Menu

IMK

Kevin Knauss: Health, History, Travel, Insurance

Home » Health Care » Page 3

Health Care Insurane Coverage

Posts related to coverage, prescription medications, benefits and providers under health insurance plans.

post

Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation and Covered California Notice

By Leave a Comment

Part of the confusion has been generated by the fact that Covered California added a special income field for reporting the federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (PUC) amount after many people had already enrolled. Some people enrolling shortly after they lost their jobs and employer-based health insurance due to the Covid-19 shut down, only entered their California unemployment insurance. Other households included both State and PUC amounts in one weekly amount or separate entries in the old Covered California income section.

post

Blue Shield Covid-19 Member Assistance Initiatives

By Leave a Comment

Blue Shield of California is taking additional steps to remove barriers and help its members receive the health care they need during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, announcing today it will cover members’ coinsurance, copayments and deductibles for COVID-19 medical treatments through May 31, 2020.

post

FAQs Covid-19 Corona Virus Health Plan Updates from CMS

By Leave a Comment

The FAQs released today detail existing federal rules governing health coverage provided through the individual and small group insurance markets that apply to the diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19. The FAQs clarify which COVID-related services, including testing, isolation/quarantine, and vaccination, are generally currently covered as EHBs in these markets. The purpose of the FAQs is to provide guidance to Americans enrolled in individual or small group market health plans, including HealthCare.gov consumers. As questions and issues continue to come to CMS, they will be addressed and added to these FAQs.

post

Aliera Health Care Sharing Ministry Ordered To Cease and Desist

By Leave a Comment

The Cease and Desist Order prohibits Aliera and Trinity from immediately transacting insurance in California, including advertising or receiving any money, commission, fee, rebate, payment, remuneration, or any other valuable consideration whatsoever, in connection with any insurance transactions.

post

IRS 2019 Health Insurance Subsidy Tax Credit Reconciliation

By Leave a Comment

For most tax payers, the income they estimated on their application for health insurance will not be exactly the same amount as their final Modified Adjusted Gross Income (MAGI) on their 2019 federal tax return. Part II of form 8962 compares the subsidy you received (column f) to the amount of subsidy you are entitled to (column e) from data supplied by the market place exchange on form 1095-A.

post

Oscar Cuts UCLA, Hoag from Covered California Health Plans

By Leave a Comment

If you want to keep either UCLA or Hoag in your Oscar health plan, you will have to enroll in an off-exchange Oscar plan that is designated with the Circle network. The Circle network that includes UCLA and Hoag will only be available in the metal tier plans of Bronze and Silver.

post

Kaiser Top Distributor of Opioids in Sacramento County

By Leave a Comment

Kaiser is unique in that because they manage their own pharmacies, we can get a look at the ordering habits of opioids, and by extension, the prescribing of those opioids by Kaiser doctors. With a pharmacy like Costco, that has a higher ordering rate for higher strength doses of hydrocodone, it is hard to pinpoint which doctors or medical groups are prescribing the stronger drugs. It may not even be a doctor in Sacramento County.

post

Kaiser Ear Cleaning Cost Jumps 33% For 2019

By Leave a Comment

If you take a nasty spill on your skate board in San Francisco, and have to have your ankle X-rayed at Kaiser, it will cost $102. But if you break your finger poking your political opponent in the chest, that finger X-ray will cost $111. These costs are lower in Southern California where they have more skate boards and finger poking. An ankle X-ray in Southern California will be $71 and the finger at $78. They don’t mention if there is a discount X-ray cost for both if you poked someone and then fell off your skate board.

post

Surviving Doctor Visits, Prostate Problems, and Shoulder Paralysis

By Leave a Comment

By the time I had all the fun in the urologist’s office, the prostate pain had virtually disappeared. My PCP and I had theorized before the PSA test that the new mountain bike I bought, with the knife-like seat, may have traumatized the pudendal nerve, a common problem among cyclists. I had stopped riding my new bike and the pain gradually subsided. The next PSA test result was a 4, confirming that I needed to buy a new bike seat.

post

Why Single Payer Won’t Happen In California In 2019

By Leave a Comment

The single payer proposals I have read deal mainly with the consumer side regarding access to care and reduced patient costs. What seems to be missing is recognition that medical groups and hospital have built their budgets around the existing health insurance plan reimbursement rates. There is no mechanism in the single payer proposals to limit the costs such as the cost of labor (nurses) which is a significant financial element for hospitals. Until we get a handle on the cost of health care, health insurance rates will continue to rise and a viable single payer proposal, where you have more than one or two hospitals participating, will only be a dream.

Spam prevention powered by Akismet