Healthcare

GOP is really, REALLY on message with insurers

December 11, 2009  ·  Judy Dugan

<p> What does Republican Party chair Michael Steele <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2009/12/10/politics/politicalhotsheet/entry5962642.shtml">have to say</a> about health reform? "Delay, stall, slow down and ultimately stop [the...</p>

John McCain’s Rant for Private Medicare

November 30, 2009  ·  Judy Dugan

I was about to fall asleep listening to opening statements today in the Senate debate on health reform--until Sen. John McCain of Arizona got to the podium. He began angry and got red-faced furious, coming back over and over to "$180 billion in cuts to Medicare Advantage," and how it would harm "my" seniors. The<a href="http://www.consumerwatchdog.org/patients/articles/?storyId=26284"> lies</a> and the <a href="http://www.consumerwatchdog.org/patients/articles/?storyId=31129">fear campaign </a>that insurers are using against any reform of profit-making Medicare Advantage, with folks like McCain as their mouthpieces, are just disgraceful. <p>   </p>

Thailand Is ‘In Network”? Employers And Insurers Embrace Medical Tourism

November 28, 2009  ·  Consumer Watchdog

Like some 47 million other Americans, Nancy Sowa (pictured) doesn't have health insurance. So when her doctors last year told her she needed a total hip replacement, the office manager for a non-profit did what a growing number of U.S. citizens are doing. She headed abroad. "If you look at the American College of Surgeons, they are reluctant about having to pick up after another doctor's mistakes, especially by one not in this country," says Judy Dugan, research director with the Santa Monica, Calif.-based consumer advocacy group Consumer Watchdog. Dugan agrees the cost of medical care is out-of-hand in the U.S., but she says industry and policy makers should look for ways other than medical tourism to bring it down.

Privacy Breach Rules Require Practices To Report Only Harm Done

November 17, 2009  ·  Consumer Watchdog

Physicians won't have to notify patients of every breach of privacy regarding their records, under a rule finalized by the Dept. of Health and Human Services. Two consumer groups, Consumer Watchdog and the Center for Democracy and Technology, argue that placing the onus on a breached organization to determine the level of risk and whether notification is necessary is not good policy. "In other words, the company responsible for protecting the sensitive data gets to decide if it needs to bother to tell anyone that sensitive health data was breached. This is simply outrageous," wrote John Simpson, who drafted Consumer Watchdog's letter to Sebelius.

Healthcare Bills Could Jeopardize States’ Consumer Protection Laws

November 16, 2009  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<b>Opening the door for insurers to sell policies across state lines could allow health plans to avoid tougher requirements in places like California.</b><br><br> Healthcare overhaul bills working their way through Congress could jeopardize laws in California and other states that require insurers to pay for treatments such as AIDS testing, second surgical opinions and reconstructive surgery for breast cancer patients. <br><br>

Status Quo Is Best Scenario For Insurance Company Profits

November 14, 2009  ·  Consumer Watchdog

And then there is United Health, whose lethal pursuit of profit has been chronicled before on this program. With reform options narrowing as we -- as we near release of the Senate bill, the group Consumer Watchdog reports that United has once again e-mailed its 75,000 employees, asking them voluntarily, of course, to lobby the Senate against including a public option.

United Healthcare Urges Employees To Lobby Senators

November 13, 2009  ·  Consumer Watchdog

The nation's largest health insurance company is recruiting its employees in a grassroots lobbying campaign against health care reform, according to the <a href="http://www.consumerwatchdog.org/patients/articles/?storyId=31128">group Consumer Watchdog</a>. United Healthcare, sent an e-mail to its 75,000 employees Tuesday featuring template letters for employees to send to senators, calling on them to resist a publicly-financed health care option and instructing them to "share their unique perspectives" and write letters to their local newspapers.<a href="http://www.consumerwatchdog.org/patients/articles/?storyId=31128"></a>

The Best Congress Money Can Buy

November 11, 2009  ·  Consumer Watchdog

Health insurers and drug concerns have given a combined $26.2 million to members of Congress since 2006 according to a study released by the non-profit group, Consumer Watchdog. But all the cash spread around didn’t work to defeat health reform last Saturday night as the House of Representatives passed its version of a landmark health insurance reform bill by a 220-215 vote. All but one of the 177 members of the Republican Party opposed the bill, as did 39 Democrats.

Looking Abroad For Health Savings

November 8, 2009  ·  Consumer Watchdog

"The industry is poised to expand, and they are really going after insurance companies and employers," said Judy Dugan, research director and health policy advocate for Consumer Watchdog, a nonprofit, nonpartisan consumer advocacy group in California. "That's where the money is," Ms. Dugan said. "They see that as the way to get a much larger market." The industry push comes as health care costs continue to climb about 8 percent annually and as employers seek deeper and deeper savings. "This is fruit just waiting to be plucked," Ms. Dugan said, although she advocates caution until more outcome data are available and some recourse is available to patients if things go wrong.

Medical Tourism: Outsourcing Your Health

November 3, 2009  ·  Judy Dugan

<p> The following Op-Ed commentary by Judy Dugan was published in <a href="http://www.latimes.com/features/health/medicine/la-oe-dugan3-2009nov03,0,4342765.story">The Los Angeles Times on Tuesday, November 3, 2009</a>: </p> <p> If the reforms being decided in Washington don't clearly reduce costs for healthcare and insurance -- and right now they're headed in the wrong direction -- American workers may find themselves facing "incentives" for overseas surgery that border on coercion. </p>

Privacy Advocates Slam Harm Standard In Breach Notification Rule

October 29, 2009  ·  Consumer Watchdog

Patient advocates have joined key lawmakers in urging HHS to reverse course on the harm standard and not let hospitals and other providers make the determination about whether a breach will be harmful or not. Groups behind the push include the Coalition for Patient Privacy, the Center for Democracy and Technology, and Consumer Watchdog. Also signing CDT's comment letter were Consumers Union, AARP and Microsoft.

Health Insurer Denies Coverage, Then Profits From Same Patient

October 28, 2009  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<p> Altadena resident Mike Freas was twice rejected for health coverage by Anthem Blue Cross because of a preexisting condition, forcing him into a costly state-run program intended to serve as the insurer of last resort for people turned away by the private sector. Yet now he finds himself in the strange position of sending Anthem a check for about $500 each month. Why? Because it turns out that Anthem Blue Cross also quietly serves as the administrator of the state insurance plan. "This is what happens when public programs get privatized," said Jerry Flanagan, who oversees healthcare issues for Consumer Watchdog, the Santa Monica advocacy group. "Insurers get a fee even after they issue people a denial." </p>