Category: Health Insurance

This is an image that reads: Musings on the “NEW” Healthcare Bills Part 2: ACA Winners and Losers
Category: ACA and Policy, Cost of Healthcare, Government Programs, Health Insurance

Musings on the “NEW” Healthcare Bills Part 2: ACA Winners and Losers

Last week, we began trying to explain why these new “Repeal and/or Replace” healthcare bills are so prominent in the political universe and so important right now.  We began that discussion with a short history lesson on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA or ACA), and now we know that a massive re-regulation and federalization of the individual health insurance market was the root of the opposition who are now trying to pass the current healthcare bills.

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This is a header image: Wouldn't More Competition Lower My Rates?
Category: ACA and Policy, Cost of Healthcare, Health Insurance

Wouldn’t More Competition Lower My Rates? Depends on the TYPE of Competition: Disruption in Healthcare, Part 1

A few weeks ago, I was invited to speak at a large meeting of employers who offer health insurance (and lots of other benefits) to their employees. All of them said they are struggling with continuing to pay for those benefits. As we entered the Q&A portion of the program, a very nice lady about halfway back stood up and fired a broadside at me:

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This is a picture of a hat and a prescription bottle to describe how drug companies come up with prices to charge.
Category: ACA and Policy, Cost of Healthcare, Government Programs, Health Insurance

Drug Company Magic, Part 3

“Did you know that health insurance companies that participate in federal or state programs also have stricter gross margin/profit caps on that business? For example, the Medicaid health plans in Louisiana have to pay state and local taxes, and they pay for all administration on 15 percent of the payments they get from the state for managing care of Medicaid patients.”

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