Healthcare Shopper News

For the informed consumer of health care

October 2006 Monthly Archive

Healthcare not a factor in California governor's race

Healthcare would seem to be a big issue in California, where more than 6 million residents are uninsured, urban emergency rooms teeter on the brink of closure and rising costs are pinching the state budget as well as taxpayers. It is not, however, much of an issue in the gubernatorial campaign. One reason is voters themselves. In a recent poll, just 4% of those likely to cast ballots ranked healthcare as their No. 1 concern in the governor's race. Most... read more

Posted by Phil Daigle on October 31, 2006 4:01 PM
| Comments (0)


Humana scores big with Medicare prescription benefits

Humana Inc., the second-largest provider of Medicare drug benefits, said its profit more than tripled on higher prescription-plan membership.Third-quarter net income increased to $159.2 million, from $46.8 million. The company expanded its share of the government's Medicare health plan for the elderly and disabled by offering the lowest prices for prescription benefits and promoting its managed-care plans. In the quarter, membership in Humana's Medicare managed care plans almost doubled from a year earlier. Humana will add as many as 200,000... read more

Posted by Phil Daigle on October 30, 2006 2:49 PM
| Comments (0)


More generic prescription drug available soon

Brand-name drugs that account for about $30 billion in annual sales are expected to lose patent protection this and next year. Generic prescription drugs are getting a bigger role in many people's health care spending as competition among retailers drives down generic prices and the selection of those drugs becomes more plentiful. Consumers can save 30% to 80% by switching from brand-name drugs to generic versions. The uninsured and those covered by the Medicare prescription drug benefit are expected to... read more

Posted by Phil Daigle on October 30, 2006 2:25 PM
| Comments (0)


We don't know what medical treatments cost

As employers increasingly seek to encourage people to look for lower-cost medical services, workers will need to know what their medical services cost. According to a survey by Harris Interactive for employee benefits provider Great-West Healthcare, 68% of respondents did not know the cost of treatment until it was received and 11% said they never learned the cost. Respondents guessed that a routine doctor's office visit costs $95, when it typically costs $200. For emergency department visits, respondents estimated average... read more

Posted by Phil Daigle on October 30, 2006 1:54 PM
| Comments (0)


Voters pin hopes on the Democrats for help with health insurance for the uninsured

A USA Today/Gallup poll, published in USA Today reports that 60% of U.S. adults believe Democrats would work to provide health insurance to the uninsured if they take control of Congress after the midterm elections. According to the poll, 52% of respondents believe Democrats would allow the purchase of prescription medications from abroad and 72% would approve of such a move. In addition, 79% of respondents would approve of efforts to expand health insurance to the uninsured. In related news,... read more

Posted by Phil Daigle on October 30, 2006 1:37 PM
| Comments (0)


Employees prefer health Insurance to cash

Asked to choose between a $6,700 raise and employer-sponsored health insurance, 75% (of those polled) picked the health plan. Of those, 13% said no raise would be big enough to persuade them to give up their coverage. The average cost of employer-provided coverage was about $6,700 per worker in 2004. It has since gone up to more than $7,100. These results come from the annual Health Confidence Survey, released today by the nonpartisan Employee Benefit Research Institute. The telephone poll... read more

Posted by Phil Daigle on October 26, 2006 4:05 PM
| Comments (0)


When a Man Spends His Own Money

The economist Milton Friedman, a Nobel Prize winner, said, "When a man (precedes gender consciousness) spends his own money to buy something for himself, he is very careful how much he spends and how he spends it. When a man spends his own money to buy something for someone else, he is very careful how much he spends but somewhat less careful about what he spends it on. When a man spends someone elses money to buy something for himself,... read more

Posted by Phil Daigle on October 21, 2006 11:47 AM
| Comments (0)


Medical Tourism Growing in Popularity

A growing number of Americans (500,000 last year) are traveling to countries like India, Thailand, Costa Rica and Malaysia for medical care. Perhaps they are put at ease by the number of U.S.-trained doctors abroad and an increasing number of hospitals that are certified by U.S. insurance companies - Blue Cross Blue Shield Association includes an India hospital in its network of participating hospitals; California insurer Health Net contracts with clinics in Mexico; and West Virginia's Legislature is considering a... read more

Posted by Phil Daigle on October 20, 2006 9:52 AM
| Comments (0)


Kaiser Must Reinstate Cancelled Policy, California Regulators Rule

As scrutiny over cancelled policies grows, the California Department of Managed Health Care ruled that Kaiser Foundation Health Plan illegally canceled coverage for a Northern California woman. The cancellation was illegal, the agency ruled, because there was no evidence the woman intended to deceive the health maintenance organization about her medical history when completing her application for coverage. With the order against Kaiser, all three of the state's largest health plans are now embroiled in the controversy. Blue Cross of... read more

Posted by Phil Daigle on October 19, 2006 11:22 AM
| Comments (0)


Blue Cross of California Settles Lawsuits

Blue Cross of California has agreed to settle more than 70 lawsuits and claims filed by patients who accused the state's largest health insurer of illegally canceling their coverage after they got sick. The settlements will allow the former policyholders to pay hefty medical bills that they were stuck with after losing their insurance. The issue behind this story is the fact that carriers of individual health insurance policies have been rescinding or cancelling policies after they have been issued,... read more

Posted by Phil Daigle on October 19, 2006 9:16 AM
| Comments (0)