Healthcare

‘Not-For-Profit’ Insurer A Big Spender At Stadium

September 14, 2014 · Mark Reback

If you're wondering why health care costs are going sky high, one reason may be the multimillion-dollar skyboxes that two of the Bay Area's biggest "not-for-profit" insurers have bought at the 49ers' new stadium. <a href="http://www.sfgate.com/?controllerName=search&action=search&channel=bayarea%2Fmatier-ross&search=1&inlineLink=1&query=%22Blue+Shield+of+California%22">Blue Shield of California</a> and Dignity Health each own Levi's Stadium luxury suites, which go for at least $2.5 million apiece.

United Healthcare Allows Opt-Out of Mail-Order HIV Meds

September 11, 2014 · Mark Reback

<a href="http://www.poz.com/articles/mandating_mail_order_2791_24350.shtml" target="_blank" rel="noopener">In 2013</a>, United Healthcare faced a national class action lawsuit alleging its mandatory mail-order requirement illegally targeted patients living with HIV/AIDS. According to <a href="http://www.consumerwatchdog.org/newsrelease/hivaids-patients-may-now-%E2%80%9Copt-out%E2%80%9D-united-healthcare-mail-order-rx" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a statement </a>from Consumer Watchdog and Whatley Kallas LLP, the groups that brought the suit, a court-approved settlement was reached July 31.

Field Poll: Support Slipping For Health Measures

September 11, 2014 · Mark Reback

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Public support appears to have slipped for a California ballot proposal that would require doctors to submit to random drug tests, signaling a volatile campaign that could become the most costly race in the state this year. With two months to go before the election, physicians, medical groups, insurance companies and other opponents trying to derail Proposition 46 have already contributed over $50 million to the effort.

HIV/AIDS Patients May Now “Opt-Out” of United Healthcare Mail-Order Rx

September 10, 2014 · Jerry Flanagan

<img class=" alignright size-full wp-image-20638" alt="" src="https://consumerwatchdog.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/images_rxmarketing_5.jpg" style="width: 311px; height: 211px; margin-left: 7px; margin-right: 7px; float: right;" width="430" height="292" />Santa Monica, CA -- Patients with HIV and AIDS enrolled in health coverage provided by United Healthcare, the nation’s largest health insurer, may now “opt-out” of a requirement that they obtain their medications by mail-order if they have privacy or delivery concerns, or if they have difficulty discussing their HIV medications over the phone. The settlement providing the “opt-out” right resulted from a

What’s The Best Health Plan For You? HMO, PPO, EPO or POS?

August 25, 2014 · Mark Reback

What’s in a name? When it comes to health plans sold on the individual market these days, it’s often less than people think. The lines that distinguish HMOs, PPOs, EPOs and POS plans from one another have blurred, making it hard to know what you’re buying by name alone — assuming you’re one of the few people who know what an EPO is in the first place. “Now, there’s a lot of gray out there,” says Sabrina Corlette, project director at Georgetown University’s Center on Health Insurance Reforms.

Doctor Drug Testing Latest Front in Medical Malpractice Measure

August 21, 2014 · Mark Reback

When consumer advocates were preparing a fall ballot initiative to raise the sum victims can recover in medical malpractice lawsuits, they considered tacking on an inducement that would resonate with voters across California. After running eight to 10 ideas past focus groups and through opinion polls, they found strong support for a proposal to make California the first state to require random drug and alcohol testing of doctors. They reason that if pilots must submit to drug screenings, why shouldn't doctors?

Field Poll: Strong Support for California Health Insurance Rate-Regulation Measure

August 20, 2014 · Mark Reback

A California initiative on the fall ballot requiring that health insurance rate changes be approved by the elected insurance commissioner is receiving strong support from voters statewide, according to the latest Field Poll. Nearly 70 percent of registered voters back Proposition 45, while 16 percent say they would oppose it and 15 percent remain undecided ahead of the Nov. 4 election. Support came from 75 percent of Democrats, 73 percent of independents and 58 percent of Republicans.

Ballot Measure Aims at Patient Safety by Raising Limits on Malpractice Suits

August 19, 2014 · Mark Reback

<a href="http://www.californiahealthline.org/insight/2014/ballot-measure-aims-at-patient-safety-by-raising-limits-on-malpractice-suits">Click here to listen to the audio of this report</a>. In a California Healthline report by Kenny Goldberg, experts discussed the arguments surrounding Proposition 46, a November ballot measure designed to improve patient safety by targeting physicians -- raising the pain-and-suffering limit on malpractice lawsuits, requiring drug-testing of doctors and mandating use of a drug-reporting system that currently is voluntary.

Opponents Of Medical-Malpractice Initiative Take Battle To Airwaves

August 19, 2014 · Mark Reback

Proposition 46 is likely to be one of the most expensive election fights this year A ballot-measure battle over medical-malpractice awards and drug testing of doctors arrived on the airwaves Tuesday, with opponents of the initiative rolling out statewide television and radio ads. The ad buys mark the first major salvo in the contest over Proposition 46, which is primed to be one of the costliest fights of the November election.

Projected Savings From Prop 45

August 6, 2014 · Jamie Court

Proposition 45 will require health insurance companies to open their books and publicly justify their rates under penalty of perjury before they are permitted to...

Index to Consolidate Patients’ Health Data

August 5, 2014 · Mark Reback

Blue Shield of California and Anthem Blue Cross say they will initially fund an index designed to hold as many people’s health records as possible. They hope other insurers will join in. Privacy issues are raised. The medical records of millions of Californians could soon be literally at the fingertips of doctors and hospitals statewide with the advent of a centralized computer database to be funded by two of the state's largest health insurance companies.

Surprise! New Health Plans’ Limitations Anger Enrollees

July 27, 2014 · Mark Reback

Nancy Pippenger and Marcia Perez live thousands of miles apart but have the same complaint: Doctors who treated them last year won't take their insurance now, even though they haven't changed insurers. "They said, 'We take the old plan, but not the new one,'" says Perez, an attorney in Palo Alto, Calif. In Plymouth, Ind., Pippenger got similar news from her longtime orthopedic surgeon, so she shelled out $300 from her own pocket to see him.

Fairness for Injured Patients

Medical Board of California Announces Maternal Mortality Task Force

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