Want the Straight Talk on how we spend your money? Healthcare Economist Mike Bertaut lays it out, in plain English, in this video from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana.
The dollars you pay us for health insurance go right back out to pay the medical expenses for you and your fellow Blue Cross and HMO Louisiana members. This video shows where each of the pennies of the average Blue Cross premium “dollar” goes.
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
Way back in 2009, when I went to Washington, D.C. on behalf of your Louisiana Blue Plan for the first time, I discovered some amazing things. You might call me a wide-eyed, first-timer in the Big City (even though I was already 48 years old!) as I met lobbyists, legislators, staffers for a bunch of influential people, and policymakers intent on writing what eventually became the Affordable Care Act. Read more
Michael, I congratulate you on creating a good tool to communicate the process of how health insurance works as well as the specific %’s in your market. Very helpful. All the best, Brett
Brett!
Your comments are very much appreciated! I have been blessed with an amazing team who edit and compile my Straight Talk work. It’s not always easy to turn my random brain dumps into sensible prose! I’d like to call out the whole team here:
Editors: Lindsey Burton, Kristin Sunde, Tara Lachney, Desiree Robertson
Web Design/Graphics: Rich Loupe, Alex Biglane, Blake Cason
Hope I didn’t forget anyone! Thanks guys!…mrb