Q. My 24-year-old daughter was covered under her father’s health insurance, which is a grandfathered plan. She started working and was offered coverage through her employer. My husband’s employer said she had to sign up for her employer’s insurance and could not stay on his policy. Is that true?
The New York Times article noted: “Calling 911 can cause particular problems … Emergency medical personnel want orders … Nothing else has been shown to be effective.”
“Health care professionals, ethicists and advocates continually urge older people to document their preferences about end-of-life medical decisions, and a growing proportion do. A recent large national study, tracking more than 6,000 people over age 60 who died between 2000 and 2010, found that the proportion with advance directives climbed to 72 percent from 47 percent.”
The Connecticut Mirror article noted : “Many patients now have insurance plans that require them to pay a portion of their medical bills. But finding out what their care will cost remains difficult.”
“Because her family’s health insurance plan has a $10,000 deductible, Sue Haynie tries to watch what they spend on medical care and figure out what it will cost ahead of time. But that’s easier said than done, she’s found. There was the time her daughter needed to see a doctor about a lingering sore throat. Haynie wondered how she’d know the cost of any tests the doctor performed, so she asked her insurer, Aetna. Haynie said the representative suggested two options: Ask the doctor’s office to call Aetna and find out, or leave the appointment after finding out what tests the doctor recommends, price out the tests, and — if she decided they’re worth it — go back for another appointment to have the tests done. Haynie chose the first option, so when her daughter went to the appointment, she asked the office staff to call Aetna. But Haynie said she was told they didn’t have time to do so, and that if Haynie wouldn’t pay the bill, her daughter could be pulled out of the visit.”
The Connecticut Mirror article noted: “Want to know how much a medical procedure is going to cost? Experts say it’s not easy. But if you try, there are some things that you should know.”
“Here are few places to look, based on the recommendations of Connecticut and national experts.”
The Becker Hospital Review article noted: “A recent survey by TransUnion Healthcare has found the majority (54 percent) of insured consumers are either sometimes or always confused by their medical bills.”
“The survey made several findings concerning price transparency. The survey found 63 percent of survey respondents want to know the full cost of care, including their insurance company’s portion, while 35 percent said they only cared about their direct medical costs. The survey also found 62 percent of survey respondents were either sometimes or always surprised by their out-of-pocket medical costs.”
The Bloomberg article noted “You may soon get a call from your doctor if you’ve let your gym membership lapse, made a habit of picking up candy bars at the check-out counter or begin shopping at plus-sized stores.”
“That’s because some hospitals are starting to use detailed consumer data to create profiles on current and potential patients to identify those most likely to get sick, so the hospitals can intervene before they do.”