My longtime Straight Talk readers may remember that just a few years ago, we were discussing medical marijuana. I gave you the Straight Talk on the latest state and federal developments on when medical marijuana is permitted, went over some of the pros and cons, and described many of the unknowns (and there were plenty!) that must be factored into making something like cannabis use covered by your health insurance. Read more

When I was a young boy growing up in Morgan City in the 1960s, there was an event I really looked forward to every year. My dad (the Straight Talk founder) worked for an oil company, and every year they would host a company picnic. Two picnics in a row, actually, since most of their workers were offshore seven days, then home seven days. The double picnics gave everyone a chance to attend. So on consecutive Saturdays in May, the company would have picnics, and I got to go to BOTH of them! Read more

Last time, I shared with you some insights from our Senior Medical Director, Dr. Larry Simon, about why prior authorization is an important way Louisiana Blue protects our members’ health and safety while being good stewards of their premium dollars. I addressed some common questions we hear from members to explain why this process exists and how it operates. Read more

for Us to Be Good Stewards of Your Money

I’ve been involved in church management for decades; I’m used to hearing “steward” or “good steward” thrown around a lot. I recently realized I never looked up any real definition of the word. I did, and I found five different definitions in the same dictionary. The one that resonated with me: Read more

One of my favorite sayings that my older relatives would bat around every time we went hunting, fishing, or enjoyed a football game and meal at their houses on a fall Sunday was this:

“Mike, that’s just short-term smart and long-term stupid! Stay away from it!” Read more

Oh, yes, the headlines were blaring at me recently: “New research shows the United States’ healthcare system came in LAST compared to the 10 best in the world!”

Of course, me being me, I couldn’t let THAT stand without digging into the details. Read more