From the category archives:

Government

The 55 Buy In Option

Under the new Medicare plan, consumers ages 55 to 64 would for the first time be allowed to buy into the federal program for the elderly, starting as soon as 2011. Congressional aides estimate that two million to three million people would participate.
The Medicare plan could be good news for some in the 55-64 bracket [...]

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Use Twitter to Act on Healthcare Reform, Not Just Talk About It

Just got finished trying out the White House twitter site that allows tweeple to pop off a pre-formatted mantra in favor of healthcare reform. It’s a neat bit of technology – cool in many ways. But it’s an agenda pusher.
It’s all talk and NO action.
Now compare that with the recently-launched Twitter app from change:healthcare. It [...]

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Take Small Bites and Chew Well

“Have you heard of tiny Melinda Mae,
Who ate a monstrous whale?
She thought she could,
She said she would,
So she started in right at the tail…”
- Excerpt from Melinda Mae by Shel Silverstein
Healthcare reform is a “monstrous whale.” The federal government could learn a little something from the childrens’ tale about Melinda Mae. Instead of trying to [...]

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How Can You and I Pay for Healthcare Reform?

Photo by Kevin Dietsch for Time
Details on the health care reform plan being pushed by the gang of six and headed up by Senator Baucus are coming out.
The BIG Question: Will it Add to the Deficit?
The stock answer is NO, it will not add to the federal deficit. Note the qualifier – the FEDERAL deficit…FEDERAL. [...]

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Planning & Implementation for Healthcare Reform is Like Herding Cats

Image from Mike Moreu
As long as we’re herding cats on healthcare reform, let’s ask a critical question…What is the timing for the changes being made for healthcare reform? Not “when will it get passed” but rather “when will the changes, whatever they end up being, go into effect”?
Logistically, it’s a nightmare.
Healthcare Reform Will NOT be [...]

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Changes in Healthcare Reform – Employers MUST Get Involved!

Senator Jim Cooper (D) of Tennessee has been one of the most prominent politicians traversing the country on the idea of healthcare reform. In his early presentations on the subject, the approach was a hard line push to get universal coverage (covering the uninsured) with NO FOCUS ON CUTTING wasted expense that could have paid [...]

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Healthcare reform: Where do we stand now?

If you have picked up a newspaper or turned on any news station during recent weeks, I am sure you have heard a lot about President Obama and health care reform. I am also sure that much of what you have heard about has been the lack of any resolve between Democrats and [...]

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Illinois Law is Step 1 for Uninsured

As of April 1 in Illinois, they have taken step 1 in protecting the uninsured. A new law caps uninsured patient bills at cost +35%.
Hooray! A good first step!
Now don’t rest on your laurels, Illinois.
Cost plus is great if you can understand the “costs” portion, but most patients do not. Step 2 is to root [...]

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Dear New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo – save $97 million

Congratulations
Congratulations on your continued progress in gaining commitments from insurance companies to step away from the Ingenix Prevailing Healthcare Charges System (the database most health insurers use to determine “usual and customary rates” for out-of-network reimbursement rates). Most individuals inside and outside of the industry recognize the potential conflict of interest as well as the [...]

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How do you know where to turn for help with healthcare costs?

An individual in our office (their name shall remain anonymous) received a letter from a gentlemen who used to perform “blue collar” work (spraying for pests) on their house and property. The letter was a plea for “some kind of donation,” help may be a better word, because his heart condition has recently rendered him [...]

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