Here’s an article about unlikely victims of the health care mess in our country:
Click Here
January 5, 2012
Doctors Going Broke?
November 20, 2011
Why Do Businesses Accept Premium Rate Hikes as Inevitable Year-After-Year?
Why do businesses and business columnists write about premium hikes as if they’re expected? It really doesn’t have to be this way. “Only” a 6% rate increase can mean the difference between a business owner buying or not buying that extra truck or other piece of equipment he/she needs for their business.
To Read More, Click Here
November 13, 2011
Employees Now Contributing More Than Ever For Their Health Care
Skyrocketing health care costs are forcing employers to ask employees to share some of the costs.
November 9, 2011
Sometimes, you’re better off to NOT participate in your employer’s group benefits plan.
When is an employee better off opting out of his/her employer’s group insurance plan? This article will tell you when…
January 19, 2011
Can California Cut Medi-Cal Payments?
The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to review whether California can be sued for cutting Medi-Cal payments to health care providers. Twenty-two states have joined California in appealing the issue to the high court.
January 11, 2011
60% Rate Hike? Really??
Blue Shield wants to hike its health insurance premiums again. If it’s able to get this proposed rate hike approved, it could mean an increase of nearly 60 percent for policyholders. The rate hikes could affect hundreds of thousands of Californians.
Now California’s new insurance commissioner Dave Jones wants this hike delayed while he investigates the proposed hikes. Blue Shield isn’t the only carrier trying to jack-up its rates. Aetna and Pacific Care have also proposed sizable rate hikes. Aetna just raised its rates an average of 19% in October. It now wants to raise them again by nearly 20%. Yikes!!!
It’s easy for you and me to point our fingers at our health insurance carriers for the ever-rising cost of our coverage. We can clearly see how big of a bite that insurance costs take out of our checking accounts. Insurance industry profits are high in spite of their cries of losing money.
But what it there’s some truth in the insurance company claims that we’re using our plans more than ever and that their costs are rising? Is it possible that doctors, medical equipment providers and hospitals are raising their fees too? I think so. But it’s hard for you and I as consumers to know that the doctor we just visited paid the medical supplier more for its MRI equipment and the nurses higher wages than it paid to them a year ago.
The high cost of medical care is a Killing many consumers’ budgets and frankly, I’m not sure where the solution lies. Health Care Reform has made some inroads into making coverage more accessible to us all. But it hasn’t yet addressed the spiraling costs that may derail the entire system if people can no longer afford proper medical care.
September 9, 2010
Who Are Your Legislators Working For?
The California State Legislature just refused to give its own Insurance Department the authority to control health insurance rate increases.
The bill (AB2578) which passed the Assembly, would have required HMO’s and health insurance carriers to proposed rate increases OK’d by either the California Department of Insurance or the Department of Managed Health Care.
The trough is getting filled in Sacramento
Who do are legislators work for? What are the odds that the legislators that received the most campaign contributions from the insurance industry voted against the legislation?
September 19, 2009
Can You Handle The Truth???
I learned of an objective, fact-oriented website this week that separates fact-from-fiction in the health care debate. The website’s address is:
www.factcheck.org.
This site doesn’t appear to be leaning in any political direction. Just the truth, whether it favors conservatives or liberals, pro or anti-reformists, etc.
The site sets straight, many of the lies that both sides of the health reform debate are spreading. I highly recommend it for those who can handle the truth.
September 10, 2009
More Health Care Reform Fabrications…
Senator David Vitter (R-La.) recently sent fundraising letters to his constituents about the proposed health care reform bills in Washington. Here’s some example misstatements from his letter.
- The proposed reforms will cover 12 million illegal aliens
- The proposed reforms will cause 119 million Americans to lose their existing coverage.
Is this guy for real? How did he get elected to the Senate? I don’t know the answer to that question, but I do know that he ran on a platform of “Family Values.” That was before his phone number turned up on phone records of the alleged prostitution ring in Washington in 2007.
September 9, 2009
Rep. Joe Wilson Lied
I just wrote the following letter to Congressman Joe Wilson:
“Dear Representative Wilson:
I’m a proud American. It’s bad enough that you blurted out your insult to the President during a major speech. But your insult tonight is inaccurate. Nowhere in the bills now making their way through Congress, is there mention of Illegal Aliens getting coverage. In fact, the bills specifically exclude illegal aliens. Only LEGAL aliens would be covered under the proposed legislation.
Your “death panel” comment in the newspaper a couple of weeks ago is also wrong. In the past, Medicare didn’t cover end-of-life counseling by physicians. The proposed legislation mandates that medicare pay for this kind of counseling FOR PEOPLE THAT WANT IT every five years.
If you’d bothered to read the bills being considered, you’d know the above two points to be true.
The problem with your behavior and your misinformation is that not only do your constituents see it, but the rest of the world does, too. You make our country appear like a “banana republic.” Your behavior embarrasses our country in the eyes of the world.
I share your disagreement with parts of the proposed health care reform now on Capital Hill. But rather than spread lies and create fear, I propose that we present alternative proposals. If all you can do is blurt out insults and participate in fear-mongering, please get out of the way of legislators that are serious about making our health care system more effective for all of us.
Respectfully,
Robert Lehrer”