Helpful Thanksgiving ICD-10 Codes
As co-blogger Kelley last mentioned a couple of months ago, the "new and improved" ICD-10 codes are on the way (maybe). And just in time, too; the folks at Health Data Management have helpfully compiled a list of handy dandy ICD-10 codes specifically geared for Thanksgiving:"Ah, the turkey is roasti…
"I forgot"
It's hard to beat this Steve Martin excuse:"You.. can be a millionaire.. and never pay taxes! You can be a millionaire.. and never pay taxes! You say.. "Steve.. how can I be a millionaire.. and never pay taxes?" First.. get a million dollars. Now.. you say, "Steve.. what do I say to the tax man when…
Cavalcade of Risk #222: Gratefully risky
Van Mayhall hosts the pre-Thanksgiving round-up of risk-related posts. As usual,Van does a terrific job of tying together seemingly unrelated items, providing a fantastic narrative.Thanks, Van! …
Sprechen sie Deutsch?
More proposed Obamacare rules to improved the customer experience.The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Nov. 21 issued a massive 324-page notice of proposed rulemaking aimed at improving the consumer experience in the health insurance marketplace by increasing pricing and plan transparency an…
Hunh: CCC's no more
Had a "d'oh!" moment when I received this in email:"[G]eneration of HIPAA Certificates of Creditable Coverage (CoCC) upon member termination will no longer be necessary because the pre-existing condition limitations are fully eliminated in 2015."Since 1997, group plans have had to issue Certificates…
Missing the Mark, MVNHS©-style
Last month, we questioned whether the Much Vaunted National Health System© was worth saving (assuming it could be, of course). Thanks to co-blogger Bob, we have more evidence supporting the "No" position:"The NHS in England has repeatedly missed a key target for rapidly treating cancer patients ... …
Blast from the Past
I first became a fan of Medical Savings Accounts (since evolved to Health Savings Accounts) way back in 1992, when they were first introduced by Golden Rule Insurance. GR's president at the time, Pat Rooney (whose family, if I recall correctly, founded the company), eventually left to found another …
Chicken Soup for the Health Care Policy
We've long documented the utter failure of nationalized "health care" schemes to rein in costs any more efficiently than our previous, market-based system. From Jolly Old to The Great White, failure is, in fact, an option.And so it goes in the Holy Land, as well:"The cost per household for supplemen…
MVP Struggling - Part 2
A few days ago, we broached the subject of Minimum Value Plans, and their potential role in mitigating group health insurance costs. In that post, co-blogger Nate shared with us a TPA's view of how this might play out.At the time this whole concept hit my radar, I was invited to interview a benefits…
Cavalcade of Risk #222: Call for submissions
Van Mayhall hosts next week's edition. Entries are due by Monday (the 24th).To submit your risk-related post, just click here to email it.You'll need to provide:■ Your post's url and title■ Your blog's url and name■ Your name and email■ A (brief) summary of the postPLEASE remember: ONLY posts …
Close enough for gummint work
So it seems that, as we'd already surmised, the reports of how many people actually bought ObamaPlans were, well, less than truthy:"A report by Bloomberg’s Alex Wayne revealed that the administration quietly lumped as many as 400,000 dental plans into the total enrollment number without telling anyo…
Unintentional Medical Tourism
Before we begin, it's important to note that there's a LOT of information missing here. Of course, that hasn't stopped folks from piling on. As best we can tell, these are the bare facts:A 6-months pregnant Canadian woman took a personal trip to Hawaii. While there, she gave birth to a daughter, who…
Health Wonk Review: Gobble, gobble edition
David Harlow presents a veritable brain-feast, replete with interesting, thought-provoking posts and mouth-watering illustrations.Enjoy! …
MVP Struggling - Part 1
Minimum Value (aka MVP) Plans have been touted for groups over 100 (this year, and 50 next year) wishing to meet the letter of the ObamaTax law and yet minimize their costs. The Government published an online calculator where employers could enter their plan benefits and determine whether it met the…
Winner, Winner Chicken Dinner!
So a colleague recently clued me in to a way that the free market is responding to the new reality of an Obamacare-dominated health insurance market. The good news is that the concept seems to be perfectly legit, serving the interests of both the client and the agent (and her carrier). The bad news …
The Gruber Hits The Fan
You knew this was coming, right?"In Jon Gruber's Newest (Sixth) Video, He Explains How Obama and Democrats Conspired to Get Rid of Tax Exemptions for All Insurance Plans Without Anyone Noticing"Boom. …
HIX Predix
I have a few predictions about tomorrow morning:■ The sun will rise in the east■ Water will be wet■ The 404Care.gov site will be brokenWhy does the last one seem no less obvious than the first two?From the horse's, er, mouth:"Health Secretary Sylvia Burwell warns, “we will have things that won’t go …
Up-Lyfting Update
Last week, we noted car-sharing service Lyft's first passenger fatality, and pondered the insurance implications thereof. Since this situation is a bit outside our wheelhouse, we turned to P&C expert (and long-time FoIB) Kevin Sullivan. I really didn't know what questions to even be asking, what iss…
Peanut Butter and Chocolate
You got feckless, clueless punditry in my O'Care deceit lectures.No! You got O'Care deceit lectures in my feckless, clueless punditry.Kiddies, kiddies, please calm down. You're both right:[Source] …
Now Playing: HIX (Health Insurance Exchange)
Interesting video primer on how the Exchanges (are supposed to) work: …
Three Strikes, Herr Gruber....
If you've been following the saga of Jonathan "Fredo" Gruber, you know he's on record for speaking his mind calling the American electorate stupid. Now comes word that he's been at it again:"A third video has surfaced of Obamacare architect Jonathan Gruber bragging about pulling the wool over the ey…
Cavalcade of Risk #221: Post-election round-up edition
Claire Wilkinson hosts this week's collection of post-election risk-related bloggetry. From upcharges for where you shop to high wire (literally!) acts, you're sure to find something interesting.Thanks, Claire! …
Obamacare's House of Cards
Did you know almost 25% of individual health insurance premiums paid for exchange plans go directly to taxes and fees? Did you know that you, as taxpayers, are funding 76% of the total premiums? While some call American voters stupid, the reality is consumers are simply uninformed about the Unafford…
O'Care Potpourri
■ In keeping with the politically correct stance of providing vital services convenience items for women, but not for men, Medical Mutual has announced that "Drugs Used to Treat Erectile Dysfunction No Longer Covered in Individual and Small Group Metal-Tier Plans (On or Off Exchange)."That little bl…
Bastiat & Graboyes: The Legend Continues
Frédéric Bastiat, a noted 19th-century polemicist, is most widely-known for the Parable of the Broken Window (widely regarded as the underlying reason for New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani's successful cleaning up of Times Square, for example).In the grand tradition of the forward-thinking, our good frie…
Not Ready for (Sub-)Prime Time
So I spent a great deal of yesterday afternoon on the phone with the friendly - if hapless - folks at 404Care.gov. Turns out, one of my "Grandmothered" Anthem clients may be eligible for a subsidy, which means the (dreaded) Marketplace. We'd already picked out a plan, now we needed to enroll her.Sin…
Great Expectations
It appears that Exchange enrollment for Obamacare isn't going to be what it was cracked up to be. Back in 2011 CMS released released their summary forcast showing that in 2014 exchanges were expected to enroll 13.9 million. For 2015 that number was 15.9 million. Now comes word from HHS that actual e…
Obamacare Moments of Honesty
Rep. Pelosi infamously said "We had to pass the bill in order to know what was in it".Now the truth serum is administered to Jonathon Gruber and listen to what he says.In case you missed it, “And basically, call it the stupidity of the American voter or whatever, but basically that was really, reall…
Obamacare Architect: "Call it the Stupidity of the American Voter"
Jonathan Gruber...watch the video. Nuff said. …
Breaking: SCOTUS to hear King
The Supreme Court has just agreed to hear arguments on whether or not folks in states with Federally-run Exchanges are eligible for subsidies.Hunh. …
Cavalcade of Risk #221: Call for submissions
Claire Wilkinson hosts next week's edition. Entries are due by Monday (the 10th).To submit your risk-related post, just click here to email it.You'll need to provide:■ Your post's url and title■ Your blog's url and name■ Your name and email■ A (brief) summary of the postPLEASE remember: ONLY …
Health Wonk Review: Post-election edition
Jennifer Salopek at Wing of Zock (which, BTW, would make a great name for a band) hosts this week's round-up of wonky posts, with special focus on the future of O'Care in this new era. …
Republicans Fix Obamacare?
If Republicans are going to degrade and destroy Obamacare they better bring their "A" game to the table. The ideas put forth in The New Republic are obviously from the J.V. team.Consider this:According to some, repealing the individual mandate (to buy health insurance) is number one on their agenda.…
Have ObamaCare, Will Travel (With a Twist)
Tired of reading all those sob stories about folks losing their health insurance? Ready for some good news for a change?Well, you're in luck:"According to the Department of Health and Human Services, foreign diplomats... are eligible to participate in an array of medical programs administered by the…
![Rubber, Road and Lyft: Insurance Crisis? [UPDATED]](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvd1sxgTg-x9TdSlfEwF08KV2M_E1GhYy-i7jdCnILZ_2nGDPhxTfsSuFH1E2378PO3KAf4H6oL2c_zDbXNImm4tdIUhxOrV102g_5XYKhWozJ_rSjTrwJmUHDaa7VkMYJMK3M7KB0oA4/s140-p/Lyft-Pittsburgh-App-Jitney-Service.jpg)
Rubber, Road and Lyft: Insurance Crisis? [UPDATED]
If memory serves, we first addressed the insurance challenges of ride sharing some 3½ years ago:"When you bought your policy, you agreed to the coverages and exclusions in the policy, and also to your own (minimal) obligations, one of which is to inform the carrier of a "material change" in the risk…
Renewals vs "Grandma"
A couple of weeks ago, Anthem sent me a list of my clients whose plans renew this December. These are so-called "grandmothered" plans, but because Anthem chose not to participate in the expanded transition program, no changes can be made to them: my clients' only choice is to keep them or ditch them…
Hoosier Health Insurance Goes Bye-Bye
Looks like 30,000 Hoosiers really hate their current insurance. After all, the Precedent explicitly promised them that if they liked their plan, they could keep it:"Notifications have been sent out to 30,000 residents of Indiana informing them their health insurance plans no longer meet the requirem…
The $958 Fallacy
Randy Essex, editor of the Glenwood Springs (Colorado) Post Independent, has an interesting, if disingenuous, article on a recent health care claim. Briefly, he underwent what he called "routine blood tests" that had previously cost him $45, and for which he was recently dinged $958.He then proceeds…
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