BCBS
I don't know quite how to feel about this. BCBS is doing something good...sorta. Their "Healthy Lifestyle Choices" program is basically preventive medicine through healthy living. I'm all for that. I mean, you do away with fast food, television, video games, and computers and America gets a lot healthier instantly. So, anything they are doing to make that better, well, that is a good thing.
BCBS of North Carolina Says Wellness Program Has Reduced Costs, Improved Members' Health Habits
A study released Wednesday by Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) of North Carolina suggests that participation in its Healthy Lifestyle Choices program helped members save $187 annually on medical expenses, the Business Journal of the Greater Triad Area reports. Under the program, participants receive tools and resources designed to help them improve their eating and fitness habits, including a pedometer, lifestyle diary and stress management CD. Members also receive access to online resources that guide fitness and diet decisions. According to BCBS officials, the program's 1,171 participants saved $437,729 across 2005 and 2006 and had medical expenses roughly one-third less than the average patient. In addition, participants significantly increased their fruit and vegetable consumption and the number of days they exercised. Based on the program's success, BCBS of North Carolina officials have decided to extend the initiative to all members and will expand the program to include personal health coaching, in which members speak with an R.N. about weight loss and chronic conditions, and six free nutrition counseling sessions (Business Journal of the Greater Triad Area, 12/5/07; BCBS release, 12/5/07).
BUT. Do you notice that it says the members who participated saved $187 in medical expenses? They had medical expenses of 1/3 the average patient. That all sounds good, but what does that mean? We would have to see the raw data, but my bet is that this doesn't decrease the amount paid by patients as co-pays or co-insurance, but probably was money saved by BCBS. At least MOST of it had to be money saved by BCBS, right? After all, in their PPO plan they pay the majority of the costs after copays. So, what they are saying is that this saved BCBS money, how much we don't know.
In addition, they are expanding it to all their members AND including personal health coaches. All of which will, as people like myself have said forEVER, save them money in the long-term. How do they respond? They've raised premiums - again. BCBS has some major problems, and someone needs to take them on, too bad we don't have an A.G. looking to make a name for himself...oh wait....
Blue Cross of North Carolina has been widely criticized recently for hoarding hundreds of millions of dollars in excess profits, overpaying its executives, and sending 275 executives, sales staff, brokers and guests on a Caribbean island vacation. At the same time, Blue Cross of North Carolina spends only about 77 cents of each of your premium dollars for actual health care delivery, about 11 cents less than the national average. It’s difficult to imagine that Blue Cross could not afford to pay a fair reimbursement rate to one of the state’s best hospitals.
- Robert P.'s blog
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if only I saw those savings....
My Blue Advantage went up something like 24% in 2006 and a whopping 33% or so this year because of supposed "higher costs" so I want to know when they will pass on those savings. We have switched to a much higher deductlble to make it affordable for my husband's small business, but if they are going to increase no matter what, it makes me feel like using MORE services, not less. I passed on a colonoscopy this year, since I had one last year. Not that I am volunteering for that any time soon, but I might look into all those healthy living services, etc.
And my seasonal allergies would improve a TON if they sent me along on those Caribbean isalnd vacations. Just saying, in the interest of lowering health costs.
Premiums up
My Blue Advantage went up 25% this year. In fairness, the premium for the two adumts and one child on my plan is still 25% less than the cost of just me on my company plan. Add on spouse and child to that plan and I'm paying maybe 25-30% of that total cost.
Something just doesn't seem right that I own a business and sign the premium check for the company policy every month, but it doesn't make sense to me or the company's bottom line to be on the company plan. Health insurance in this country needs to be fixed, but anyone with a plan to provide insurance and "fix" things by requiring employers to provide insurance is barking up the wrong tree. The cost of heath insurance is a staggering load on my business and is the second biggest cost after labor. 100% of my employees are insured one way or another, so that is not the issue, but so many politicians' easy answer is to put the burden on employers.
If healthcare is a national issue and if healthcare is a moral issue and if healthcare is everyone's responsibility, then let the government take care of it. Employer expenses, if the business can stay in business with those costs, is passed down to the consumer. If the individual ends up paying in the end, we should remove the costs of the embeded mandates like health insurance and bring them out in the open. If nothing else, if one's healthcare plan is not through the employer, protability is no longer an issue. I'd be more than happy to pass along almost all "savings" to people's paychecks.
I am so tired of politicians' lame solutions including putting even more of a burden on those evil "corporations." If I get any more of a government burden on my business, I'll have to shut down and lay off many good people. That would fix a lot of things wouldn't it?
But, in this case the evil corporation...
is the insurer. To be fair, Dennis Kucinich is right here, Single payer health care is the way to go. We spend way more per capita than anyone else to leave 1/6th of our population UNINSURED!
One of the pitfalls of childhood is that one doesn't have to understand something to feel it. - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
The most disturbing thing, is that with what is spent
by employers and employees on insuring some Americans, we should be able to insure all Americans. It is a de facto tax on employers who want to keep employees; I know I would lose 1/2 my work force if I said, we're not going to insure you any more. Here's the money instead. Because most of them would not be able to find insurance at the rate at which we can buy it - and we're a small group with bad health ratings.
Be the change you wish to see in the world. --Gandhi