My Loved One Looks Really Sick…Where Do I Go?
Most of us have already been there. Someone very dear to you, a child, parent, brother, sister or spouse gets sick, and then really sick, and you get scared. What to do?
Tag: chronic health conditions
You’ve Just had a Heart Attack! Who Makes Sure You Get Your Life Back?
Editor’s Note: This is the second part of our interview with interim Blue Cross Medical Director Dr. Paul Murphree.
What If We Put Your Doctor on Commission?
Health insurance companies like Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana have a long history of trying to slow down the rapidly rising cost of healthcare. Over the years, a variety of strategies have emerged. Frankly, we’ve tried lots of stuff. When a company comes to us because their employee healthcare costs are going up too quickly, we try things like cutting out high-cost medical providers, steering people to less-expensive (but equally effective) drugs, raising out-of-pocket costs to discourage non-essential healthcare, and changing the mix between the employer contribution and the employee contribution.
Failure of Co-Ops Reflects Poorly on ACA
By Michael Bertaut, Healthcare Economist
Perhaps the saddest tale of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is the saga of the co-ops. These plans were asked to do the absolute impossible and it’s no surprise that they haven’t accomplished it.
What We’ve Got and How We Got Here: The American Healthcare System
By Michael Bertaut, Healthcare Economist
The debate is lively and nationwide. Why does the U.S. healthcare system cost so much? Why invest so many of our tax dollars into our healthcare system? And how do we stack up to other countries?
The Conundrum of Hepatitis-C Treatment (Part 1)
© Jason Cohen Photography
By Michael Bertaut, Healthcare Economist
It is very important to us here at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana that our members are well informed as to the nature of healthcare costs, and the things that drive their premiums. Understanding how we price our products and spend their money are two rights every Blue Cross member has. This will be the first in a series of blog posts designed to bring more transparency to the things that happen in today’s healthcare world that affect how much you pay for your premium and for medical services in general. Today’s topic: Hepatitis C (Part 1).