It is expected that in 2014 there will still be approximately 20 million uninsured Americans. While children may now be covered up to age 26, there are other demographics that are being affected. The first group consists of illegal immigrants (4 to 7 million); they can no longer receive Medicaid and they cannot buy private health insurance in the exchanges. The second group is the non-elderly (3 million) earning less that $9,500 per year. The third group (an estimated 7 million) are people who decide to pay the penalty instead of purchasing health coverage because the penalty is less expensive. The last known group are those who will qualify for Medicaid but choose not to enroll in Medicaid.
Obama Contraceptive Mandate
February 10th, 2012Birth control has long been covered for aliments like endometriosis. The Obama administration is taking the next step because contraception is a “choice.” If a woman chooses to use birth control for the purpose of preventing birth (a reproductive choice), then there is also the issue of infertility which is also a reproductive choice. The interesting part is that infertility already has root in the ADA. So, is the Obama administration being fair by mandating the “choice not to conceive” but not offering the “choice to conceive” especially when you take into account that infertility is defined as a disability?
NJ Cosmetic Tax to Be Phased Out
January 20th, 2012New Jersey Governor Christie signed a bill that will phase-out the cosmetic procedures tax. The first reduction in the cosmetic procedures tax (2%) will take place on July 1, 2012.
A Sad Business is Emerging
November 22nd, 2011Selling human organs to pay for food and other items is not new. People in third world countries have been doing it for decades but with email and the Internet so prevalent, people are now sending spam emails offering to sell their organs. Below is a spam email that we received from a man offering to sell part of his liver.
Hello.
I found your e-mail address on medical site of transplant and liver problems. My name is [name redacted], I am from Ukraine, I am 31 years old man, I do not drink alcohol and do not smoke cigarettes, my blood is O+ and I have a good health. If you need liver transplant I am ready to give part of my liver, but I want to receive a big compensation for that…
If you do not need liver transplant, but you know somebody who need it, please send my message to this person or keep it just in case.
[email address redacted]
[name redacted]
P.S. If I was mistaken, I am sorry, I will not disturb you any more.
While this practice is illegal, and scams are abundant, there are many other issues that arise with such deviant practices. And while people who are near the end of life often investigate such offers, we cannot stress enough to stay within medical protocol and a transplant network.
The Insurance Trick
September 26th, 2011If a man goes in for a preventative colonoscopy and the doctor performs a biopsy or another procedure, the insurance company will determine the procedure as “not preventative.” It would then be subject to decreased benefit levels. The good news, we can fight for coverage if you fall victim.
Nursing Home Payment Reductions
August 16th, 2011The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is reducing payouts to skilled nursing facilities by 11.1% in 2012. This will result in a reduction of payments to nursing homes totaling $3.8 billion. The effect is that nursing homes will be cutting costs and ultimately, the patient will suffer as a result of this.
Doctors Charging for Prescriptions – A New Trend
June 9th, 2011An emerging trend is patients are going to the doctor and being charged $10 – $50 for the doctor to give them a prescription and still having to pay their $30 copay. This seems particularly unfair because the patients then have to pay the $10, $25 or $60 copay to fill the prescription.
How should you, the patient, deal with this? Simply explain to the doctor the office visit includes the writing of prescriptions and by charging a fee to write the prescription, you [the doctor] are unbundling.
Coverage for Dependant Children
April 12th, 2011The recent healthcare reform law states that dependant children may remain on their parent’s coverage until age 26. While many are obtaining coverage, there are many still experiencing problems:
“… Since BCBS can’t cite pre-existing conditions any longer, they are now using the excuse that his applications are too confusing or being very nit-picky over things like a date on the application not being exact to something in his medical record, etc.”
New Survey – Retirees
March 7th, 2011A new survey of pre-retirees ages 50-64 found that 62 percent are not at all confident they are saving enough to handle health care costs in retirement according to a new survey from the Society of Actuaries (SOA). Additionally, only seven percent of participants said they are very confident about having enough savings.
Tax Season
February 3rd, 2011Tax season is here: HealthCare Advocates wanted to remind you that your medical expenses may be tax deductible, applied to your FSA or paid by your HSA.