Monday, February 8th, 2010
Humana health insurance continues to grow at its Louisville, Kentucky site even during difficult times. Jobs at Humana have increased from 8,440 jobs in 2007 to 10,000 today. Humana health
insurance accounts for about $1.2 billion in annual payroll and another $137 million in state and local taxes in Lousiville, Kenstucky.
$1 billion of that payroll went to workers in Jefferson County, while the rest was spread around the 24 other counties for Kentucky health insurance and Indiana health
insurance. Humana is associated with 28,000 jobs in the region. This includes jobs created by the company’s dealings with
vendors, hotels and other businesses.
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Monday, February 8th, 2010
Finding affordable health insurance is a hot topic these days and is certainly an attainable goal. There are things that you can do to
keep your health insurance affordable and it all starts with a healthy lifestyle. Not using any tobacco products contributes to a
healthier lifestyle. Depending on the carrier, tobacco users pay 10-30% more for health insurance than do non tobacco users.
If you are already following these guidelines and are healthy, there are things you can do to make your health insurance more affordable.
One of the easiest changes you can make is to increase the deductible. For example, if you currently have an individual deductible of $1,000 by increasing this to $2,000 or more you
can easily reduce your premiums by 25%.
Another option for affordable health insurance is by choosing a qualified High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP). These plans do not
have copay’s for office visits, prescription drugs, and emergency room. Because you are responsible for the minor expenses, these plans can typically save the average family 50% in
monthly premiums in addition to providing some additional tax savings.
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Monday, February 8th, 2010
Many people these days find themselves having to purchase family and individual health insurance because
it is no longer offered through their employer or they may be venturing out on their own. If you find yourself needing to find individual health insurance for your family there are some very specific points that you need to be aware of and
understand before purchasing the most important coverage you have.
One of the first things you should find out when comparing individual health insurance plans is whether or
not your doctors in your area are in the network. Each carrier is different. In regards to copays, carriers doctor copay only covers the consultation with the doctor, some cover
lab work only, others may cover lab plus x-rays. Another important feature of individual health insurance
plans is how prescription drugs are covered. The final feature that is of high importance is the individual
health insurance and family maximum out of pocket exposure. It is determined by the deductible and coinsurance of the plan.
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Thursday, February 4th, 2010
Missouri health insurance : Governor Jay Nixon delivered a State of the State address last week that focused
on addressing economic challenges by creating jobs and balancing the budget without raising taxes. He highlighted success in the past year in retaining and creating jobs, and in
balancing the budget without raising taxes. The governor’s top priority for 2010 is his jobs plan to help Missouri businesses recruit new high-tech companies to the state and train
residents for jobs in growing fields.
The Governor’s only reference to Missouri health insurance issues was to call on the legislature to adopt an
autism coverage mandate. Recently filed bills at the legislature include several items designed to expand access through the SCHIP program, allowing adopted children as dependents the
same as biological children, and creating the Missouri universal health assurance program to provide a government-sponsored, single-payer health care system for all residents, funded
by a new income tax on residents based on income. Other bills would prohibit a Missouri health insurance
policy or plan from providing coverage for elective abortions except by an optional rider, for which an additional premium must be paid, and a bill requiring pharmacy benefits
managers (PBM) to remit to a covered entity all claims, prescription, cost, charges, and payment information for a pharmacist’s services
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Thursday, February 4th, 2010
Kentucky health insurance : While the legislature is engaged in ongoing discussions about an
autism spectrum mandate, the House voted 96-0 last week in favor of “continuity of care” legislation. The bill is the Speaker’s initiative and would, among other things, require a
term of agreement between a managed care plan and an acute-care hospital to be not less than three years, with a six-month notice of termination of nonrenewal.
Agreements would have to contain provisions for continuity of care to covered persons and include an expedited internal and external appeal process. The bill also would require
mediation or binding arbitration between the plan and acute-care hospitals for any dispute regarding covered persons’ access to continuity of care in the event of termination or
nonrenewal. Various organizations have expressed concern regarding an artificial three-year contract requirement.
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Thursday, February 4th, 2010
Kansas health insurance : Kansas legislators returned to Topeka recently to begin the 2010 legislative
session, and several Kansas health insurance related bills that carried over from the 2009 session are likely
to be pursued by lawmakers. These include bills concerning assignment of benefits, mental health parity, price transparency, and mandates to cover autism, oral chemotherapy
drugs, colorectal screening, primary care services provided during cancer clinical trials, prosthetic devices, and others. At the end of the legislature’s opening day, Governor Mark
Parkinson delivered his first and only State of the State address, calling for increases in the tobacco and sales taxes to close a $400 million budget gap. He also proposed a public
smoking ban, the creation of an emergency fund, support for higher education and the development of a renewable energy corridor in the state. He made no reference to health reform. To
date, only two new Kansas health insurance related bills have been introduced, both relating to telemedicine.
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Thursday, February 4th, 2010
Illinois health insurance : The General Assembly has sporadically been meeting, and a number of proposals,
bills and issues are being filed and discussed. Of major concern to the insurance industry is funding for the State’s Section 7 high-risk pool, which is currently funded by general
revenue. The General Assembly is discussing funding this pool instead by a tax on fully insured premiums, just as the State’s Section 15 HIPAA CHIP pool is funded. The insurance
industry expects this $30 million-plus issue to be part of a budget proposal this session. In addition, the State has indicated that as a result of recent activities on national
federal health reform, it is not planning to introduce legislation this session on health insurance exchanges, with the exception of more limited bills on rescissions and health
information exchange.
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Thursday, February 4th, 2010
Colorado health insurance : The Colorado Division of Insurance issued its long anticipated report regarding
the effects of the state’s balance billing law, which is subject to automatic repeal on July 1, 2010, absent legislative intervention. The statute prohibits consumers from being
balance billed while requiring insurers to reimburse out-of-network physicians their billed rates as the “allowed charge.” Commissioner Morrison is recommending against allowing the
law to sunset, citing reduced complaints and the fact that many carriers have found ways to negotiate billed charges to a reasonable amount
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Thursday, February 4th, 2010
California health insurance : After a lengthy and heated debate, the California Senate last week passed a
single-payer bill. As with past incarnations, the bill passed on a party-line vote. Previous attempts to advance single-payer legislation have been vetoed by Governor Arnold
Schwarzenegger.
Supporters of the bill claim it would actually cost the state nothing, despite a Senate Appropriations Committee analysis that pegs the cost at $200 billion. Republicans decried the
bill as a government take-over of health care. In other news, California in 2011 will become the first state to set legal limits on the time patients must wait to see their HMO
doctors. The Department of Managed Health care has announced there will be a maximum wait time of 10 business days for an appointment to see a family practitioner, 15 days to see a
specialist, and 48 hours for people seeking urgent care. In addition, doctors’ offices must return telephone calls within 30 minutes. The time limits apply only to doctors in HMOs,
which officials say will cover 21 million Californians. A 2002 state law mandated timely access to medical care, and the specifics were worked out after years of negotiations with
doctors, hospitals, HMOs and consumer groups. Also, the CEO of the California Medical Association, Alfred Gilchrist, has announced his resignation after serving for just over 2
months. Gilchrist is returning to his former role as CEO of the Colorado Medical Society.
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Thursday, February 4th, 2010
Arizona health insurance : As the budget crisis continues, legislative leadership has started showing some
signs of support for Governor Brewer’s proposed temporary one-percent increase in the sales tax. Even if the governor can sway the General Assembly, the proposal would have to
be voted on in a special election in May. New bills introduced this session include: elimination of pre-existing condition exclusions; guaranteed issue of coverage Medicare
Supplemental policies to those under 65 needing end-stage renal disease care, an oral chemotherapy parity mandate; a reduction in the small group rating bands; a defined contribution
portal patterned after Utah’s; and a resolution against federal health care reform
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