Insurance

Insurance Buyer Beware!

While catching up on some insurance reading, I came across this article, which gives some food for thought. I’ve been giving insurance symposia around the country, and we have been focusing this year on the “Marketplace” websites, but this never even crossed my mind!

“Buyer Beware: Obamacare creates an opening for confusion and scams”

Kate Pickert
Government Bureaucrats aren’t the only ones preparing for a key component of President Obama’s signature health care law that goes into effect this fall.
Health care exchanges, the marketplaces where people can buy soon-to-be required insurance, launch Oct. 1, and experts warn that their debut
could create a prime moneymaking opportunity for illegal scammers and others looking to capitalize on consumer confusion. “There are people licking their chops and saying, ‘A sucker is born every minuet,’” says Elizabeth Abbott of the consumer group Health Access California.
There are two main types of potential snares for consumers: outright cons and insurance-like plans that give the impression of offering
more coverage than they actually provide. Regulatory agencies are already on high alert for fraud. Both the Federal Trade Commission and the Better Business Bureau have posted warnings about Obamacare-related identity theft. And in Pennsylvania, one enterprising insurance broker set up a website with the official state seal and the title Pennsylvania Health Exchange. The site was removed after a warning for the state insurance department.
Some quasi-insurance products expected to proliferate come October are ‘discount medical plans,” which promise lower health care costs in exchange for a recurring fee. Many of these plans lure customers with language that implies comprehensive coverage, but the reality is far more limited.
“The problem is, people pay the money, buy a plan, and when they get sick, they find out they don’t’ have the financial security they thought they had,” says Minnesota attorney general Lori Swanson, who has sued several discount medial plans for deceptive market practices. Consumer watchdogs are also wary of plans that reimburse consumers with set amounts for doctor visits or hospital stays, regardless of the actual costs.
Obamacare bans some forms of skimpy coverage, but with enforcement left to the states—some of which are less than enthusiastic about
the law—don’t count on those misleading plans disappearing overnight. “Will the states crack down on them?” asks Timothy Jost, a law professor at Washington and Lee University and an expert on insurance regulation. “Well, a number of states
aren’t enforcing the Affordable Care Act at all.”
Time August 19, 2013Great Book I Just Read
Into the Abyss: An Extraordinary True Story [Kindle]
Carol Shaben

A small commuter plane goes down on a subzero night in 1984 in Canada; only four of nine people survive: the 24 year old pilot, the first Muslim politician in North America, a policeman and his handcuffed prisoner. The next 36 hours reveals each man’s character, impacts them for life, and bonds them to one another for life. The prisoner saves the lives of the other three and becomes a national hero. This amazing story, expertly told, delves deep into the minds and hearts of each man before and during the accident, and follows them 20 years later to see what has become of them. The incident helped to change Canadian aviation. The author is the daughter of the politician, one of the survivors. Five/five stars.

Pulse on the Road in Washington!

Sunny weather is rare in Washington state, but even the balmy temperatures could not keep away some hemophilia patients and families who wanted to learn more about healthcare reform. We had a solid turn out for “Pulse on the Road,” our unique symposium, sponsored by Baxter Healthcare Corporation, that is completely devoted to educating patients about insurance reform. As guests of the Bleeding Disorders Foundation of Washington, we presented a three-hour symposium on Saturday, September 10, to one of the most focused and interactive audiences I’ve ever seen.


To ensure families know why we got where we are, I started the session off with an overview of hemophilia’s history and how our unique history has been placed high on the radar screen of insurance companies and state governments. Did you know that the hemophilia community has enjoyed a heyday for the past 10 years, post-HIV devastation? Due to what happened to us, insurers have left us pretty much alone, not monkeying with prices or access to product choice. Those days are over, friends! I explained why over 30 minutes.

Next was Elizabeth Stoltz of Baxter Healthcare, who gave her Insurance 101 session. There are some new terms in healthcare reform that you’ll need to know, and she covered these and ones we should already know.

Michelle Rice, regional director of NHF, presented the results of a patient-focused survey from last fall, which tested to see how much bleeding disorder patients knew about their insurance and insurance reform. Results were encouraging, as high numbers knew that lifetime maximums were being eliminated and that dependents would be able to stay on their parents’ insurance until age 26. People are reading up, and that’s great!

In between each speaker we held a quick Q&A, based on the talk just given, with prizes! I’m telling you, people love these. We had speedy replies and winners, as this crowd was sharp!

Finally Jim Romano of Patient Services, Inc. (PSI) gave the keynote—an overview on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) — healthcare reform. Breaking down the many changes into digestible amounts, Jim covered how the new healthcare reform will help us, and what we need to monitor to ensure we continue to have access to the care we need.

Our message wasn’t just that we should all learn these terms and concepts–we are trying to educate families to keep the cash in their wallets. If we don’t pay attention, and know the small print, and know how ACA will affect those with chronic disorders, we may end up paying more for healthcare insurance. If we are not vigilant, the great benefits we expect from ACA—like no lifetime limits—could be challenged during upcoming elections. If you don’t know much about your own insurance policy, you may overpay.

Following the speakers we had three breakout sessions on Medicaid, Out of Pocket Costs and Advocacy. These interactive and informal gatherings always provide personalized answers to concrete problems. We were very pleased to have Cat Stulik, a social worker from Puget Sound Blood Center, join us in the Medicaid break out.

Thanks to Kristian Prill, executive director, and her team for a great morning. Thanks to Kevin Finkle for his wonderful photos! Thanks also to Baxter Healthcare Corporation for their generous sponsorship.

Visit our website (“Events”) to see where we take Pulse on the Road next!

Visit our website to download your complimentary copy of Pulse, our newsletter devoted to insurance reform for the bleeding disorder community.

Great Book I Just Read
Always the Children: A Nurse’s Story of Home and War
Anne Watts

This is a riveting memoir of a young girl, who lost her mother early and under troubling circumstances, was told she could not become a nurse by her father, and who fought every convention to follow her dream. She became a nurse, and then led a life of great adventure and drama, as she goes from one developing country to another, often in times of war, to aid the sick, the orphaned, and even lepers! Anne is fearless and has boundless compassion. You can almost feel her transformation from a naïve, shy girl, to take-charge nurse and mature woman. She is under fire in Vietnam, chatting with Bob Hope after a tragedy en route to one of his USO shows, in a hellhole refugee camp in Cambodia, and even stumbles across “haemophiliacs” in the Sudan. I wasn’t sure I would like this book as it started kind of slow, but it absolutely picked up steam, and I could not put it down. She reflects back on her life, and brings it all together at the very end… I won’t give it away, but it is a fabulous book, well written, funny, sad and powerful. Thank you Jan Howard of the Shetland Islands for sending this wonderful gift to me! Three stars.

POTR is Hot in San Antonio!

Insurance is still the hottest subject in bleeding disorders, and this past weekend in San Antonio really proved it. We had a great turn out for “Pulse on the Road,” our unique symposium, sponsored by Baxter Healthcare Corporation, that is completely devoted to educating patients about insurance reform. As guests of the Texas Central Hemophilia Association and Lone Star Chapter of NHF, we presented a three-hour symposium on Sunday, June 26, from 7 am to 10 am, to an audience of over 200 patients and their families.

The chapters did an excellent job of attracting patients and families to attend. With hundreds of family members and a fair amount of industry representatives, this was a stellar meeting. I loved seeing the children with hemophilia scampering about, or holding relay races in the hallways as part of the supervised kids’ programs. No joint problems anywhere!

While a nutritious, hot breakfast was served, I started the session Sunday morning with an overview of hemophilia’s history and how our unique history has been placed high on the radar screen of insurance companies and state governments. My talk was followed by Elizabeth Stoltz of Baxter Healthcare, who gave an Insurance 101 session; her talk covered common terms that all families will need to know to navigate healthcare reform. Then, Michelle Rice of NHF presented the results of a patient-focused survey from last fall, which tested to see how much bleeding disorder patients knew about their insurance and insurance reform. Results were encouraging, as high numbers knew that lifetime maximums were being eliminated and that dependents would be able to stay on their parents’ insurance until age 26.

Finally Jim Romano of Patient Services, Incorporated (PSI) gave the keynote about healthcare reform. Breaking down the many changes into digestible amounts, Jim covered how the new healthcare reform will help us, and what we need to monitor to ensure we continue to have access to the care we need.

To spice things up and keep our audience sharp at such an early hour, I asked the audience after each presenter a question, and whoever got the right answer won cash! The message: we are trying to educate to keep the cash in your wallets. If you don’t know much about your own insurance policy, you may overpay. If you don’t know how insurance reform will impact you, you may lose money. In these economic times, we want every family to preserve their hard-earned dollars. The “competition” added some fun to the topic of insurance and we had some sharp people in the audience!

Following the speakers we had three breakout sessions on Medicaid, Out of Pocket Costs and Advocacy. Everyone agreed that 45 minutes for break out was not enough. These interactive and informal gatherings proved the highlight of the meeting. Patients were able to ask questions about their personal situation with experts in their field. Jim Passamano, of Sufian & Passamano LLP, a lawyer specializing in chronic disorder and insurance, helped explain Medicaid changes to many families. Shannon Brown, a social worker from Texas, spelled out certain out of pocket costs that patients will need to monitor closely. And Michelle Rice of NHF presented a new personal tool to help families get a handle on comparing insurance plans.

Simultaneous translation into Spanish helped the many Spanish-speaking families understand how healthcare reform may impact them.
Patients truly appreciated the three-hour program and the chance to speak to insurance experts in bleeding disorders. “I would like to have attended all the [break out] sessions and not just one!” commented one attendee. “I’m very pleased at how much I learned and all the wonderful people I met!” exclaimed another. When asked if they learned something new, every hand in the room was raised!

Thanks to Luis and Shannon, executive directors of their chapters, and coordinators of the event, for inviting us, and to Baxter Healthcare Corporation for their sponsorship.

Visit our website (“Events”) to see where we take Pulse on the Road next!

Visit our website to download your complimentary copy of Pulse, our newsletter devoted to insurance reform for the bleeding disorder community.

Interesting Book I Just Read
Altitude Illness: Prevention & Treatment
Stephen-Bezruchka, MD
This is a small book, written to be taken while trekking on mid- to high-altitude mountains. I read most of it on one plane ride. It’s chock full of good information, and goes into great (and scary) detail of what can happen to you if you are not careful on the mountains. It’s very dry, terse, to the point, and may make you think twice about attempting the big ones. Too late for me! I am going to tackle Mt. Kilimanjaro in August. The strange thing about altitude sickness is you just never know who it will strike. Marathoners and top athletes, like Martina Navratilova, can get it, and 12 year olds with limited climbing experience may avoid it. You never know till you are there. Two stars.

In Praise of PSI

So last Wednesday night I walk into an Irish pub in Haverhill, a city about 20 minutes from my home. “The Peddler’s Daughter” is a wonderful little piece of the old country, in a cozy cellar location, with great food and a lovely Irish atmosphere, run by real Irish people. It’s one of our favorite places to eat. Great fish and chips; homemade ketchup.

About an hour later a young man walks into the pub and heads to the bar, and I feel like i know him. Sure enough, I do. It’s Walter, the young man who tiled my cellar last fall. At that time was part of a work crew from a local contractor, and he surprised me, as he was putting in the tile, when he said, “Does your son have hemophilia, too?” Apparently, he figured it out from the photos I have of Paul Newman and me at Camp Hole in the Wall (can’t miss that autographed picture, front and center as you walk in). We chatted and I learned he has mild hemophilia and lives in Haverhill. I have people from all over the world on my mailing list but not someone who lives 15 minutes away? Well, he and his family were not active in the community. I added him to my mailing list, gave him a free copy of my book and sent him on his way, leaving me to enjoy my new floor.

Two months later Walt stopped by my office with news. “I quit my job,” he said hesitantly. I treated him with the same care and concern I would my own child. “What are you, crazy?” I said. No job, no insurance; no insurance, no factor. What was he thinking? He didn’t like his boss. And with no college education, it would be tough to find another job. I lectured him a bit and then armed him with a mission: call your hematologist; call your home care company and very quickly, call PSI. Tom had never heard of PSI. When I explained to him that it could save his life, I guess he listened.

Off he went and months went by. I didn’t hear from him. And then, in all the bars in all the world, he walks into mine.

“Hi, Walt?” I asked, eyeing him in the dim light.

“Mrs. Kelley!” he exclaimed, recognizing me. Then, “I got a job!”

Poor kid: now he’s treating me like his mother!

I was thrilled for him. Of course, there is a waiting period for those with pre-existing conditions… not to worry. Walt amazed me when he said, “I called PSI like you said and they are covering me until my new insurance kicks in.”

Wow. Here was a kid who never attended a hemophilia meeting, went to camp once, doesn’t know anyone else with hemophilia, quit his job not realizing the dire consequences, couldn’t name his factor brand… and he did it. He got himself back on track. I was so happy! He was too.

Kudos to PSI: you don’t know Walt but you have changed his life. Thank you, Dana, thank you everyone at PSI!

(To learn more about PSI and how they help people with chronic disorders who lose their insurance, go to www.uneedpsi.org)

Don’t Quit Your Day Job

I had a nice visit this week from a young man with hemophilia named Walter.  The way we met was strange. Last September I decided to rip up the carpet in my basement, which was in dire need of extermination, after years of pets and children had taken their toll. I hired a local flooring company to place lovely tiles that are immune to regurgitated dog food and ground up Doritos. One of the three young men tiling my floor asked me, “Does your son have hemophilia? Because I do.” He had seen photos on my basement walls of me with Paul Newman at Camp Hole in the Wall, and put two and two together. Here he was, on his knees all day, using really sharp cutting tools to tear up the carpet! We talked for a long time, and I sent him away with all kinds of books and newsletters, and told him to contact me if he ever needed anything. He only lives about three miles away.

So this week Walter did stop by. He quit his job. Walter, Walter! What were you thinking? I wailed. Now he has no insurance and no way to pay for factor. No unemployment checks, nothing. Walter also didn’t know what to do. He had never really been connected to the community.

My first thought was, don’t get any more factor sent you from your home care company. If his rep decides to send a quick shipment and does not check in first… Walt could be stuck with a bill he could never afford. Did he contact his home care company immediately to stop any more shipments? No. I made him promise to call that afternoon, so he will not accidentally get stuck with a big shipment that would eventually ruin his credit rating.

Did he tell his HTC? No. That would be his next call. Does he know what product he uses? Yes. And thankfully, his home care company enrolled him in a coupon program, so he has lots of coupons. Cash them in! He should get some free factor.

After talking, Walt saw his error. A person with hemophilia if at all possible should never just quit their job. So much preparation needs to be done first. At least we have lots of help in this community. From ACCESS to PSI, Walt has many resources to contact for advise and help. And as he walked out the door (I couldn’t tell if he was happy or sorry he came), I handed him this issue of PEN–“What To Do When You Lose Your Insurance.” The forlorn young man on the front could have been him.

Guys with hemophilia–don’t quit your day job. Tough it out for the sake of your health. Or I am coming to lecture you, too.

ADVERTISEMENT
HemaBlog Archives
Categories