Personalities Matter! (Even at the Federal Level)
Now that we have a new President-Elect, Donald Trump, a pretty huge amount of uncertainty has filtered into the healthcare (and health insurance) business.
Tag: healthcare costs
The Plain and Ugly Truth about Rate Increases
How the Healthcare Law Has Changed the Individual Health Insurance Marketplace
In January 2010, just a few months before healthcare reform law passed, I got a study by a national actuarial firm that measured the impact of state regulations on health insurance plan pricing. This study showed WIDE variation in the definition of an individual health insurance policy, and how plans were priced, from state to state.
Policy Points No. 2: Medicare for All
Blue Cross is looking at the public healthcare policy statements presidential candidates are making and Straight Talk’s Mike Bertaut will shed some light on the realities of some of these policies from his own perspective.
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.
‘My Premiums Just Went Up HOW Much? What the Heck?’
I can’t help but notice some folks talking on our social media about eye-popping price increases. I’m hearing talk of premiums doubling, or even tripling, since last year. What’s the story with this?