The American Medical Association, which is pushing in Washington for health insurance reforms of … [+] prior authorization, released March 13, 2023 a new survey of 1,000 practicing physicians showing such requirements lead to “to unnecessary waste and avoidable patient harm.”
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Physician complaints about prior authorization – the vehicle that requires them to get approval from a health insurer before performing a procedure – is on the rise along with treatment delays that could harm patient health outcomes.
The complaints come as physicians generally have less autonomy than they are used to and doctors are worried about the increasing…
health insurance market
Opinions | Fixing Health Care Starts With the Already Insured
There is no shortage of proposals for health insurance reform, and they all miss the point. They invariably focus on the nearly 30 million Americans who lack insurance at any given time. But the coverage for the many more Americans who are fortunate enough to have insurance is deeply flawed.
Health insurance is supposed to provide financial protection against the medical costs of poor health. Yet many insured people still face the risk of enormous medical bills for their “covered” care. A team of researchers estimated that as of mid-2020, collections agencies held $140 billion in unpaid medical bills, reflecting…
30,000 people will lose health insurance next month as Colorado shuts down Friday Health Plans. Here’s what’s next.
Friday Health Plans started in Colorado in 2015 with hopes of revolutionizing the health insurance market. Nearly a decade later, the company has imploded, leaving tens of thousands of people scrambling to find new health insurance in Colorado and beyond.
State regulators in Colorado are moving to “liquidate” the company, meaning its assets will be divided up and the business closed. As a result, all of Friday Health’s plans in Colorado will end on Aug. 31 — affecting roughly 30,000 customers here.
The company was already set to close, seeming to collapse after an over-aggressive expansion. But state regulators decided…
Exclusion of migrant farm workers from public health insurance puts Nova Scotia agriculture at risk, advocates say
Isabel InclanSpecial to Saltwire Network
Amidst the worsening labor crunch in Nova Scotia’s agriculture sector, the government’s exclusion of many migrant workers from public health insurance potentially puts more than 1,600 farm workers and the agri-food supply at risk, advocates warn.
Migrant advocates say that the provincial government’s “deliberate policy” excludes migrant workers from public health insurance, leaving them vulnerable.
Unlike provinces such as Ontario or Quebec, where migrants in the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Program are covered by public health upon arrival, farm workers in Nova Scotia must wait 12 months to be covered by the province’s Medical Services Insurance…
State worker health insurance premiums may see double-digit hikes. What CalPERS is considering
CalPERS health insurance policyholders will likely see their premiums grow by more than 11% on average next year, according to preliminary prices that the board of the nation’s largest pension will consider at its meeting next week in Monterey.
The California Public Employees’ Retirement System provides health insurance for more than 1.5 million people, including roughly 770,000 state and local public employees and retires and about 770,000 dependents.
The price hikes reflect the larger trend of medical inflation across the country. A combination of rising demand for non-COVID-related health services, high labor costs and a desire to recover pandemic-era losses…
Preferential policies introduced for more insurance products
China has extended coverage of individual income tax preferential policies to more major commercial health insurance products such as medical insurance, long-term care insurance and disease insurance, the National Financial Regulatory Administration announced on Thursday.
According to a circular issued by the administration, the authorities will no longer design standardized clauses for such insurance products so they will fully consider consumers’ needs to improve flexibility.
Set insurance requirements will only be applicable to people who have pre-existing health conditions, and the design of the rest of the insurance clauses will be decided by market players.
In view of insufficient insurance…
Terminating Your Physician Employment Agreement
Many of our physician clients are unaware of their termination rights prior to meeting with us.
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If you want to terminate your employment, the first thing you need to do is read your contract.
Most physician employment agreements have substantial termination provisions. You need to know what yours says regarding termination with and without cause, what notice is required, and what other provisions will be triggered by termination.
Many times, employment…
Biden to crack down on short-term health insurance plans, Politico reports
July 6 (Reuters) – US President Joe Biden’s administration on Friday is expected to propose a new regulation cracking down on short-term health insurance plans, Politico reported, citing five Democrats with knowledge of the matter.
Biden is due to deliver an announcement on healthcare cost savings on Friday. A White House official told Politico on Thursday that Biden plans to announce major actions to lower costs and crack down on junk fees.
The regulation will curtail a Trump-era expansion of skimpy health coverage, which critics said undermined the 2010 Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, and its broad protections…