldeen is featured in this upcoming series on medical debt by our news partner KXAN TV in Austin, Tex.” – Jeanne Pinder – Founder, CEO, clearhealthcosts.com

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Car Dealership Takes Different Approach To Health Care – And It Works

Thursday, April 21st, 2022

Car dealer’s approach to health insurance lifts employees and profits

As working Americans struggle to manage the rising cost of health care, one Lakeland car dealership has developed a new way of trying to close the door on higher costs.

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My Plan Costs More Than Yours But It’s Cheaper

Wednesday, April 20th, 2022

How do you compare financial performance between two group health plans? How do you determine which plan is outperforming the other in terms of dollars only?

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Doctor Eschews Managed Care Bondage – Provides South Texans With Affordable, Easy Access Healthcare

Wednesday, April 20th, 2022

“It’s easy to get Medicaid, for sure,” Dr. Lazzopina says. “But just because you have a card doesn’t mean you’re going to get an appointment, at least any time soon.”

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What Will Texas Do? Expand Medicaid or Adopt A Better Strategy?

Wednesday, April 20th, 2022

Is government health plan financing simply a price fixing scheme having little to do with supply and demand resulting in constricted access to care in an otherwise (almost) free market system?

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“RBP is Dying, Or It’s Dead”

Tuesday, April 19th, 2022

By Bill Rusteberg

Sometimes we read things and wonder “what the heck were they thinking when they wrote this? Is there something I’m missing here!”

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John Kirke

Monday, April 18th, 2022

John Kirke leads BevCap Management’s healthcare captive team, client services and growth strategies empowering clients to create value for their organization through healthcare benefits sponsored in stop loss captives.

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The Mystery World of American Drug Pricing

Friday, April 15th, 2022

A.J. Loiacono Doesn’t Mince Words

Trying to understand the mystery world of American drug pricing will drive one to the nut house faster than you can spell P-H-A-M-A-C-E-U-T-I-C-A-L-S.

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Diagnosing Is Elementary Mr. Watson

Wednesday, April 13th, 2022

By Bill Rusteberg

A patient in severe pain barges into the doctor’s office screaming “I need to see the doctor! I’m in pain, terrible pain! Please, tell the doctor I need help!”

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The Society of Actuaries and Milliman Report on the DPC Model

Wednesday, April 13th, 2022

The DPC Coalition and American Academy of Family Physicians spent two years in collaboration with Milliman and the Society of Actuaries on a comprehensive evaluation of Direct Primary Care (DPC) as a growing health care delivery and financing model.

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Ma’am, You Have A Premium Paying Policy!

Wednesday, April 13th, 2022

Image result for angry woman

By Bill Rusteberg

Years ago when I was a sales representative for a health insurance company a disgruntled plan member cornered me, screaming her claim was denied. “Our insurance sucks! I pay a lot of premium and I don’t get anything in return!” she screamed for all to hear.

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Texas Government Health Plan Needs Immediate Life Support

Wednesday, April 13th, 2022

Last fall the Texas legislature gifted the TRS ActiveCare health fund +$200,000,000 and called it “Covid Relief.”

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Lung Roach Disease

Monday, April 11th, 2022

Skyward Specialty Insurance

Monday, April 11th, 2022

Specialty is a growing specialty insurance Company, delivering commercial property and casualty products and solutions on a non-admitted and admitted basis.

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Do Employers Now Have to Offer Affordable Family Coverage?

Monday, April 11th, 2022

Santa & His 435 Elves (Congress) Declare Xmas In The Spring!

Other people’s money would help offset the high cost of coverage in employer-sponsored plans……….

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How To Grow Your Business: Become a Buyer Not A Seller

Monday, April 11th, 2022

Hub continues acquisition spree

by Ryan Smith 11 Apr 2022

Global broker Hub International Limited has announced that it has acquired the assets of Marketing Management Associates. The terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

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A Hospital Without Health Insurance – Vacation Paradise!

Sunday, April 10th, 2022

Dream vacation for the uninsured………………………….

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Whoa……….You Want How Much?

Sunday, April 10th, 2022

One hospital wants an 88 percent higher reimbursement for its providers in the next four years…………Another hospital wants a 30 percent overall rate increase, including a 50 percent increase for some services…………

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Solving Health Care Inspires School Official To Earn Doctorate Degree

Sunday, April 10th, 2022

“I successfully defended my dissertation titled: A CASE STUDY OF GROUP HEALTH INSURANCE COVERAGE AT ONE TEXAS SCHOOL DISTRICT, earning an Ed.D. from Lamar University. My dissertation was a single case study of group health insurance coverage at Raymondville ISD. “ – Ben Clinton

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Santa Claus Fixes The Family Glitch Using Other People’s Money

Friday, April 8th, 2022

The Department of the Treasury (Treasury) notice of proposed rulemaking on the “family glitch” expands eligibility for free government money to employees’ families when their share of their employer-sponsored premium is deemed to be unaffordable by  faceless bureaucrats in Washington.

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DPC Math

Friday, April 8th, 2022

A direct primary care organization (DPC) charges $60 per member per month or $720 per member per year. According to government statistics PCP visits per 100 = 136 or 1.36 visits per person per year.

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In IRS First, Non-Profit Hospital Loses Status Under ACA Rules

Thursday, April 7th, 2022

Failure to comply with new community health needs assessment rules under the Affordable Care Act resulted in a non-profit hospital losing its tax-exempt status back in 2017. Has there been other cases like this since?

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Compliance with the Affordable Care Act and Final IRS Section 501(r) Regulations

Thursday, April 7th, 2022

Failure to meet these requirements can have significant consequences……………….

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Scouring For Dollars – Starring Doug Aldeen

Wednesday, April 6th, 2022

Hospital Administrator & Family Attend Movie Premiere

What if you could protect employer health plans and their members from excessive and often incorrect hospital charges? Watch our fast-moving 30-minute video with Doug Aldeen, prominent healthcare and ERISA attorney, and learn how to challenge and change this costly dynamic.

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Hospital Fair Share Spending

Wednesday, April 6th, 2022

“Recently we asked a not-for-profit hospital for a copy of their Financial Assistance Policy. Instead they directed us to their website where, they said, we could find all we needed to know about their Financial Assistance Policy. We did, and it didn’t. So we asked the hospital a second time for a complete copy of their Financial Assistance Policy. To date they have not responded. So, it’s been over 30 days now and it’s time to file a complaint with the proper federal authorities to remove their not-for-profit status. They can’t have their cake and eat it too” – Bill Rusteberg

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A Hospital Bullied a Mom With an Overpriced Medical Bill. She Bullied ‘Em Back

Tuesday, April 5th, 2022

Leslie Donovan followed the blueprint I laid out in “Never Pay the First Bill” to sue Sutter Health, leading to a refund and cleared balance.

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School District Seeks Student Insurance Proposals

Monday, April 4th, 2022

Vendors, We are opening the bid for RFP-0422-SI, Student Insurance. Please go to the link below:

https://sbcisd.edlioschool.com/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=900856&type=d&pREC_ID=2305758

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RiskManagers.us Loses Key Staff Member

Monday, April 4th, 2022

With great sadness we announce the passing of Nola Ortiz. Nola is survived by her three sisters, Ava, Allie and Anna and Boudreaux (Buddy) Wilson III.

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Employers Beware: The Compliance Police Are Coming To Take You Away

Sunday, April 3rd, 2022

Employers these days are subject to government oversight to an extent never envisioned by our Founding Fathers. Failure to comply with onerous government mandates can lead to crippling punishment at the hands of faceless bureaucrats lurking within the Deep State……………..

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Why Is Novolog On Your Formulary When Something Cheaper Isn’t?

Sunday, April 3rd, 2022

By Scott Fuqua on Linkedin

(Experienced Healthcare Professional with nearly 25 years in the industry. RBR, Medical Bill Review, Cost Containment)

If PBMs could lower the cost, why are they not doing so? Just like the PPO Network middle men, the traditional PBM model is an absolute PROVEN FAILURE.

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Aldeen’s Sunday Morning Bathroom Read

Sunday, April 3rd, 2022

Sunday Morning Bathroom Read, Spring Edition, Vol. 1, Article 1

“Now we can confirm why the person hit by the semi was marked as COVID on the death certificate” – Doug Aldeen

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