Health Insurance Blog

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Vermont, the state’s largest health insurer, is under fire from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) due to its policies, according to CBS NewsChannel 5. PETA wants providers of Vermont health insurance to vary health insurance premiums based on an individual’s diet, charging meat-eaters higher rates and offering discounted rates to vegetarians and vegans. They claim that meat consumption is associated with diseases that end up raising insurance rates for everyone, but there is conflicting evidence of that.

Kevin Goddard, a vice president at BCBS Vermont, responds that state law does not allow insurance providers to vary rates based on factors including diet, age, gender, or medical history. However, the Vermont state legislator is now considering reforms that would allow insurers to offer different levels of premiums to individuals depending on their lifestyles; people who take better care of themselves health-wise (which is a comination of many different factors) would pay less.

Another way to save on your premiums is to get multiple health insurance quotes. You might be able to find a better deal, regardless of your eating habits!

(Photo credit: Derek Purdy under CC 2.0)

According to the Hartford Currant, 60,000 Connecticut families enrolled in the HUSKY Health Insurance Program, were notified recently that they must switch to a new managed care network by February 1, 2009.

The network change requirement is taking place because HUSKY is ending its relationship with Anthem Blue Care.  Anthem withdrew from the bidding process last March but has continued to provide coverage to HUSKY members since.

Critics of the required network change contend that the two other managed care networks Americhoice and Aetna Better Health do not include enough physicians.

More information about the HUSKY Health Insurance Program and other Connecticut Health Insurance Plans.

This is very interesting: Vita Reed in the Orange County Business Journal says that a subsidiary of UnitedHealthCare called Prescription Solutions, which manages pharmacy benefits, is planning on introducing an e-prescription service. They are partnering with SureScripts-RXHub to do so. UnitedHealth got the California-based company as part of its acquisition of PacifiCare in 2005.

I predict this service will become very popular over the next several years. Imagine not having to drop off your prescription, because your pharmacy already recieved it online before you even left your doctor’s office! (Not to mention avoiding the issue of handwriting quality.) This deal will make this benefit available to more consumers. Currently, just 2% of doctors have adopted the system, according to the Washington Post. If it’s provided by a health insurance company, they might be more likely to use the technology.

(Photo credit: d70focus under CC 2.0)

Aetna Health Insurance and BayCare Health Systems have resolved a contract dispute that would have reduced health care access for over 300,000 patients in the Tampa, Florida area. Stephen Nohlgren of the St. Petersburg Times says that if BayCare and Aetna didn’t settle their issues, Aetna insurance would no longer be accepted by BayCare hospitals after the current contract expires on December 31st. Patients would then have had to deal with the scary prospect of scrambling for new hospitals and doctors.

As of this Wednesday both parties have reached a 3-year agreement that will keep the BayCare hospitals in Aetna’s network, Stephen reports. BayCare owns most of the major hospitals in the Tampa/St. Petersburg region; most notably the Morton Plant, St. Joseph’s, Mease and St. Anthony’s hospitals. Details about the deal haven’t been released, but this agreement will surely lessen the year-end worries of some Tampa health insurance consumers.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Arizona (BCBSAZ) has annouced that they are extending their discounts for early enrollment discounts for their portfolio of Medicare Supplement Plans.

BCBSAZ’s discount program extensions increase the duration of the Medicare Supplement discounts from 5 to 10 years and raises the eligibilty age from 65 1/2 to 67 years old.  For example:

If an eligible senior enrolls in a BCBSAZ Medicare Supplement Plan at age 65 they will receive a 32% discount on the first year of premiums, a 28.8% discount on the first year of premiums for enrollment at age 66, and a 25.6% discount applicable to the first year of premiums for enrollment at age 67.

In addition, the discount amount decreases by 3.2% each year until the person reaches age 75 so long as the person is continuously enrolled in the plan.

The savings calculations are a bit confusing, but the net-net of it is,  seniors tend to stay with their health plans for a long period of time, so BCBSAZ is offering an innovative incentive to get them enrolled in their Medicare Supplement plans from the beginning of Medicare eligibility.

No matter what you celebrate, we at Health Insurance Sort wish you a peaceful holiday.

(Photo credit: kimberlyfaye under CC 2.0)

Kay Lazar from the Boston Globe is reporting that the Massachusetts Department of Revenue is raising the monentary penalties charged to individuals without Massachusetts health insurance.

The fines are levied monthly. If an adult over the age of 27 and earns over $31,212 per year, as of 2009 they will now have to pay $1,086 per year for being uninsured. An uninsured adult from 18 to 26 years of age making that amount must pay penalties totaling $624 per year. There is a sliding scale for individuals with lower salaries; people making less than $15,612 are eligible for health care subsidized by the state and therefore don’t have to pay any penalty.

The state of Massachusetts passed a 2006 law that requires all adults (age 18 or over) to have health insurance if the Commonwealth Health Insurance Connector Authority determines they can afford it. The policy is intended as a way to transition the state to universal healthcare. Kay quotes a Dept. of Revenue commissioner, who says that last year, 5% of adults that are required to buy health insurance didn’t obtain coverage.

(Photo credit: wallyg under CC 2.0)

RedOrbit recently reported that after many states have seen a significant increase in Medicaid enrollment since the beginning of the recession (Connecticut has seen a 6% increase this year), governors have asked Congress and President-Elect Barack Obama to help them pay for the publicly funded health insurance plan. The governors are petitioning for $40 billion to cover a shortfall in projected tax revenues, which would be a two-year long increase in the percentage Washington D.C. kicks in for medical funding. As of the 2007 fiscal year the federal goverment covers 57% of Medicaid costs while individual states cover the rest.

Medicaid is offered to children and the extremely poor; about 1 in 6 low income individuals in America are enrolled. Rising unemployment has resulted in more people being eligible for Medicaid, while at the same time state governments are suffering from lower tax revenues. Unlike the federal government, states aren’t allowed to run a budget deficit. If the states don’t recieve this funding, they will either have to cut programs or raise taxes in order to balance their budgets. While most unemployed individuals can buy into group health insurance plans, the majority cannot afford the premiums without an employer paying some part of them.

The National Business Coalition of Health just released a study based on data from its eValue8 comparison tool. The study’s findings include great news for individuals with chronic conditions and employer-based health insurance. The average health insurance plan is doing more to cover the medication and equipment needed, due to higher employee demand. The result is less expensive co-payments for consumers.

Visible Trends in 2008:

• Asthma. 32% of insurance plans reduce co-payments for treatment, and 19% eliminate them entirely.
• Diabetes. 33% of insurers reduce co-payments, and 27% waive them.
• Hypertension.  20% of insurers waive co-payments, and 28% reduce them.

According to the Phoenix Business Journal, seven Arizona health insurance companies are working together to create the Arizona Association of Health Plans Inc.

The Seven health plans include:

• Arizona Physician’s IPA
• Mercy Care Plan
• Care1st Arizona
• University Family Care
• Phoenix Health Plan
• SCAN Long Term Care
• Health Choice AZ

The Association hopes to add more commercial health insurance carriers to their membership as they strive to work with AHCCCS administration as well as legislators, government agencies and health care providers to improve the quality, availability and cost of health care delivery in Arizona.