U.S. Senator Tom Coburn, M.D. on Health Care Reform
Tuesday, September 8th, 2009 Posted in Health Insurance, National Healthcare, politics | 1 Comment »Watching this won't take but four minutes from your day. Senator Coburn has a great grasp on the issue of health care reform.
The Real Motive for the Public Option?
Monday, August 24th, 2009 Posted in Health Insurance, National Healthcare, politics | 1 Comment »Do you get a sense that President Obama and the Democrats are truly desperate to produce a plan that leads to single-payer? On August 20th, Speaker Pelosi said, "There’s no way I can pass a bill in the House ...
“Death Panels” in Private / Public Plans?
Friday, August 21st, 2009 Posted in Health Insurance, National Healthcare, politics | No Comments »A friend recently tweeted: "Death panels? Cigna has one "If the appeal involves..experimental treatment, a committee will conduct this appeal review" http://is.gd/2mSYI" In an interview with David Lionhardt of the New York Times, President Obama said the following with regard ...
The Biggest Losers
Wednesday, July 8th, 2009 Posted in Health Insurance, National Healthcare, politics | No Comments »Doctors! The latest in health care reform has a proposal coming out of the House Ways and Means for a 4 percent levy on incomes exceeding $200,000 (read doctors). Physicians already face the threat of lower Medicare reimbursements ...
Taxing Health Benefits – Remember Section 89?
Monday, June 22nd, 2009 Posted in Health Insurance, National Healthcare, politics | No Comments »It was 1989 when I got into the health insurance business. A new law was coming on-line called Section 89. It was championed by Chicago politician, Dan Rostenkowski, who chaired the House Ways and Means committee. This ...
National Healthcare?
Wednesday, June 10th, 2009 Posted in Business Insurance, Health Insurance, National Healthcare, politics | No Comments »Unless your name is Chuck Nolan you've heard that our government is working to fundamentally change our healthcare system. For the past 40 years there has been a steady march towards nationalized healthcare. We are now closer than ever to ...
More Liability for Employers with less than 20 Employees
Monday, February 23rd, 2009 Posted in Business Insurance, COBRA/State Continuation, Health Insurance | No Comments »Much has been made about the changes to COBRA that are contained in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, but not too many people realize that every employer with less than 20 employees has obligations under this law ...
SCHIP Signed: Doctors Get a Pay Cut
Thursday, February 5th, 2009 Posted in Health Insurance, National Healthcare, politics | 2 Comments »Yesterday President Obama signed the 2009 reauthorization bill for the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) program. This legislation will reportedly make about 4,000,000 individuals now eligible for that taxpayer funded health coverage at a cost of $33 billion ...
Georgia Gets a New Provider Network
Tuesday, February 3rd, 2009 Posted in Benefit Plan Design, Business Insurance, Health Insurance | No Comments »Deborah Michael and I organized an informal breakfast meeting this morning between physician practice consultant, Mike Fleischman and insurance company executive, Don Weitzel. Oil and water under most circumstances, but productive in this setting. To date Principal Life Insurance ...
Obama’s COBRA Changes
Thursday, January 29th, 2009 Posted in Business Insurance, COBRA/State Continuation, Health Insurance, politics | 1 Comment »Occasionally I am asked when a person who is on COBRA will be off the group plan. Often times the COBRA participant is sicker than the general employee population and is therefore holding the group back from switching insurers ...