Senator Dianne Feinstein (D, CA) staked claim on controlling potential unwarranted insurance rate hikes by explaining her position: “Water and power are essential for life, so they are heavily regulated, and rate increases must be approved.” Likewise, she states, “Health insurance is also vital for life. It too should be strictly regulated so that people can afford this basic need.” Some may think the claim is mostly sophistry, but the Senator has a valid point. As it stands now, there’s a gaping loop hole for insurance companies. They may be required to accept pre-existing conditions, for example, but there’s currently nothing to stop them from gouging the rates into stratospheric proportions. A major concern about the HCR bill has always been that the insurance companies would pass the rate increases — increases that would make the cost of premiums so high that even the most affluent of the middle class would struggle to afford health insurance.
Jeffrey Segal, MD, JD
WARNING: “Obamacare” Insurance Scams Emerging
In Alabama, fears of “government health care reform” have caused people to give a con man their bank account info over the phone. In Kansas, people have been claiming to be government employees collecting payments for the newly required “Obamacare” insurance.
Hard Time Getting A Doctor’s Appointment? Thank a Greedy Lawyer.
Everyone knows times are tough these days, but there’s a big difference between hanging out your shingle far enough for it to be seen and active selling. And that difference is driving good, caring, competent physicians out of practice in droves. Between the tough economic times overall, the chronic changes in government reimbursement, the hassle and delay in collecting at all, and the way that insurance companies come back and renegotiate after services have been provided… it’s no surprise that people have a hard time getting in to see the doctors that are still in practice.
They say it pays to advertise. Apparently it pays very well for jackpot trial attorneys. Medical Malpractice attorney’s commercials are all over daytime and late-night TV… now on the Internet as well.
Do You Feel You’ve Suffered From Your Doctor’s Neglect? Contact A Malpractice Attorney Now!
We’ve removed the links (why advertise for the enemy?) but the text remains the same.
The Liz Fowler Connection: WellPoint Commits Fraud, Targets Patients For Wrongful Cancellation
Federal investigators have revealed that the largest health insurance company in the country, WellPoint, is using a computer program to identify women with breast cancer. Why? To drop their coverage. Murray Waas, a well-respected investigational journalist, states WellPoint “specifically targeted women with breast cancer for aggressive investigation with the intent to cancel their policies.” Last month, Waas reported that AIDS patients were being similarly targeted for rescission. That practice has been going on since at least 2002, as is well-evidenced by the unlawful cancellation and subsequent cover-up in the Jerome Mitchell case.
Doctor: You Promised My Before and After Website Pictures Would be Anonymous
Many aesthetic surgeons place before and after pictures on their websites. Obtain patient’s detailed written permission before moving forward. Check. Place a black strip over identifying features if not highlighting facial features. Check. That’s it. Right? RIGHT?? Wrong. One surgeon learned that a de-identified photo had the patient’s name embedded in file name / properties … Read more
Health Care Reform Bill: Now Comes The Hard Part
It took Congress over a year to compile and construct it. It took creative maneuvers to pass it into law. Already unfounded fears are sticking doctors in the middle of what it means to their patients. Now comes the hard part. The Obama Administration now has to turn 2400 pages of words into changes in Health Care. Here’s the latest on the teams that are supposed to do it:
- Jay Angoff, consumer advocate, known nemesis of the insurance industry, heads up implementation of the regulation of insurers and insurance markets.
- Jeanne M. Lambrew comes back with experience from the Clinton administration to work on expanding coverage.
- Phyllis C. Borzi, a top Labor Department official, is assigned to ensure that employers are following the rules for some 150 million American insured persons.
Doctors Already Besieged by Questions About the new Health Care Laws
Though they wouldn’t have time to read the 2400 pages that are in it, though they had no real say in its contents and may even have been opposed to it, physicians all over the country are finding themselves bogged down by questions about the new health care reform law. Like most people, their patients are afraid of change. Some want to know if they will still be able to see their doctor. Others want to schedule surgeries before they even need them, out of fear that they may not be covered later. All of these questions are reasonable concerns, considering the relative vacuum of information on the practical implications and implementations of the new law. Nevertheless, they’re already starting to bog down some practices.
Georgia Strikes Down Liability Reforms
Less than a day after Congress passed a historic health reform bill, doctors in Georgia were reminded of one tiny oversight in the package. The absence of substantive liability reform. The State Supreme Court ruled that caps on pain and suffering did not comport with the Georgia state constitution. Prior tort reforms implemented in Georgia … Read more
Medicare Cuts Postponed Again — this time until June 2010
One can easily wonder why they don’t just approve full payments for a year or two at a time. They can always eliminate it by future legislation once they determine what formula they DO want to use.
AHA Calls for Easing of New Rules on Electronic Health Record Requirements
…the ad states that the CMS’ proposed rule “proposes strict requirements that constrain hospitals as they work to implement new EHR systems, imposing a one-size-fits-all policy that ignores upfront cost, time and logistical challenges.”
