Sharon Alt, whose radio show I listen to from time to time, has written a good article on the evolution of consumer directed health plans and health/medical savings accounts. They've been around for about 4 years, and legislation has been enacted to better them several times. They seem to be just about there.
The main issues are to get the premiums down even more to justify the high deductibles, while considering the likelihood of consumers to get better deals when shopping for care, and allowing coverage for medication to treat chronic diseases (classifying it as "preventive"). The main objection I hear about these plans is from people who have expensive medication that would eat up the deductible (and therefore, the HSA money) and likely make the plan more expensive for the insured.
Friday, February 29, 2008
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Same Old Story
"Health Data Shows Most Employees Are Overweight"
Most people are overweight or obese, so it stands to reason that most of the ones who are employed are also overweight or obese. The headline should really read "Data Show", but that seems to be something of a grammatical anachronism these days. Oh well.
From an article about a Kronos Optimal Health study in Employee Benefit News -
"The findings show 77% of men and 65% of women aged 40 and older are overweight or obese. Among those younger than 40, almost 68% of men and 52% of women are overweight or obese. The high number of obese employees means many employees are living with elevated health risks like heart attack, stroke and diabetes. "
So, keep in mind as you age that most people gain a couple of pounds per year, and 40 years into your adult life, you're likely 50 or more pounds overweight.
Does the name "Kronos" make anyone else think of Kang and Kodos from the Simpsons?
Most people are overweight or obese, so it stands to reason that most of the ones who are employed are also overweight or obese. The headline should really read "Data Show", but that seems to be something of a grammatical anachronism these days. Oh well.
From an article about a Kronos Optimal Health study in Employee Benefit News -
"The findings show 77% of men and 65% of women aged 40 and older are overweight or obese. Among those younger than 40, almost 68% of men and 52% of women are overweight or obese. The high number of obese employees means many employees are living with elevated health risks like heart attack, stroke and diabetes. "
So, keep in mind as you age that most people gain a couple of pounds per year, and 40 years into your adult life, you're likely 50 or more pounds overweight.
Does the name "Kronos" make anyone else think of Kang and Kodos from the Simpsons?
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
It's Aliiiive! It's Aliiiiiiiive!
The American Dream, that is. A guy named Adam Shepard was on the Today Show today, talking about his book Scratch Beginnings, in which he recounts his social experiment to prove that it's still possible. There's an article on MSNBC.com that includes video of the interview that aired today. Wow, that internet sure is great.
Monday, February 25, 2008
Mess with Texas
You might already know that Texas has the highest percentage of uninsured in the country (25%). That rate is a bit inflated because it counts many illegal immigrants, but that's the reality of the situation (and one shared by many border states). It affects hospital emergency rooms and the insurance premiums that Texans pay. It affects how long you will wait in an emergency room if you need urgent care.
The Austin American-Statesman has a pretty recent article about the plight of several Texans who are without health insurance or have gone without it for some time and suffered financial and/or health-related hardship because of it. It's pretty easy to imagine this happening to a friend or relative.
Whatever you think of the politics of the situation, you'd better protect yourself. Health insurance is not a luxury. It should be as much of a priority as keeping the lights on in your house and food in the fridge. You should not have leather seats in your car or a DVD player or expensive new jeans but no health insurance.
Something has to change in the Lone Star State.
The Austin American-Statesman has a pretty recent article about the plight of several Texans who are without health insurance or have gone without it for some time and suffered financial and/or health-related hardship because of it. It's pretty easy to imagine this happening to a friend or relative.
Whatever you think of the politics of the situation, you'd better protect yourself. Health insurance is not a luxury. It should be as much of a priority as keeping the lights on in your house and food in the fridge. You should not have leather seats in your car or a DVD player or expensive new jeans but no health insurance.
Something has to change in the Lone Star State.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Google Continues Its Plans to Take Over the World
Google has just entered into an agreement with the Cleveland Clinic to develop its personal health record (PHR) platform.
I haven't completely made up my mind, but if we're pushing for portability and independence, then I think that is probably better than having what's also known as an electronic health record (EHR) with one's insurer.
Aetna has a seemingly comprehensive (and I believe the first of such depth) personal health record system that Aetna members may use, and to which their health care activity is automatically added. Members may supplement that with their own entries about family medical history and other pertinent information.
But what if you want to change insurers? If you keep it on Google with your photos and email and other stuff, then it's probably worth the extra work of putting the information in yourself. You may read an article here about Google's plans with the Cleveland Clinic or check out Aetna's PHR here.
I haven't completely made up my mind, but if we're pushing for portability and independence, then I think that is probably better than having what's also known as an electronic health record (EHR) with one's insurer.
Aetna has a seemingly comprehensive (and I believe the first of such depth) personal health record system that Aetna members may use, and to which their health care activity is automatically added. Members may supplement that with their own entries about family medical history and other pertinent information.
But what if you want to change insurers? If you keep it on Google with your photos and email and other stuff, then it's probably worth the extra work of putting the information in yourself. You may read an article here about Google's plans with the Cleveland Clinic or check out Aetna's PHR here.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Usual and Customary
How do you like the banner ad above this post? Ha ha.
New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo has filed a lawsuit against UnitedHealth Group, as well as subpoenaed the other major insurers in the Empire State regarding pricing practices. When an insured person goes to a health care provider outside of his or her network, reimbursement is based on what are called "usual and customary" rates. Well, there is an obvious conflict of interest if the company that calculates those figures is owned by UnitedHealth.
From the New York Times -
"Citing an example of what he said was a pattern of underpaying for care, Mr. Cuomo said his office had compared the prevailing market rate for a doctor visit to the amount Ingenix had calculated as usual and customary. While doctors in the metropolitan New York City area typically charged $200 for an office visit, he said, Ingenix calculated the rate at only $77. Under a typical plan, the insurer would pay 8o percent of the $77, or only $62. The patient was responsible for covering the remaining $138 balance."
This is a very good reason to get to know the details of your health insurance plane. Once you have an emergency, it's often too late to figure it out until after the bill arrives. That is one of the reasons consumer-directed health plans are effective. They get people thinking about these potential problems before they occur.
New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo has filed a lawsuit against UnitedHealth Group, as well as subpoenaed the other major insurers in the Empire State regarding pricing practices. When an insured person goes to a health care provider outside of his or her network, reimbursement is based on what are called "usual and customary" rates. Well, there is an obvious conflict of interest if the company that calculates those figures is owned by UnitedHealth.
From the New York Times -
"Citing an example of what he said was a pattern of underpaying for care, Mr. Cuomo said his office had compared the prevailing market rate for a doctor visit to the amount Ingenix had calculated as usual and customary. While doctors in the metropolitan New York City area typically charged $200 for an office visit, he said, Ingenix calculated the rate at only $77. Under a typical plan, the insurer would pay 8o percent of the $77, or only $62. The patient was responsible for covering the remaining $138 balance."
This is a very good reason to get to know the details of your health insurance plane. Once you have an emergency, it's often too late to figure it out until after the bill arrives. That is one of the reasons consumer-directed health plans are effective. They get people thinking about these potential problems before they occur.
Monday, February 11, 2008
Not Just for the Tast of It
Remember that great ad campaign?
"Researchers have found a correlation between drinking diet soda and metabolic syndrome — the collection of risk factors for cardiovascular disease and diabetes that include abdominal obesity, high cholesterol and blood glucose levels, and elevated blood pressure."
This is likely to be another one of those correlations that is not causal. Read the article in the New York Times.
"Researchers have found a correlation between drinking diet soda and metabolic syndrome — the collection of risk factors for cardiovascular disease and diabetes that include abdominal obesity, high cholesterol and blood glucose levels, and elevated blood pressure."
This is likely to be another one of those correlations that is not causal. Read the article in the New York Times.
Friday, February 08, 2008
Gastroeconomic Expansion
This is a very interesting past article in the Washington Post -
"Why America Has to Be Fat"
If you take the time to read it, you'll find some startling statistics. You'll also learn that because of how well our economy provides for so many, we now consume more calories than we expend. As the author puts it, "we use[sic] to be paid to exercise at work, now we pay to exercise after work".
So, since we don't exercise at work and we have lots of cheap, high-calorie food around, I guess we have to pay to exercise during our free time. That's just the way it is. There's no miracle gimmick that will let us out of that reality.
"Why America Has to Be Fat"
If you take the time to read it, you'll find some startling statistics. You'll also learn that because of how well our economy provides for so many, we now consume more calories than we expend. As the author puts it, "we use[sic] to be paid to exercise at work, now we pay to exercise after work".
So, since we don't exercise at work and we have lots of cheap, high-calorie food around, I guess we have to pay to exercise during our free time. That's just the way it is. There's no miracle gimmick that will let us out of that reality.
Can You Hear Them Now?
From Reuters -
"Heavy Cell Phone Use Tied to Poorer Sperm Quality"
There hasn't been a cause-and-effect relationship determined by the study done by Cleveland Clinic researchers, but I think there just has to be something bad going on with cell phones next to our brains or in our pockets next to our other ones. I don't know what to tell you about how to avoid this. I keep my phone on my desk when I'm at work, rather than in my pocket. I've also tried to replace talking with sending text messages (the verb "texting" sounds awkward to me).
Maybe it's just that nature made dorky people like that Verizon guy with low sperm counts and they happen to spend more time on the phone than having face-to-face conversations.
"Heavy Cell Phone Use Tied to Poorer Sperm Quality"
There hasn't been a cause-and-effect relationship determined by the study done by Cleveland Clinic researchers, but I think there just has to be something bad going on with cell phones next to our brains or in our pockets next to our other ones. I don't know what to tell you about how to avoid this. I keep my phone on my desk when I'm at work, rather than in my pocket. I've also tried to replace talking with sending text messages (the verb "texting" sounds awkward to me).
Maybe it's just that nature made dorky people like that Verizon guy with low sperm counts and they happen to spend more time on the phone than having face-to-face conversations.
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