A sport that is making many older Americans more active could be backfiring for health insurance companies, according to UBS. Pickleball is a tennis-adjacent sport that has exploded in popularity since the Covid-19 pandemic, attracting millions of new players and celebrity investors. But UBS analyst Andrew Mok said in a note to clients Monday that the sport’s growth and popularity among seniors could contribute to rising health-care spending. “After analyzing the growth in pickleball as well as the nature and frequency of related injuries, we conducted a bottom-up analysis of medical costs. In total, we estimate $250-500 mn of medical…
how many employees do you need to qualify for group health insurance?
New Reporting on Insurance Claim Denials Highlights ‘Scam’ of For-Profit Healthcare
A pair of new stories examining the increasingly common but shadowy US insurance industry practice of refusing to pay for certain treatments drew outrage Wednesday from patient advocates and Medicare for All proponents, who said the reporting further revealed the harms of for-profit healthcare.
The investigative outlet ProPublicafocused its attention on the “galling” secrecy around insurance companies’ claim denials, which frequently leave patients with massive medical bills and little clarity as to why their claims were rejected.
“How often insurance companies say no is a closely held secret,” ProPublica‘s Robin Fields reported. “There’s nowhere that a consumer or an employer…
Here’s why insurance experts suggest travel health insurance
When planning your summer vacation, insurance experts suggest you make your health coverage part of all that prep.
PORTLAND, Ore. — Summer vacation has arrived and while you’re planning where to go, what to do and how much it will cost, insurance experts encourage you to also plan ahead when it comes to health insurance.
Traveling in-state versus out of the country makes a difference, but there are some important basics to know no matter where you’re going to ensure an unexpected health event while on vacation doesn’t turn into a bigger financial problem.
“It’s important to know before you…
Estate Planning: 5 Things to Consider
If you are preparing to draft your estate plan with your estate planning attorney, there are a variety of issues that you will need to think about before your documents can be finalized.
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Prior to drafting your estate plan, we recommend that you give some thought to the following items:
How do you want your money and assets handled if you die? Do you want any restrictions? If you are married,…
Those in poorer health give lower ratings for their health insurance
Photo: FGTrade/Getty Images
Most people generally give their health insurance a positive grade, but according to a new KFF survey, those who are in poorer health tend to give lower ratings. The sicker they are, the less positively they feel about their coverage.
About 81% of those polled said their health insurance was “excellent” or “good,” but there were discrepancies. Eighty-four percent of people who describe their physical health status as at least “good” rate insurance positively, compared to 68% of people in “fair” or “poor” health.
People on Medicare also tend to rate their insurance more positively (at a…
It’s Not Just You: Many People Confront Health Insurance Obstacles on Care and Bills
TheNews
A majority of Americans with health insurance said they had encountered obstacles to coverage, including denied medical care, higher bills and a dearth of doctors in their plans, according to a new survey from KFF, a nonprofit health research group. As a result, some people are delayed or skipped treatment.
Those who were most likely to need medical care — people who described themselves as in fair or poor health — reported more trouble; three-fourths of those receiving mental health treatment experienced problems.
“The consequences of care are delayed and missed altogether because of the sheer complexity of the…
Opinions | I’m a doctor. My decisions are overruled by health insurance denials
Elisabeth Rosenthal’s May 18 Thursday Opinion essay, “Denials of health-insurance claims are rising — and getting weirder,” hit the nail on the head. As a rheumatologist, I see many patients who struggle to keep up with their daily activities and depend on access to necessary treatments to manage their chronic pain. Insurers’ prior-authorization policies amplify my patients’ struggle by building ineffective hurdles and delaying access to medications I know are best for my patients. More than 54 million Americans live with a rheumatic disease, and delays in their care can mean irreversible disease progression and permanent loss of bodily functions.…
How do Americans in France register for public health insurance?
Reader question: How does an American apply for health insurance when moving to France?
As a resident of France, having health insurance, either private or public, is mandatory.
If you are employed by a French company and pay social contributions, you will automatically be eligible for (public) health insurance even if your social security contributions are on the job, and your employer should deal with this.
The same applies in the case of doing self-employed work.
However, if you are moving as a retiree or early-retiree, then part of your visa requirements will show you have a private health insurance…