Archive for the ‘Health Care Reform’ Category

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Healthy NY: Doubts about Health Care

Monday, November 28th, 2011

obama healthcareThere are many citizens today that are beginning to doubt whether our health care system and health insurance system will ever be resolved. Who has the most concern regarding the new changes that are slowly seeping into our everyday lives? All American citizens are concerned with the new changes that are still developing through the instructions of the federal government. Empire Blue Cross healthy NY is only one of the many health insurance providers that are trying to comply with the mandatory changes that are infiltrating into our health insurance system.

When you consider the subtle battles that are ensuing, it is easy to understand why the various health insurance providers are struggling to make ends meet and continue to keep their subscribers satisfied. At the present time the different health insurance providers, including healthy NY insurance, is trying to balance a few main issues that have been at the forefront.

1. A financially sound Medicare system far into the future
2. Controllable medical health care costs
3. Reasonable pricing regarding prescription medication
4. The assurance of suitable, consistent health insurance coverage
It does seem to be amazing that now, all of a sudden we are experiencing so many problems with the medical health care delivery system and the high cost of health insurance.  Healthy New York is not alone in experiencing the amount of time that is spent with paperwork and other documentation. This is causing a delay with the amount of time it is taking to remit payments to medical physicians, community hospitals, and laboratories.

When you consider the constant increase in health insurance and the decrease in medical health care it is easy to understand that as a nation that is in the midst of a major crisis that will take some time to find the amicable solutions. Medical prescriptions that patients rely upon are experiencing a shortage and technology is fading into the distance at a time when both are in demand. The healthy NY program is trying to accommodate by searching for different ways to address the needs of the patients without causing alarm, but it becomes more difficult with the passage of time.

The most recent changes such as permitting children to remain on the family health insurance plan until the age of twenty-six, permitting all children with pre-existing medical health conditions to receive immediate health insurance coverage, and the increase in health insurance premiums is causing problems for the entire industry.

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Taxpayers and Exchanges for Affordable Health Insurance

Monday, September 12th, 2011

taxpayers and exchanges for health insurance

 

 

The state health insurance exchanges that each state is mandated to develop and staff will cost on average about five hundred thousand dollars and higher depending on the state where you reside. Self employed health insurance will continue to be offered, but it will be limited. The government wants to eliminate the specialized health insurance for the self-employed. This type of health insurance is very closely related to the individual health insurance and the government agencies see no reason for its continuance.

We have a fantastic system through the internet for all health insurance providers to reach out to new subscribers. The same health insurance providers are able to offer valued information to the current subscribers too and much faster than ever was thought possible. However, the internet way of offering affordable health insurance to new subscribers and existing subscribers is frowned upon by the government entities.

Taxpayer money is being utilized by each state in order to purchase and develop the state insurance exchanges for all citizens. This is suppose to encourage independent contractors, small business owner operators, sole proprietors, and freelance entrepreneurs to purchase a self employed health insurance policy that will cover all the medical requirements, but at a high expense. Of course, the people were under the impression that future health insurance policies would be comprehensive and the cost would drop way down compared to what everyone is paying today.

This could not be further from the truth because the health insurance policies will be very expensive and the medical assistance you will be covered for will be very limited. The state insurance exchanges are to be built and staffed with the use of taxpayer money and that does not seem logical. The people have to pay to have the state health insurance exchanges built and staffed. The people have to pay for each medical visit. The people have to pay for the government run single payer affordable health insurance policy that will not be very affordable. Does this new health insurance adventure make sense to you?

Most of the individual states and health insurance providers are trying to figure out how this entire new system will operate. The difficulty is with the information that the government entities are allowing to be released and this is creating doubt in the minds of many who are concerned. What will happen with the individual states once they have complied with the new health insurance laws? What will happen with the citizens of every state that decide not to participate with the new health insurance rules, laws, and regulations? What will happen with the various health insurance providers that have been in existence for decades?

Another question about the affordable health insurance policies is how many citizens will be hurt and left behind once the government has a strong foothold into the new health insurance system. How many medical physicians will continue to remain on this soil and keep their medical practice open for citizens in need of a medical physician? Perhaps in time, we will be afforded the answers to the questions.

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Changes Coming for Affordable Health Insurance

Monday, August 22nd, 2011

affordable health insurance changesThe people have listened to much rhetoric regarding The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to the point where it is becoming more complicated than it needs to be. Part of this is because no one really knows how the affordable care act will affect his or her business and daily life. A few of the health insurance changes have materialized and most citizens are pleased with the results. Regardless of whether you maintain a self employed health insurance policy or you maintain a group health insurance plan, the results are the same.

Pre-existing medical conditions have been a difficult hurdle to overcome for many citizens, but not anymore. All children under the age of twenty-six are now protected for health insurance coverage regardless of the severity of the pre-existing condition they are affected. Under normal circumstance, new policyholders had to wait up to eighteen months to be covered for pre-existing conditions, but this is now part of the past. Since the passage of the affordable care act, all health insurance providers such as Anthem health insurance have begun to increase the cost of the annual health insurance policy.

The problems that have arisen are the extensive price increases with the renewal health insurance policies the citizens are now receiving. This was not what the mass population was expecting and everyone is very unhappy with the results. There are other reason that are causing this to happen. All children are now covered for pre-existing medical conditions and may remain on the affordable health insurance policy of the parent until they reach the age of twenty-six.

Already the makeup of the traditional self employed health insurance policy is changing and some of the changes are difficult to keep up. Independent contractors and small businesses are struggling to find ways to work around the changes to the health insurance policies that have been initiated. This is going to be a difficult hurdle for many and few are pleased. Yet, there are many more changes to come and implemented by January 2014.

1.States are mandated to set up “SHOP” (Small Business Health Options Programs)
2.Extended tax credits for small business of ten employees or less until 2014
3.Health insurance providers can no longer eliminate pre-existing conditions for  health insurance coverage
4.In 2014 small businesses with more than fifty employees part or full time are  mandated to offer affordable health insurance or pay the Internal Revenue Service tax
5.All Cadillac health insurance policies in effect by 2014 will be issued a forty percent tax

Beginning 2014 individuals earning two hundred thousand dollars annually and families earning two hundred fifty thousand dollars per year will be issued a penalty tax of 3.8%

Are you beginning to understand how the new affordable care act will affect all of our lives? What is going to happen to the health insurance providers when all insurance becomes the government run single payer health insurance system? You certainly will not have a need to seek out a self employed health insurance policy or even an affordable health insurance policy. At this point, all health insurance for every individual citizen will be a cookie cutter of the next.

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Self Employed Health Insurance Care Reform Changes

Monday, July 25th, 2011

health insurance reforms

Do you have any idea of how The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is going to affect your self-employed business or small business? Do you even know how much longer you will be permitted to remain in your self-employed business? Will the affordable care act run interference and help you to close your doors? When this does become a part of the landscape reality, will you be prepared to conform or cease your personal employment? How will you and your family members be able to adjust to the new laws, rules, and regulations that will be spread out over the next few years?

One of the ways to work around the new affordable health insurance laws, if you want to continue operating your independent contractor business is to add your spouse and children to the health insurance policy. Under the new rules that will become a part of the landscape of the country, by performing this one adjustment, you will be eligible to qualify for the small-group health insurance coverage, and that will help to bring down the cost of the health insurance policy in its totality. Obviously, this will in turn reduce your monthly premium that you are responsible to pay.

Discussing your medical issues with a reputable health insurance provider such as Excellus may help you to understand how the new rules and laws will be implemented over time. This will also help you to learn how to adjust so that you can remain an independent contractor. The alternative will be to become employed with a larger corporation and closing the doors of your own small business. As an independent contractor, you will be eligible to apply for self employed health insurance at a better rate when you can add other family members to the health insurance policy.

The reason for this is so that the health insurance provider can develop a better understanding of your medical requirements. Remember, the cost for your insurance policy is also contingent upon the state and the area of the state where you reside. On average, the east coast and the west coast affordable health insurance policies are more expensive than in the middle of the country. All things relative or so everyone keeps repeating.

One of the more pleasurable aspects though will be with the reduced out of pocket expenses each time you find it necessary to visit with a medical physician. You might even find it interesting when you begin to realize what medical necessities you are covered for, at least on paper. Self employed health insurance will continue to remain expensive, as will individual health insurance, but it still will not be as expensive as it has been in the past.

Another consideration will be the state run health insurance exchanges for all individuals who are unable to afford a health insurance policy because of long-term pre-existing medical conditions for adults. All children are currently covered under the affordable care act for pre-existing medical conditions. This phase of the affordable care act became law earlier in 2011 and will continue during the duration of the current laws.

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Promises Not Delivered

Wednesday, June 1st, 2011

affordable health broken promises

What happened to the promised affordable health insurance?

It is so amazing how little information the American citizens received before The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act was passed into the history of this fine country. The people were fed such promises and hope for the salvation of the future of the entire medical health community and the insurance industry. We were all led to believe that the upheaval of our current affordable health insurance would lead to a better and transparent health system for all citizens.

As a country have come a long way since the early days of the passage of the affordable care act. We are learning what is in this insurance for self employed bill and many citizens are becoming very concerned. Some of the information that is being circulated is an untruth, but there is other information that citizens are finding very alarming. On so many levels, it is such a shame because our federal government had an opportunity to do something for the good of all citizens and they chose to consider what is best for them.

 

Expect the unexpected in affordable health insurance

The people were persuaded into thinking that the affordable health insurance that we were receiving would no longer continue to rise, but begin to descend to a more palatable cost factor. As we are now learning, this is far from the truth because our annual renewal insurance policies are more expensive now. The additional benefit to make matters even worse is the increase in the annual deductible, which is going to cause even more citizens to refrain from visiting with a neighborhood medical physician.
Buried in the affordable care act is another entry explaining how a portion of our tax dollars will be spent to disallow employees, small businesses, and the self-employed the privilege to continue to maintain the affordable self employed health insurance policy they have been enrolled with for the length of their employment with a particular business. The people have been informed many times, over how we can continue to visit with the medical physician of our choice and keep our current medical insurance self employed if we were satisfied with it, but we now understand this is not how it will be in the future.

Many of the medical physicians are leaving the medical community because they are about to receive another twenty-one percent reduction in Medicare reimbursements and this will tip the scales of remaining in business. The medical physician owned hospitals are being disallowed to grow in physical size and may not add additional beds to meet the needs of the community.

 

So what happens now?

Seasonal employers and employees will also be hurt by the passage of the affordable care act because the employers involved in the travel industry and seasonal employment will not be able to maintain the annual cost for insurance coverage for their employees. The new rules surrounding the new self employed health insurance plans will cause many of the seasonal employers to close their lucrative businesses and leave their loyal employees to flounder. When this happens, it will be a great loss for every community across the country.

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Affordable Health Insurance: Under New Management

Monday, May 23rd, 2011

affordable health insurance care reform

What’s new under the Affordable Health Insurance?

Our senior citizens are facing a multitude of changes to the medical health system they had become accustomed. There are a few seniors who are able to develop an understanding of what type of changes are coming, but other seniors are finding it difficult to understand. Much of this is because it depends on how long you have been on the Medicare insurance system.

The senior citizens who are just beginning to enroll in the government run Medicare insurance program are being given new booklets to read. Within the pages of this government run, taxpayer funded, low cost affordable health insurance are the new rules for all current and future Medicare recipients.

Yes, there are many changes coming and some changes to the health system are being put into place now. This is beginning to upset many senior citizens because they believe they were promised one thing and now they are being delivered something entirely different.

What are the changes to take effect?

This is not going to be an easy transition, but the law is what it is and until the people have the power to change the new laws, we are obligated to incorporate them into our every day life.  The new payment system that many of the medical physicians are now obligated to agree are developing a sour taste. This is causing many of the medical physicians to forfeit Medicare patients in the future.

Family health plus insurance is being introduced into the American lifestyle. It is going to continue to change many aspects of life for all citizens, but our creative, entrepreneurial citizens will feel it the most. The new focus, which is very agreeable with the insurance provider, will also contribute to keeping the quotes for self employed health insurance on various lower policies too.

The new administering of health treatments will consist of a group effort. This group effort will include the practicing physician, insurance provider, and a minimal hospital staff all working together for the good of the individual. Theoretically, this is supposed to keep the cost of care lower than it ever has been in past generations.
The main thrust of focus will be on the wellness of the individual. Assisting individuals to remain healthy is far less costly to the medical community than when a patient meets a medical physician in the hospital.  The focus on wellness will also help bring down the cost of insurance for self employed as well as for all citizens too because the insurance provider will not be reimbursing payment as often.

Affordable health insurance for individuals are finding their costs have risen tremendously over the past few decades. Emergency rooms of the local community hospital are under attack by the volume of individuals who enter on a regular basis. Establishing a viable system where these individuals can visit with a health physician in a medical clinic will leave the emergency rooms at the local community hospital free for the seriously ill patients.

Whats in it for us individuals?

The people have been promised that the average cost of self employed health insurance will be distributed through insurance providers and they will begin to reduce the overall cost. What we are not sure about is how long it will take. In the meantime, our citizens are being afforded a few extras that will benefit those who choose to partake.

  1. Routine health examinations and yearly physicals
  2. Mammograms, and cardiovascular testing
  3. Annual testing for glaucoma

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Wellness Programs

Tuesday, April 5th, 2011

Overreaching Health Insurance Programs

Do you understand what the soon-to-be implemented wellness programs in many of the local larger corporations are and why they are being instituted? This is another part written into the pages of the health care reform bill that was passed in March 2010. This is a health bill that is being touted as a magnificent benefit to all citizens, but is this true. Is it possible there are other reasons the federal government has for wanting these wellness centers instituted so quickly before they even have the state health insurance exchanges in place?

These wellness programs are under the charge of your employer. This will give the employer new powers to institute over all their current employees under the guise of reporting to the Internal Revenue Service. Your employer now has the power over your activities whether you are on the premise during proper business hours or sitting at home with your family members.

Health Insurance:  Benefit Or Burden?

Since it is your employer who is paying for your insurance policy, does your employer now have the power to tell you what you can do and what you cannot to do. This is regardless of the fact that you are also having health insurance deductions through your paycheck to help pay for this insurance. What power does your employer now have over you other than your universal health care and perhaps your family members too?

Will this now translate that your employer is now responsible for your health around the clock no matter where you are or what you are doing. What ever happened to self-reliance, independence, and freedom? Are we now entering a new form of government that has control of every aspect of your life? What will happen to those individuals who refuse the insurance? What will be expected from you in exchange for your average monthly cost for health insurance being paid by your employer?

Well, you will be expected to participate in the wellness center where you can go to have your BMI measured. If you fail to meet the government guidelines, you will be placed on an exercise program and given a specific diet plan to follow. Your blood pressure will be checked regularly and when the government mandates specific inoculations for your protection of course, you will be expected to participate and accept the inoculation.

Health Insurance Demands

You will be given a designated period of time to conform to the low-cost health insurance issues that are written on your wellness chart. When you fail to show progress within the given amount of time allotted your salary will begin to see deductions for non-compliance. It will be interesting to learn how many employees decide to withdraw from the employer sponsored insurance program when they continue to be harassed on the job. However, that will mean that you will have to purchase your own personal affordable health insurance policy, deal with the Internal Revenue Service, and make the agreed monthly payments on time of course. The only other alternative you are left with is to forfeit all health insurance and accept the penalty tax fee when the Internal Revenue Service is alerted to the fact that you no longer have a health  care policy.

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Health Care Reform and Senior Citizens

Monday, March 14th, 2011

Senior Need Quality Health Insurance

There are many individuals today that must report for regular dialysis or they will cease to exist. How sad that many of these individuals are under the scrutiny of the federal government because the federal government seems to be holding a grudge against our senior citizens, why? Could it be because the entire Medicare health insurance system is the most expensive department the government has to fund? There are many of our senior citizens along with other individuals who must report regularly for dialysis care treatments to help them remain healthy and pain-free a little longer.

Seniors, Brace Yourselves for Health Insurance Cuts

It really is a shame that our government does not see life for what it is. Some of our senior citizens do well throughout their entire lifetime, while others require assistance. The government today is developing a new focus and the goal is to eliminate the low-cost health insurance of Medicare and eliminate all the necessary treatments and functions that have helped our senior citizens to remain healthy longer. Ambulance service, diagnostic laboratories, transplants, durable medical equipment aids, ambulatory devices, and yes dialysis.

How sad that our government no longer values the lives of an entire population of citizens who require so little to remain healthy through their local health care services. Yes, our senior citizens are a target of the federal government and there will be tremendous cuts to the insurance system and the health system that is wrapped around our senior citizens. The generation who lived hard, played hard, worked hard, and fought hard to protect the country that they came to love and honor.

Where Can They Turn To For Their Health Insurance Needs?

Now this same country is turning its back on our senior citizens because they are overburdening the affordable health insurance system and the health system. Is this the legacy you want to teach your children, their grandson, and granddaughter? The problem is in part because the private sector insurance providers could never compete with any government-run insurance.

The federal government, until now, has always had an abundance of money at their disposal unlike the private sector insurance providers. Now there is no place for our senior citizens to turn for help, care, aid, and assistance to a quality of life. The medical united health care community has their hands tied because many of the treatments, rehabilitation centers, and expensive prescription medication and more is slowly disappearing from the outside market. Do we the people even have a chance to reverse all that is currently happening before this becomes more of a reality?

We currently have many medical health physicians closing their office doors and leaving the country to practice in freedom in another country. Other medical health physicians are refusing to accept any Medicare individual health insurance recipients into the office as a potential patient. Where in this country can our senior citizens go and receive the care, kindness, and attention they so deserve. We the people must bring back the health insurance services and all the medical health physicians for our citizens to be afforded the high level of care that we all deserve.

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Health Care Rationing Begins

Tuesday, March 8th, 2011

Expect Changes in Your Health Insurance

Many decades have passed and the criteria for judging the worth of prescription medication was based on how the individual’s quality of life is enhanced even when the individual is facing an end of life medical health care situation. This has worked well for the health insurance providers and the individual involved. However, there are a few new rules, laws, regulations, and calculation methods that are currently changing or being added.

Health Insurance Providers Will Need to Ration Prescription Coverage

One of the first changes to our health care system under the health care reform is the reduction and eventual elimination of a medical health care prescription medication that goes by the name of Avistan. This is a last resort medical health care prescription medication to help many women to live a few more months and on occasion up to an addition year.

Now this may not sound important to the mass population, but it is important to all those women who count time as a precious gift.  The health insurance providers who have female patients diagnosed with breast cancer are fully aware of how the expense for the journey develops. This particular medical prescription medication happens to be very expensive and therefore does not fit into the government-run health care reform.

The government wants to bring the cost of all health insurance down through the implementation of the health care reform and any expensive medication and treatment no longer fits into the scenario. In the future all women diagnosed with breast cancer and given this prescription medication can acquire it when they pay for it themselves. You have to wonder how many more women will succumb to breast cancer when this prescription medication is eliminated from the health insurance providers.

Could it be that we as a country no longer value life the way we once did? The health insurance providers will be happy to eliminate such an expensive medication. Will they research the mounting deaths because of this move? This is not the only prescription medication that will soon disappear from our country. There are other prescription medication for various stages of cancer that will soon be eliminated.

Health Insurance Expenses are Being Reduced But At the Cost of Lives?

The government mandate to remove all expensive prescription medications as a requirement for the health insurance providers will save thousands of millions of dollars, but what happens to all those individuals receiving a diagnosis? What is going to happen to the medical health care industry that has grown in leaps and bounds with the introduction of technological advancements? Will this begin to disappear from our country too because we must keep the annual cost and the average monthly cost for health insurance to a minimum?

The health care reform is only looking at the initial cost for short-term health care and long-term health care and not seeing what it will do to the individual. Will our children who are born with life-threatening diseases and long-term diseases be next for the government to investigate?

When your child is diagnosed with  brain cancer, muscular dystrophy, cerebral palsy, and other long-term disease will the government intervene and decide who has access to medical life-saving health insurance treatment and who does not?

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Early Retiree Reinsurance Program

Monday, February 7th, 2011

ERRP Is Costing Our Health Insurance

The Early Retiree Reinsurance Program or ERRP was another addition written into The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The initiation of this insurance program is costing the taxpayers five billion dollars and instituted in every state of the union.  Right from the initiation there were about two thousand small business employers and large corporation employers who signed up to be a part of the program. Other institutions that joined the new portion of the health care reform bill are:

1.    Local  city governments and state governments

2.    Educational institutions and Non-profit organizations

3.    Labor unions and private companies

4.    Religious organizations

ERRP Intended to Promote Affordable Health Insurance

The Early Retiree Reinsurance Program was established for the purpose to help all active employees, retirees, spouses, surviving spouses, and their dependents. This will leave the avenues open to all to insure that everyone will have access to affordable health insurance even as the costs continue to rise and the health coverage shrinks.

The concept of health cost-sharing among the many different individuals and their families will offer some consolation in keeping some of the costs under control. At the present time, over two thousand businesses and unions have eagerly signed up. They are more than willing to participate in the average monthly cost for health insurance cost-sharing program, well into the future.

Added Popularity for the Health Insurance Overhaul

This particular part of the health reform bill seems to be gaining some ground throughout the population as a positive reinforcement for hundred of thousands of individuals. The Department of Health and Human Services also claims the Early Retiree Reinsurance Program was also ready to initiate low cost health insurance coverage for those individuals who are age fifty-five and younger than sixty-five years of age.

The public arena views this particular portion of the health reform bill as the interim affordable insurance for those individuals who are not quite ready to enroll in Medicare. In a sense, one could say that this ERRP will fill in the gap.

This is the period of time that rests between a traditional health insurance policy and the Medicare insurance policy.

This is seen and widely accepted as a positive approach to a long existing insurance problem that has existed for decades. The current breakdown percentage of the Early Retiree Reinsurance Program is explained as follows.

1.    Thirty-two percent of insurance applications are from the private business sector

2.    Twenty-six percent of insurance applications are from the state governments and the city governments

3.    Twenty-two percent of all insurance applications are from the union representatives and memberships

4.    Fourteen percent of insurance applications are from public schools and other educational institutions

5.    Five percent of individual health insurance applications are from the non-profit organizations

Most of these individuals have received their new low-cost insurance policy during the first week of October 2010 and to date are satisfied with the coverage they are receiving. The waiting lines to make an appointment with a medical health physician still exist, but they have more health insurance for themselves and for their family members.

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