E-prescribing is actually on its way in and is currently being used in the health care system by doctors on a trial basis. However, it is actually more serious than just a test, as the federal government is already forking over e-prescribing bonuses to health care providers.
To find out if a local doctor in your area is trying this innovative system, check out www.learnabouteprescriptions.com for a list. Look for e-prescribing to be fully implemented by now, and if any doctors are not using it for 2013 and 2014, they will be penalized 1 percent of 2012/2013 Medicare charges and 2 percent for 2014 Medicare bills.
Health insurance quotes will not change too much due to the recent election, and neither will health insurance rates. In fact, you will likely find them to be very competitive. Why? Because health insurance plans are priced out according to what a private health care insurance company feels their customers will pay. That’s right, what the market will bear at any given time, and so the insurance company will charge accordingly. That’s why shopping around for prices is a smart thing.
There is government regulation in Medicare and Medicaid, however private insurers are able to swing their own deals. And that is why you end up paying (in some cases) more than you should have to pay. Never buy the first insurance policy you see. Make sure to get more than three quotes and spend the time understanding what the policy covers and does not cover. Best to get your insurance now, before 2014.
To read more and get a health insurance quote, visit https://www.benepath.com
The Supreme Court ruling on health reform will have a lasting impact on what Americans pay for health insurance. The Affordable Care Act has multiple provisions that will directly impact the cost of insurance in both positive and negative ways:
Guaranteed Issue – We have already seen what has happened to the cost of individual health insurance in states where they eliminated underwriting like New York and New Jersey. They go up and their uninsured population expands. New Jersey has 12% of their population without coverage which is 25% higher than Pennsylvania – a neighboring state – in spite of New Jersey’s higher income and lower unemployment rates. Its because individual policies cost two times what they do in Pennsylvania.
Individual Mandate – This provision will offset the cost of guaranteed issue somewhat, but the penalties are not high enough to ensure the participation you would need from the healthy population to offset those costs. A quick look at the costs in Massachusetts will show you how premiums respond to both a mandate and guaranteed issue. Its not pretty.
Preventive care and covering children to age 26 – These two provisions are both popular and not very expensive (maybe 2-4% impact on premiums) – my bet is if health reform is stricken, we will see this passed into law very quickly. Aetna, UnitedHealthcare and Humana are all saying they will keep these provisions in their plans even if the law is stricken.
Medical Loss Ratio (MLR) Requirements – Carriers were required to keep non-medical costs below certain thresholds – most carriers were already there – so no real impact. Most carriers just used this provision to cut agent commissions, which cost this country thousands of jobs.
Premium Subsidies – My only thought here is how was this bill actually going to pay for this? This bill was not funded adequately or with much more than smoke and mirrors. The claim was for huge savings in Medicare – but that was offset by the expansion of Medicaid – which the states have to fund a chunk of… Its just too easy to punch holes in how this $100B plan would never generate $100B in revenues.
At the end of the day, most Americans will be better off if the entire bill is stricken but doing so will create a vacuum that will need to be filled by something else. Let’s hope our leaders can actually work together to create a truly bipartisan plan that has a decent chance of working.
To get excellent health insurance quotes, try Compare-Health-Quotes.
In part, health insurance rates respond to the market. Not to necessarily reduce their rates, unless they want to attract customers, but they respond by offering new programs and options for those who need health insurance. Of course, the options come with a price tag, and if you want to get a good deal, you need to shop around for one.
Not many consumers appreciate that health insurance plans are predicated on what a private health insurance company can get from their customers. That’s right, what the market will bear, and so the insurance company will charge accordingly. That is why shopping around for the best price is a smart thing. Remember, insurance companies are in business for the bottom dollar – yours.
While there is government regulation for Medicare and Medicaid, private insurers can name their own prices. And that is why you end up paying (in some cases) more than you should have to pay. Be smart and shop smart.
To learn more and get a health insurance quote, visit https://www.benepath.com.
Do not be too surprised to find health insurance quotes changing frequently. This has to do with all the changes in the Health Reform Act – at least those that have been implemented so far. Day by day, you may find quotes varying because health insurance quotes respond to what is happening in the marketplace.
Right now the competition is hot for agents to land Medicare clients, as another wave of them come of age soon. Also right around the corner is 2014 and the looming specter of mandatory health insurance for everyone. Expect to see big changes as things progress. Tip: if you find a really good health insurance quote, take advantage of it now. Do not wait thinking you might get a better deal later. You might, but then again, you might not.
To learn more and get a health insurance quote, visit https://www.benepath.com.
Medical discount plans DO have their uses and the main one is that you can partner them up with your health insurance plan and do yourself a deal. If you want to that is. When you buy a medical discount plan and use it in conjunction with affordable health insurance, you have a decent combination that may work in your favor.
More often than not, a combo like this is best for those who are about to go on Medicare, but may have a couple or so years left until that milestone. If a senior can save money by buying a medical discount plan with affordable health insurance, mores the power to them. Just remember to read the fine print.
To learn more and get a health insurance quote, visit https://www.benepath.com
On the front page of the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal were two articles that really hit at the heart of health reform’s promise of covering everyone and reducing/controlling health insurance costs.
In the New York Times there was also a full page ad run by the American Medical Association urging Congress to pass emergency legislation to prevent their reimbursement rates from dropping. This happens every year as Congress does not have the will to actually implement cost saving measures it adopted years ago to control runaway Medicare expenses. I’m sure that Congress will come back from their Memorial Day break and pass this legislation; like they do every year.
So what makes anyone think that when the time comes to start cutting provider fees under health reform that Congress won’t pass emergency legislation every year to prevent those cuts from happening. I am pretty sure that it won’t, and the attacks on the Dartmouth Study are the initial campaigns by health care providers to make sure its not their fat cut from the meat to pay for health reform.
Karl Rove in his Op-Ed piece in the WSJ makes some pretty compelling arguments about other hidden costs, points out that the Congressional Budget Office has added another $120 Billion to the price tag of health reform and that Medicare’s chief actuary sees many places where the unintended consequences of health reform will cost us a lot more money. While slanted, its worth a read.
When promoting the cost savings of health reform, the administration used the Dartmouth Atlas of Health Care to show that there is up to $700B a year in potential savings by eliminating “waste” in the health care system. Today’s article in the New York Times makes a very compelling case that the potential savings are significantly less than advertised as “measures of the quality of care are not part of the formula”.
The study mainly shows the varying costs of care in Medicare by region. Everything about savings was an extremely loose extrapolation of the data as it was argued that care in Iowa and Minnesota is better and cheaper than care in New Jersey or Miami. In fact, this article points out that there is little evidence to support this notion.
Bottom line, the recently enacted Health Care Reform plan will cost our country significantly more than advertised and it is simply not possible to provide universal coverage without raising revenue (aka taxes) – on pretty much everyone.
If the legislation goes into effect, it will make our existing budget problems worse and it will lead to higher taxes eventually, and again, not just on people making more than $250,000.
Personally, I am not opposed to the concept that everyone should get health care, but in a democracy we need to have an honest conversation about how much that will cost and then decide if the majority of the people are willing to pay for universal coverage.
