Dayhoff Westminster Soundtrack: Medicine Health Insurance

Showing posts with label Medicine Health Insurance. Show all posts

Wednesday, June 03, 2015

An Insurer Wants to Raise Its Obamacare Premiums by 85 Percent. Don't Sweat It. by Jordan Weissmann

An Insurer Wants to Raise Its Obamacare Premiums by 85 Percent. Don't Sweat It. by Jordan Weissmann

Under Obamacare, health insurance companies that want to jack up their premiums by more than 10 percent in a year are required to submit their requests to state and federal regulators for review.

Yesterday, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services posted all of those petitions online in an easily searchable database, which revealed that a number of insurers are, in fact, asking for double-digit rate hikes.

As Politico notes, some large plans could theoretically get 20 or even 30 percent more expensive.

The New York Times found one insurer in Georgia looking to up its premiums by as much as 85 percent. The Wall Street Journal, which reported on the news earlier after states began making the filings public, thinks it is "setting the stage for an intense debate this summer over the law’s impact."

[…]

An Insurer Wants to Raise Its Obamacare Premiums by 85 Percent. Don't Sweat It. by Jordan Weissmann

http://www.slate.com/blogs/moneybox/2015/06/02/obamacare_2016_premiums_insurers_ask_for_big_rate_hikes.html?wpsrc=slatest_newsletter&sid=5388f43add52b8e41100cd7e

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Sunday, July 20, 2014

Prevent Medical Bills From Spoiling Credit | Bankrate.com

Prevent Medical Bills From Spoiling Credit | Bankrate.com:

http://www.bankrate.com/finance/credit/prevent-medical-bills-from-spoiling-credit.aspx?ec_id=cmct_01_comm_PF_mainlink

"Prevent medical bills from spoiling credit
By Liz Weston • Bankrate.com

Medical bills that wind up in collections hurt your credit scores more than they should.

That was the conclusion the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau reached after studying 5 million credit reports. The federal regulator tracked how well credit scores predicted people's future creditworthiness after medical bills showed up on their reports.

The answer: Not that well. The CFPB says people with medical collections generally paid their other obligations on par with those whose credit scores were 10 points higher. And those who paid off their medical collections should have received scores 16 to 22 points higher on average."

http://www.bankrate.com/finance/credit/prevent-medical-bills-from-spoiling-credit.aspx?ec_id=cmct_01_comm_PF_mainlink

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“Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.” 1 Peter 4:10

Wednesday, May 07, 2014

Obamacare cost shockwave hits local schools equals bad news for Congressional Democrats

Americans for Limited Government:

Obamacare cost shockwave hits local schools equals bad news for Congressional Democrats

By Rick Manning

Calvert County, Maryland is a small, wealthy exurban enclave of Washington, DC, wedged between the Chesapeake Bay and the historic Patuxent River.

A tradition rich locale whose county flag features a tobacco leaf symbolizing the historic crop that dominated the landscape even into the 21^st century, the County school system is one of the best in the state.

But now the school system has a problem – Obamacare.

The system faces a 13.7 percent increase in health care costs next year, as previously uncovered substitute teachers get covered and the overall policy costs are higher.

A Southern Maryland News article by Sara Newman spells out the bad news for everyone in the school system. Victoria Karol, the District's acting director of human resources explains that there is hope that the County will be able to deal with the costs through negotiations with the teacher and administrator unions.

"We're going to have to work closely with those other unions and develop a health care committee," Victoria Karol said. "We're going to have to open a health care article next year in negotiations to help with this."

Newman quotes Nancy Highsmith, the newly appointed interim superintendent for the Schools as predicting, "There's no doubt we have got to bring health care on the table next year during negotiations. We cannot sustain this."

But Highsmith is not just looking toward the teacher's union, but also is targeting taxpayers who fund the District through taxes paid to the Calvert County government saying, "These are going to be very serious conversations we have to have with the county commissioners."

Calvert County Commissioner Evan Slaughenhoupt responds to these school administrators saying, "We've been able to stretch during this economic downturn and could be at the precipice of where discussions about reducing services could become a reality. Both the school system and the county employees performed extraordinarily at high standards while we have absorbed reduced revenue and increased costs. Time is of the essence now to prepare for the upcoming fiscal years."

This is the exact type of discussion that school districts and local governments are having across the nation as the reality of Obamacare hits their budgets. How do they pay for it?

Should teachers and administrators be forced to pay the additional costs through increased deductions in paycheck deductions, should taxpayers pay higher taxes, or should there be budget cuts that impact the education, police, fire and social services that local government provides their constituents?

At a time when Obamacare supporters, like Calvert County's U.S. Representative Steny Hoyer, double down in support of the law, this new reality and the choices being forced upon local elected officials hit home for their constituents.

As former House Speaker Tip O'Neill famously noted, "all politics is local." Now that Obamacare is impacting local schools and public services, that truism promises disaster for those who foisted it upon the public and continue to refuse to repeal it.

Just a small lessen from the geographically smallest county in the deepest blue state of Maryland.

Rick Manning is vice president of public policy and communications for Americans for Limited Government and a resident of Calvert County, Maryland.

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Sunday, February 09, 2014

Washington Post: Court papers escalate fight between key contractors on Md. health insurance exchange

Court papers escalate fight between key contractors on Md. health insurance exchange

By Jenna Johnson and Mary Pat Flaherty, Published: February 7, 2014

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/md-politics/court-papers-escalate-fight-between-key-contractors-on-md-health-insurance-exhange/2014/02/07/2f8d9fb2-9044-11e3-b46a-5a3d0d2130da_story.html?wpisrc=nl_headlines

One of the two companies that built Maryland’s troubled online health insurance exchange charged in court papers Friday that the lead contractor “concealed its lack of relevant expertise” when it bid on the contract.

Escalating a bitter feud, EngagePoint alleged that Noridian Healthcare Solutions had no experience in developing the type of software the exchange would need. EngagePoint also said Noridian “lacked the expertise, resources and commitment actually required” to develop and operate the Web site through which Marylanders were supposed to sign up for insurance under the federal Affordable Care Act.

Noridian fired EngagePoint in October, and the two companies — which are suing each other in federal court in Baltimore — are fighting over employees, money and work that remains to be completed.

[….]

Maryland Lt. Gov. Anthony G. Brown (D), who was tasked with implementing health-care reform in Maryland, said top state officials became aware of potential problems in September but did not realize their gravity. Maryland’s exchange crashed Oct. 1, its first day, and has been plagued with problems that have made it difficult for Marylanders to sign up for health insurance.

[…]

The exchange is largely functioning through work-arounds, state health officials have said. Rather than signing up for insurance through the Web site, many Marylanders have contacted call centers and spent hours on the phone. Some applications are being processed on paper.

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Tuesday, December 03, 2013

Coffeecare: The Affordable Coffee Act

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCb9g8plGF8#t=43

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Saturday, May 25, 2013

Federal employee union wants members to keep health plan rather than adopt Obamacare | The Patriots Network

Federal employee union wants members to keep health plan rather than adopt Obamacare | The Patriots Network:

The National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) opposes legislation (H.R. 1780) that will push federal employees out of the FEHBP and into the insurance exchanges established under Obamacare. Ironic? If it isn’t good enough for the civil service, why is it good enough for the American public?

So who is the NTEU? Since 1938, NTEU has been driven by the principle that every federal employee should be treated with dignity and respect. In that time, NTEU has grown to represent some 150,000 bargaining unit employees in 31 federal agencies and departments... http://patriotsnetwork.wordpress.com/2013/05/21/federal-employee-union-wants-members-to-keep-health-plan-rather-than-adopt-obamacare/

'via Blog this'

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Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Obamacare: The New Repetitive Stress Disorder by Kevin E. Dayhoff http://tinyurl.com/chrowx7

March 27, 2013 Obamacare: The New Repetitive Stress Disorder by Kevin E. Dayhoff

http://tinyurl.com/chrowx7 On January 1, 2014, the revolutionary change in how we will receive our healthcare in the future will become fully implemented. Last Saturday was the third anniversary of the law and even the mainstream media, which coordinated its passage, cannot avoid reporting on how it is already making all of us sick… http://www.thetentacle.com/ShowArticle.cfm?mydocid=5694

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Tuesday, October 04, 2011

Speaker of the House John Boehner: White House to Taxpayers: Sorry About All This, But We Need You to Send Us More Money

White House to Taxpayers: Sorry About All This, But We Need You to Send Us More Money

Posted by Michael Ricci on September 29, 2011 http://www.speaker.gov/blog/?postid=262327

Bank of America today announced it will soon charge customers a monthly fee for using a debit card to make household purchases, a move geared towards preparing for “new federal rules” in the Dodd-Frank bill. This is another example of how the job-crushing policies coming out of Washington are taking money from the pockets of cash-strapped families and small businesses. Here are two others:

Higher Health Care Premiums. According to newly released national survey, health care premiums in the workplace have jumped by a “whopping” 9 percent in the year following enactment of President Obama’s government takeover of health care. For the typical family, this amounts to an increase of more than $1,200. This is a far cry from the $2,500 decrease in premiums the president promised his plan would bring – a $3,700 swing, to be exact.
Higher Gas Prices. Average gas prices have risen by nearly 93 percent since the president took office, according to AAA data. Unfortunately, Washington has consistently blocked American energy production that would lower costs and create jobs. As gas prices rise, so does the cost of everyday life. Higher fuel prices force food suppliers to charge restaurants and grocery stores more, costs that are inevitably passed on to customers. Small businesses are also hit hard. “The price of gas was putting me out of business,” the owner of a Kansas transportation company said recently.

Higher costs from regulations is also a major concern right now, as evidenced by the Bank of America story. The Obama Administration currently has4,257 rules and regulations in the works, of which at least 219 will have an economic impact of $100 million or more – an increase of nearly 15 percent over last year. There are, of course, good regulations that protect our kids and our environment, but there are also excessive regulations that increase costs for consumers and small businesses. It’s these unnecessary regulations that hurt job creation and lead to higher prices for American families. In Speaker Boehner’s home state of Ohio, there are roughly 845 regulations in the pipeline that would affect small businesses – an 11.5 percent jump since 2009. Federal mandates are “forcing many area school districts to raise hot lunch prices” in Michigan, a state suffering from 10.9 percent unemployment. Similar examples abound.

Americans are paying more for health care, more for gas, more for food, and more to stay in business – largely on account of the Obama Administration – and now it wants taxpayers to send more of their hard-earned money to Washington. “The economy is stalled, and it’s been stalled, and it’s not because the American people have lost their way,” Speaker Boehner said recently. “It’s because their government has let them down.” Making job-crushing tax hikes the centerpiece of a jobs plan further proves this point.

There’s a better way, and it starts with responsible, long-term solutions to address cost-of-living concerns and remove government barriers to job creation. This is the focus of Republicans’ Plan for America’s Job Creators, the dozen or so jobs bills the House has passed, and areas of common ground that House GOP leaders have identified. Learn more at jobs.gop.gov.

http://www.speaker.gov/blog/?postid=262327

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Saturday, June 18, 2011

News from The Hill: Administration to end monthly approvals of waivers from health law

News from The Hill:

Obama administration to end monthly approvals of waivers from health law
By Julian Pecquet
The Obama administration announced Friday it is changing the way it approves waivers to the healthcare reform law.

Instead of approving a new batch of year-long waivers every month, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced that plans have until September 22 to apply for a waiver that will carry through 2013. Starting in 2014, all plans will have to comply with the provisions of the law and the waivers will be moot.

Read the full story here.

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Thursday, October 14, 2010

The Maryland Public Policy Institute: Unintended Consequences

Unintended Consequences

The Maryland Public Policy Institute

http://www.mdpolicy.org/policyblog/newsID.133/news_detail.asp

by John J. Walters SEPTEMBER 23, 2010

When I was growing up I was told to always consider the worst possible outcome of whatever I was about to do. Apparently our current administration wasn’t ever told that when they were growing up, because we’re only now beginning to see the unintended consequences that healthcare reform can and will bring to America. Health insurance companies in several states have recently announced that they will stop selling children’s policies in response to the mandate that no individual under the age of 19 be denied coverage for any reason whatsoever. So far, Maryland is unaffected. But we must wonder: for how long?

So why stop selling policies that cover children only? It does seem a little barbaric. Shouldn’t a sense of decency compel the insurance companies to continue? Unfortunately, health insurance companies are not in the business out of a sense of decency. They sell health insurance for the same reason most people have jobs: to make money. Clearly, if they are going to stop selling children’s policies it is because they do not think they could make a profit off them anymore.

The explanation for this is simple…http://www.mdpolicy.org/policyblog/newsID.133/news_detail.asp

20100923 MPPI Unintended Consequences

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Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Companies looking to drop employer-sponsored health insurance?

Companies looking to drop employer-sponsored health insurance? May 6, 2010

Marketplace on Twitter

http://www.publicradio.org/columns/marketplace/business-news-briefs/2010/05/companies_looking_to_drop_empl.html

CNN has attained internal documents that reveal big companies like AT&T, Deere, and Verizon debated whether to dump “the health care coverage they provide to their workers in exchange for paying penalty fees to the government.”

Is this the unintended consequence of the new health care legislation: companies saving money by opting to pay government penalties, rather than continuing to insure employees?

Although Congress first requested the companies’ documents, at no point did the government reveal that companies were deliberating dropping coverage. But deliberate they did.

At&T, for example, produced a PowerPoint presentation: “Medical Cost Versus No Coverage Penalty.” It found that its health care cost would fall from $2.4 billion a year to $600 million if it stopped providing health insurance to its employees, and paid the penalty instead.

Although companies like Verizon are now denying they’re even contemplating that course of action, records show otherwise. And what would the collapse of employer-sponsored health care mean for health care reform?

Only time will tell, but it’s probably not what President Obama had in mind.

http://www.publicradio.org/columns/marketplace/business-news-briefs/2010/05/companies_looking_to_drop_empl.html

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Wednesday, April 21, 2010

The Daily Caller: Geico voice-over actor fired after calling Tea Party group ‘mentally retarded’

Geico voice-over actor fired after calling Tea Party group ‘mentally retarded’

By Alex Pappas — The Daily Caller | Published: 04/21/10

A voice-over actor — best known for telling viewers they can save 15 percent or more on car insurance — says he lost his gig doing Geico commercials after leaving a voicemail with a group that organizes Tea Party events to ask how many of its employees are “mentally retarded.”

Los Angeles actor D.C. Douglas in a press release said he was dropped from the upcoming Geico “Shocking News” campaign after leaving a message with the press shop at FreedomWorks, a Washington-based organization led by former Republican leader Dick Armey that has been at the forefront of the Tea Party movement.

“I called as a private citizen to make a complaint,” Douglas said of the message he left with FreedomWorks. “Racism and homophobia are my Achilles heal, but unfortunately my message included inappropriate words and I am sorry for that. However, telling their members to harass my employer to get me fired is an egregiously disproportionate response to my actions.”

FreedomWorks Chief Executive Matt Kibbe posted audio of the phone call online. In the message...

Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2010/04/21/geico-voice-over-actor-fired-after-calling-tea-party-group-mentally-retarded/#ixzz0lmP68RVB

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Monday, March 09, 2009

Mission of Mercy raises awareness of health needs

Mission of Mercy raises awareness of health needs

Published in http://explorecarroll.com/news/2461/news-briefs/ on 03/04/2009

Mission of Mercy, a nonprofit that provides free health care to Carroll County residents who could not otherwise afford it, is holding a series of open houses to give the public an inside look at its operations and — hopefully in the minds of administrators — inspire more individuals to donate or volunteer.

The free, one-hour tours, dubbed Coffee with MOM, include a continental breakfast. They will be held at the Barrell House, 10 Distillery Drive, Westminster, where Mission of Mercy's mobile clinic treats medical and dental patients on its periodic stops in Westminster.

The dates are March 4 and 18, April 15 and 29 and May 6 and 27.

Mission of Mercy's client load has spiked as the economy has worsened.

The organization needs doctors and dentists who can volunteer a day or two a month, and also nurses to staff clinics. The operation also needs monetary donations.

MOM officials said clients include not just the unemployed, but also those who are employed but are still either uninsured or under-insured, insofar as they cannot afford their co-payments or need treatment not covered by insurance.

Those interested in attending a Coffee with MOM open house should call 410-857-4811.

Information is also available at www.aMissionofMercy.org.
— Bob Allen

20090304 Mission of Mercy raises awareness of health needs
SDOSM 20090309
Kevin Dayhoff www.kevindayhoff.net http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/