In a just released piece in the New England Journal of Medicine piece, American Enterprise Institute (AEI) healthcare economist and former Congressional Budget Office official assesses the Wyden-Ryan Medicare reform proposal.
“The Wyden-Ryan proposal outlines a strategy for Medicare reform that harnesses market forces to control costs. It provides a real alternative to the top-down controls favored in the [Affordable Care Act].” Joseph Antos
Antos points out that:
18 Jan
Posted by: Ethan Collin in: Featured Articles
Indiana lawmakers are considering two pieces of legislation that would require auto insurers to make “good faith” efforts to reach policyholders who have filed accident claims and set a deadline for coverage providers to notify state officials about cancellation of their Indiana car insurance policies.
One of the bills, sponsored by state Sen. Ron Grooms and introduced earlier this month into the state Legislature, would require coverage providers to immediately attempt to contact policyholders and other parties involved in accidents that result in claims being filed.
The proposed law, which applies to crashes for which the policyholder is believed to have been at fault, would require companies to make efforts to contact policyholders and any other individuals necessary in order to settle a claim. It
15 Jan
Posted by: Ethan Collin in: Featured Articles
If you are filing bankruptcy, you may be concerned about your life insurance proceeds and whether they will enter the picture as part of your assets.
Depending upon the situation, most life insurance proceeds are immune from bankruptcy proceedings. However, there are some exceptions to this rule.
First, it is important to determine what type of bankruptcy you are filing. There are three types which are generally used by the average person: Chapter 7, which is a liquidation; Chapter 13, also called a “wage-earner” plan, in which you make payments to a trustee; and Chapter 11, which is a business bankruptcy.
Depending on what type of bankruptcy you file, some or all of your life insurance proceeds could be subject to the court’s jurisdiction.
If you are filing a Chapter 7 and you own a term-life policy, none of the proceeds will be subject to the bankruptcy. This
10 Jan
Posted by: Ethan Collin in: Featured Articles
Recent increases of a government levy on health insurance has seen price hikes in Ireland, resulting in thousands of people cancelling their cover.
The levy, which is set to rise again by as much as 40%, could result in average adult prices going from EUR205 to EUR285 and the price of insurance for children increasing from EUR66 to EUR95.
The initial levy saw 75,000 people cancel their private cover last year, putting added pressure on an already stressed public health system.
If the expected levy increased is introduced, experts expect to see more cancellations this year.
“If prices were to increase again in 2012 as a result of this levy, the cancellation figure could be anything up to 100,000 by next January.The challenge for the industry is that those cancelling tend to be the younger, healthier lives,” said Health Insurance expert Dermot Good.
“The impact of this trend is that the insurers are left with higher claims costs which cause more upward pressure on premiums and thus the cycle of increased cancellations/premium hikes continues.”
A number of main health insurers in Ireland have already announced price increases for 2012 with Quinn Healthcare stating a 12% increase on top of the 20% increase some customers experienced last year.
Aviva have announced a 15% increase for this year, while VHI prices are rising by 2%. This ti
How much does the average American spend on health care? Are costs and quality of health care equal across U.S. states? Do Americans get good value for money spent on health services compared with citizens of other developed nations? Are current health spending trends sustainable through the twenty-first century?
All too often, policymakers and the public alike form judgments about health care based on myths and misconceptions. A common refrain is that U.S. health care is too expensive–both in costs to the taxpayer and costs to the consumer. But few realize that despite its lack of national health insurance, the United States leads nearly all other industrialized nations in the share of health spending paid by third parties, whether public or private.
15 Dec
Posted by: Ethan Collin in: Featured Articles
INDIANAPOLIS Indiana consumers who buy their own health insurance will get a bigger bang for their buck in the next few years, thanks to a decision by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on Monday.
The federal agency rejected Indianas bid for an exemption from federal health care overhaul rules that require insurers selling policies to individuals to essentially dedicate 80 percent of the premiums they collect to medical care. In other words, business costs and profits cannot total more than 20 percent of the premiums the insurers collect, or else they must pay rebates to policyholders the following year.
The Indiana Department of Insurance, arguing the 80 percent rule was discouraging insurers from selling individual policies, requested permission to allow the companies to devote just 65 percent of premiums to medical care this year, about 69 percent next year, 72 percent in 2013 and 76 percent in 2014.