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Back in October, a realtor from Dallas took a trip south of the border for some body work (rhinoplasty and a breast enhancement tune-up). What seems like fairly routine procedures led to some pretty serious complications, and ultimately took her life. But there's a larger lesson in this, one having to do with getting what one pays for, at least according to her attorney: " So that her death is not in vain, people should think of Laura before they look for cross border discount surgery ... Always LOOK before you leap !" Always sage advice, and it appears that Ms Avila had done her homework: " Laura's fiance Enrique Cruz said he had researched the clinic and found positive reviews online ." Which may or may not be worth the pixels they're printed with. I don't really think that one can generalize from this that medical tourism is inherently more dangerous than care we receive here, but it's worth noting that it's not necessarily worth the savi

There's a theory that the original Thanksgiving celebration, and the holiday itself, is modeled on the Jewish Festival of Sukkoth (Tabernacles). The idea is that they're both harvest festivals that take place in the Fall, and that the Pilgrims, as religious folks, would have looked to the Bible for inspiration. The reality is that it's highly unlikely to be true , but it's always fun to speculate on these kinds of connections. A joyous and blessed Thanksgiving to all of our readers!

It's currently Open Enrollment season for both ObamaPlans and Medicare Supplements. The former has been a bit frustrating (the only non-Medicaid carrier available in this market has a *very* narrow network) and I've been referring the latter out for many years. But it got me to thinking that perhaps it's time to reprise another of my former Answers.com gig's posts: For millions of younger Americans with health problems, Medicare may be available to cover medical expenses. This would include those with long-term disabilities or who have been diagnosed with specific diseases or health conditions, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) or end-stage renal disease. As with those who qualify due to their age, though, Medicare itself doesn't cover everything, and some form of supplemental coverage may be desirable. What's the problem? During surgery, a client's adult daughter was deprived of oxygen for many minutes, resulting in brain damage that left he una

We've long known that the Much Vaunted National Health Service� really doesn't like kids: " [I]t's actually cost the MVNHS� more money to fight his being flown elsewhere for treatment at his parents' expense ." Turns out, the health "care" scheme doesn't much like their mom's, either: " Error means 48,000 women have not received cervical cancer screening information " To be fair, this mistake was made by an MVNHS� vendor, not the service itself. Still, the buck pound sterling has to stop somewhere . And hey: Free! [Hat Tip: FoIB Dutch R ]

Earlier this month, we reported on a service available to our Neighbors to the North� that helps them obtain health care while they can still use it: " Check out Timely Medical Alternatives in Canada, which specializes in helping Canadians find affordable care (for cash payment) instead of waiting in the queue ." Well apparently that isn't sitting too well with the rocket surgeons who run the country's free health "care" system: Canadian Hospital Waiting Room Promotes Euthanasia https://t.co/w4CSAcaXg2 � �e Political Hat with "Ralph" The Wonder Llama (@ThePoliticalHat) November 14, 2018 Ooops.

About one month ago (October 12) CMS announced the Medicare cost-sharing factors for 2019. The table below compares 2019 with 2018, together with a couple of historical years.                                                                                                                                    2019                     2018      Part A Deductible per hospital admission                                             $1,364.00           $1,340.00 Part A full buy-in premium                                                                         $   437.00           $   422.00 Part B annual deductible                                                                            $    185.00             $   183.00 Part B standard monthly participant premium                                   $     135.50            $   134.00 Part B full buy-in premium                                                                        $     542.00            $    536.00                               

This just in: " Nebraska published a consumer alert about health care sharing ministries - consumers should be aware of the significant limitations (like no-legal-responsibility-to-pay-claims-level limitations) " Why this is just now being treated as "breaking news" is beyond me: we've been pointing out these very real problems for years: " My claim from October had still not been paid. Yesterday I received a notice dated April 19, 2017 that since I was no longer a paying member my medical claims are no longer eligible for payment! " Of course, the se plans h ave their good sides, as well: ACA-compliant, relatively inexpensive, often include decent benefits (and omit unnecessary ones that tend to drive up rates). But as I point out to my own clients , they aren't insurance, so there's really no recourse if they decline a claim or simply fold up shop. And, as the report points out, there are often significant limitations in what's covered

Well, we got our first major ice-storm of the season last night (and continuing this morning), so it seems that Fall is, indeed, making itself known. And Lisa Lines is making her presence known, too, as she makes her Health Wonk Review hosting debut over at The Medical Care Blog. And a right nice job she does of it: with posts ranging from Open Enrollment to Big Pharma Phunnelling Funds, you're sure to find *something* to pique your interest!

Here's the (gruesome) headline: " California dad charged with insurance fraud after he drove off cliff, killing autistic sons " Now, we've discussed before the fact that one may not profit from a crime: " In this story ... we learn about Joaquin Shadow Rams, who seems to have a habit of buying, and then collecting on, life insurance policies for his intended victims, including (allegedly) his mother and his girlfriend ." And of course there have been others. In all of the related posts I can find, though, all save one have been about straightforward and underwritten (term, whole or universal life) plans. But this one's different, and I'd like to talk about that difference. "Regular" (aka "ordinary") life plans like term and whole life are generally underwritten (although there are guaranteed issue versions which impose waiting periods). But " accidental death " plans pay out only if the death is due to an non-purposeful

Shot: " Health care is a service like any other. We ought to expect price transparency for medical goods and services to make informed choices that maximize value ." I, too, have been chasing this wild goose for many, many years. And I still believe that it's a noble goal. But as long as government and insurance - in other words, 3rd party payers - are in the mix, it's not a viable one. Chaser: Are you a Dr. who agrees with this article? Please help us show patients/media/govt that this article is true. Post your cash fees on https://t.co/KruMnPRA4H . Help be the proof-source that affordable medical care is abundant and not limited to a few DPCs and @SurgeryCenterOK � Alisa LeSueur (@Alisa_LeSueur) November 12, 2018 And why would any physician agree to this? And perhaps more critically, how would they? Which brings me back to my first point (above): so long as the government (through Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement levels) and insurance (trough multiple prov

� So this past August we posted on the most recent "shiny new thing," Association Health Plans , which allows otherwise disparate groups of folks (employers and individuals) to band together to create larger insurance "pools." Our friends at HAFA ( Health Agents for America ), tip us that some carriers are beginning to roll out actual plans: " Land O'Lakes, several Nevada chambers of commerce, and the National Restaurant Association have formed association plans this year ... the Land O'Lakes association plan �will offer another really good choice for individuals who either don't receive a subsidy and cannot afford coverage on the exchange or for some reason prefer not to purchase that coverage .� Interesting. And we're seeing a lot of activity lately in the group self-funded space. So perhaps the market itself is killing ObamaCare with 1,000 cuts? We'll see. � Thanks to FoIB Dabz, we're treated to this very interesting piece on creat

We've written before about Holland's fascination with euthanasia: " The number of Dutch people killed by medical euthanasia has more than doubled in the 10 years since legislation was changed to permit it, rising 13 per cent last year to 4,188 ." And that was a little over 5 years ago. In the meantime, seems that the situation has deteriorated even further: GOOD. This case was utterly disgusting. "Hold down the old lady while I shoot her up with death drugs." Dutch doctor faces first euthanasia prosecution https://t.co/PHuwQXPyLg via @YahooNews � I'm a woman, and I'm mad as Hell (@nowhere_nh) November 9, 2018 Thing is, it's not really clear to me why this doc has been singled out: it's not as if the underlying culture of enforced expiration is new, or somehow a secret. Perhaps it's because, according to the linked article, this particular case was "assisted suicide" in much the same way as The Soprano family offered fre

So, have a (long-time) client that needs a short term medical plan . Decided on one from United Healthcare (don't judge). After choosing deductible and co-insurance options, we started the " Broker Assisted Application " process (which basically means that I fill in his name and date of birth, etc, and checking account info). Once that's done, I press a button that sends him a link, he completes that link with his last name and date of birth, then hits continue to send it back to me for finalization. Well, that's the way it's supposed to work, anyway. What happened this morning - repeatedly - was that he would get the link, enter the info, press the magic button, and be told: "Application not found ." Really, then how the $@()*^ did you know to send him the link in the first place, dummies? After repeating this another time, with different browsers and same results, I called the ever-helpful people at Home Office. They advised me that he needs to

There's no question that the cost of prescription medication is a significant driver of health insurance costs. And there's decent enough evidence that "Big Pharma" plays by ... ummm ... perhaps different rules than most industries, racking up fairly decent profits ( NTTAWWT ). And we hear from the "health care press" on a daily basis how bad this is for consumers and patients. But maybe there's a good reason for this: after all, in a (nominally) free enterprise system, greater risk should justify greater return. Okay, Henry, what the heck are you babbling on about? Well, this: "the United States generates more new medicines annually than the rest of the world combined. Specifically, it produces 57 percent of all new drugs each year. Switzerland is second with 13 percent;" https://t.co/QLE2W9hBeo � Bob Tufts (@TuftsB) November 6, 2018 Keep in mind that it may cost millions of dollars and decades of research to come up with even one new me

I'm not really sure that I find what I'm about to share credible, but it is intriguing, and who knows, maybe there's something to it. In any event, it's something very different.  Let's start with the Jewish practice of " laying t'fillin :" The practice comes to us from several sources. The Torah (Jewish Bible) tells us in Deuteronomy and in Exodus to " bind them as a sign upon your hand, and they shall be for frontlets between your eyes ." Observant Jews (and Jewish tradition) has interpreted that to mean wrapping one's left arm (near the heart) and one's head with special leather straps (at proscribed times and using a specific ritual and prayers). But  what the heck does this have to do with insurance or health care, Henry? Well, FoIB Holly R sent us this rather interesting article connecting them: " A pilot study led by researchers at the University of Cincinnati (UC) College of Medicine suggests Jewish men who practi

� For once, the term "shoddy insurance" doesn't apply to an ObamaPlan. Our friend Jeff M tips us to this item: " Federal authorities have shut down a network of Florida companies that they say used aggressive, deceptive tactics to sell skimpy health insurance products that skirt requirements of the Affordable Care Act and left tens of thousands of people around the country with unpaid medical bills ." And no, these aren't Short Term Medical plans (or at least, not legit ones). First, these rocket surgeons (allegedly) used the logos of actual carriers to lure folks in, then sold them mini-med and discount plans as if they were "comprehensive" CA-sompliant policies. And, of course, the numbskull "reporter" calls them " short term health insurance plans like those promoted by President Trump as an alternative to the Affordable Care Act ." Y'know, Bob, a simple call to a real agent could've helped you avoid embarrassing

Regular readers know that Canada's "free" health care system has, well, issues . Some years ago, we noted: " A group in British Columbia has offered medical waiting-list insurance to members whose government treatment is on hold ." And, of course, it's well-documented that this is a problem for a lot of our Neighbors to the North: " My father�s first oncologist appointment was scheduled for after he died ." Well, better late than ... Oh. A half dozen years ago, Bob posted on the Surgery Center of Oklahoma, which " operates on a cash only basis. They do not accept health insurance, Medicare or Medicaid funds ." Turns out, our Neighbors to the North also have their own version: " Check out Timely Medical Alternatives in Canada, which specializes in helping Canadians find affordable care (for cash payment) instead of waiting in the queue ." And indeed, when one visits the (aptly named) " Timely Medical Alternatives " sit

So as Open Enrollment '19 kicked off yesterday, lots of folks checking out the new plans and (of course) higher rates. Our friend Rich Weinstein offers this helpful factoid that may give us a hint of things to come this time 'round: Has anyone noticed there's only abt 10m enrolled in exchanges & the (2013) baseline estimate is about triple that? I know 8m were to be screwed out of ESI & sent to HIX via Cadillac Tax. But that still leaves an additional 10m shortfall. Obamacare's an epic failure. pic.twitter.com/2Y7NcUllJl � Rich Weinstein (@phillyrich1) October 31, 2018