Category Archives: Health Insurance

Survey Finds Health Insurance Costing More and Covering Less

Written On October 10, 2011 By Bob Kraft

Major national news outlets including network news gave substantial coverage to a Kaiser Family Foundation report on health insurance coverage and costs. The reports emphasized the higher rates and reduced coverage with one outlet noting that family insurance now costs more on average than a small car. Many also noted the report’s conclusion that the [...]

Posted in Health Insurance

An Insurance Maze for U.S. Doctors

Written On October 6, 2011 By Bob Kraft

I enjoy reading the New York Times for top-notch reporting on current affairs, and for the great writers who have columns in that paper. But the paper also has several excellent blogs relating to health and medicine. One recent post to a health blog was written by a doctor, and concerned the problems physicians have [...]

Posted in Health Insurance

Administration Unveils Rules for Third-Party Review of Denied Health Claims

Written On June 27, 2011 By Bob Kraft

The AP reported, “The Obama administration says most Americans will soon have the right to appeal to a third party referee when their health insurer denies a claim for a medical service.” The regulations “released Wednesday carry out provisions of President Barack Obama’s health care law. Insurers generally give customers a couple of chances to [...]

Posted in Health Insurance, Insurance Company or Government Misconduct

Hospital Cost Shifting Adds to Auto Injury Claim Costs

Written On June 13, 2011 By Bob Kraft

According to a recent study from the Insurance Research Council, low reimbursements from public health insurance programs, such as Medicare and Medicaid, have prompted hospitals to shift costs to automobile insurance companies—raising auto injury claim costs and forcing auto insurers to more closely scrutinize and negotiate hospital bills prior to payment. The IRC estimates that for [...]

Posted in Health Insurance, Insurance Information, Medicaid, Medicare

Health Insurers Making Record Profits as Many Consumers Postpone Care

Written On May 18, 2011 By Bob Kraft

Health insurance companies have been making record profits the past several years, in part because Americans have been postponing medical procedures because of the shaky economy. Of course, that is not preventing the health insurance companies from charging higher and higher premiums. As a business owner I dread the time each year when our health [...]

Posted in Health Insurance

HHS Initiative Aims to Reduce Medical Errors and Cut Costs

Written On April 18, 2011 By Bob Kraft

Print media sources widely covered an announcement last week that the Obama Administration was partnering with hospitals, insurers and other groups in order to reduce medical errors. Most sources considered the move a positive for the Administration.
The Los Angeles Times reports, “The Obama administration announced a broad new initiative Tuesday to reduce medical errors, partnering [...]

Posted in Government, Health Insurance, Medicaid, Medical Malpractice, Medicare

Medical Bills Need Reconstructive Surgery

Written On March 29, 2011 By Bob Kraft

“Prices are almost always inflated before being routinely discounted. Amid such financial flimflammery, it’s virtually impossible for a patient to be a well-informed consumer of healthcare.”
That was the subtitle of an article in the Los Angeles Times recently. The gist of the article is that medical bills, especially hospital bills, are almost impossible for patients [...]

Posted in Consumer Information, Health Insurance

Don’t Take “No” As The Final Answer From Your Health Insurance Company

Written On March 21, 2011 By Bob Kraft

“Don’t take no for a final answer when a health insurer rejects a claim and leaves behind an unpaid medical bill. As many as 50 percent of some appeals prompt insurers to reverse their decisions, according to a report from the Government Accountability Office.”
That was the opening of a recent article in the Washington Post. The [...]

Posted in Health Insurance

HHS Unveils Preliminary Format for Rate Increase Notices

Written On March 11, 2011 By Bob Kraft

CQ HealthBeat reports, “The proposed format for notices that insurance companies would have to post electronically when they ask for rate increases of 10 percent or more was unveiled Monday by” HHS. Such notices were mandated by the healthcare law to help prevent “unreasonable” rate hikes. “Under the proposed regulation, the responsibility for scrutinizing those [...]

Posted in Health Insurance

Health Tort Reform Sounds Better Than It Is

Written On February 4, 2011 By Bob Kraft

A Daily Kos blog argued against healthcare tort reform proposals, noting medical malpractice’s less than 1.5% of healthcare costs “hardly makes tort reform worthy of the attention it receives for cutting health care costs. Furthermore, tort reform has already been implemented in more than half of the states in some form,” so many states would [...]

Posted in Health Insurance, Medical Malpractice, Tort Reform

Ten Costly Mistakes to Avoid When Applying for Medicare

Written On December 21, 2010 By Bob Kraft

The annual enrollment period for Medicare runs through the month of December. For those who have not yet made a decision, here is a list of ten mistakes to avoid, provided by PlanPrescriber, a subsidiary of eHealth, Inc.
10 Costly Mistakes That Seniors May Make During Medicare Annual Enrollment Period
(1) Missing the Fine Print: Don’t ignore [...]

Posted in Health Insurance, Medicare

Political Rhetoric Harms Perception and Future of Texas Medicaid Programs

Written On November 23, 2010 By Bob Kraft

A recent article about Medicaid in the Houston Chronicle repeated some of the political musings of Governor Rick Perry and other politicians. For anyone with even a basic knowledge of Medicaid, the suggestion that Texas could simply “opt-out” is ridiculous.
Of course that doesn’t stop politicians from proposing it, and thereby frightening the poor, the elderly, [...]

Posted in Government, Health Insurance, Medicaid, Political and/or Judicial

Insurers Gave U.S. Chamber of Commerce “Breathtaking” Sum to Combat Obama Health Care Law

Written On November 20, 2010 By Bob Kraft

Bloomberg News reported that the national insurance member group America’s Health Insurance Plans, armed the US Chamber of Commerce with $86.2 million “that was used to oppose the health-care overhaul law.” Bloomberg notes, “The spending reflects the insurers’ attempts to influence the bill, which the Congressional Budget Office estimates will provide coverage to 32 million [...]

Posted in Government, Health Insurance, Insurance Company or Government Misconduct

Medical Errors Continue Despite Advances in Medicine

Written On September 15, 2010 By Bob Kraft

The Kansas City Business Journal has an interesting short article this week about the continuing problem of medical errors at hospitals. Here are excerpts:
Today, surgeons can operate on a beating heart and use robotic arms to remove kidneys through belly buttons.
But even as medicine has advanced, the number of medical errors — conditions and injuries obtained [...]

Posted in Health Insurance, Medical Malpractice, Tort Reform

Featured Link – Consumers Guide to the Health Reform Bill

Written On March 22, 2010 By Bob Kraft

This summary of the health care reform bill passed by the House yesterday is very readable. I can’t vouch for the accuracy of all the information here, but I didn’t notice any glaring errors. It’s a good starting point for those who want more information about the effect on them of this historic legislation. The [...]

Posted in Consumer Information, Featured Link, Government, Health Insurance, Insurance Information, Political and/or Judicial

Obama Health Proposal Could Reduce Texas Insurance Premiums

Written On February 26, 2010 By Bob Kraft

It may come as a surprise to those not familiar with Texas politics that Texas does not review most increases in health insurance premiums. Not unless the premium increase is for more than 50% annually. Everything else is fair game. An insurance company can increase premiums 49% per year every year and that would be [...]

Posted in Government, Health Insurance, Insurance Company or Government Misconduct

Soaring Premiums Show Need for Health Care Reform

Written On February 18, 2010 By Bob Kraft

Kathleen Sebelius, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary, has written an opinion piece in the Atlanta Journal Constitution in which she says the recent proposed rate increase by Wellpoint and Blue Cross is evidence that fast reform is needed in this country’s health care system. Here are excerpts from the article:
Earlier this month, [...]

Posted in Government, Health Insurance

Featured Link — Texas Health Pool

Written On February 17, 2010 By Bob Kraft

The Texas Health Pool is a health insurance resource of last resort for people who can’t find coverage anywhere else. Many questions about this pool are answered on the site’s FAQ page. Here is the Pool’s self-description:
The Texas Health Insurance Pool was created by the Texas Legislature to provide health insurance to eligible Texas residents [...]

Posted in Featured Link, Health Insurance

“Tort Reform” Won’t Fix Health Care

Written On December 22, 2009 By Bob Kraft

In an op-ed article in the Baltimore Sun, attorney Wayne M. Willoughby makes a convincing argument that “tort reform” is not the solution to high healthcare costs. Here are excerpts from the article:
For months now, national Republicans and their media supporters have attempted to divert the health care debate away from improving access to quality [...]

Posted in Health Insurance, Medical Malpractice, Tort Reform

Maybe a New Day for Doctors’ Pay

Written On November 9, 2009 By Bob Kraft

Robert H. Frank, an economist at Cornell University, has written an interesting article for the New York Times regarding money earned by physicians. The gist of the article (rather densely written as you would expect from a professor of economics) is that one reason health care costs are so high is that doctors are paid [...]

Posted in Health Insurance, Medical Malpractice, Tort Reform