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POLICY: From the country that loves the HSA

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The future of American health insurance, South African style — Patients bleed hospitals dry

Hospitals in Limpopo are owed about R146m by patients whose medical aid companies haven’t settled their bills and those who lied about being poor. Limpopo has 43 state hospitals that provide private wards for financially well-off patients who prefer to use their own doctors, instead of state doctors.Provincial health spokesperson Phuthi Seloba said on Tuesday that the department was seeking tenders from debt collection companies to collect the outstanding money, starting in March.

On the other hand, we know it’s a future that’s already here.

POLICY: Kevin Drum. Kevin Dumb?

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I know he’s got a lot on his mind but leading liberal blogger Kevin Drum writing in his blog at The Washington Monthly actually wrote this in his post about HSAs:

These proposals sound pretty good, don’t they?

Did he start channeling Ron?  Or was he just too lazy to go read the reams and reams of stuff written about HSAs, and figure out their one or two tiny flaws…

Who knows, but plenty of his commentators are ripping him a new one.

TECH: Live from the HISsies

MrHISTalk’s deputy Billy "Biff" JutJaw brings you the results of the HISsies. About as straight as West Palm Beach election, but a damn site funnier!

OFF-TOPIC/TECH: In the shower this morning I was thinking of going short, with UPDATE

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And in my fantasy stock trading moments — Damn Damn Damn

But you might like my commment buried in a post over at Ezra’s when the stock was at $450, ooh as long ago as early last month!

Ezra’s one line post was  Not that I don’t love my magazine and all, but I’m applying for a job with google. He was excited about the ncie work benefits and the stock options. My comment was “I’m thinking of going to work there, so long as the options they give me are puts.”

Once again—all talk no action at this end!

UPDATE: While I was mentally jerking off, this guy closed the deal using logic as well as intuition.  But for some reason only went short 10 shares. Still he’s up $500 more than I am!

PBMs: Is PCMA learning AHIP’s tricks?

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I’m so fond of analyzing "research" by AHIP that I’ve missed some from PCMA, the trade group of the PBMs. But if you go to their site you’ll learn that you, the consumer, are about to save $1.3 trillion over the next ten years because of our brave PBMs.

Well at least they haven’t taken to AHIPs trick of claiming savings for their consumers when their costs were going through the roof.  I mean, who can dispute that the presence of PBMs is saving their consumers money? Well some people might but they can’t tell us what will happen in the future can they!  After all, who knows what will happen in the future? No one! So what they say can’t be challenged!

You may guess that I’ll have a little more about this coming up. For now, hunt about in the section on PBMs in the CHCF report that came out yesterday, before I introduce you to some folks who’ve been overturning the rocks in the PBMs’ backyard.

PHARMA/POLICY: Richard Paey’s case hits 60 Minutes

Richard Paey was put in jail for 25 years basically taking pain pills, so that instead the state in Florida can fund his medical care. Oh the prosecutor said that he forged prescriptions, even though at first he wanted to go after his doctor.  Well this shameful attack on a wheelchair-bound patient is finally getting some attention. Last Sunday is made it onto 60 Minutes.

Much of the thanks for this must go to John Tierney from the New York Times, who continually writes about the craziness of our war on patients and doctors. He pointed out in his column that the prosecutor is an earnest man who genuinely believes that he is doing the right thing, and claims that he made no medical judgments even though his entire case is based on his made-up "fact" that "no one could take 25 pills a day". He reminds me of the concentration camp guard, who was sure he was just following orders.

You’d think that, as Jeb Bush has a daughter who herself was in trouble for forging prescriptions, and apparently was just a regular addict, the wise Christian governor of Florida could find a little mercy in his heart.

 

POLICY/INTERNATIONAL: High co-payments prevent needed care, and not in the US this time

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So charging at the point of care, another Zombie of health care policy, isn’t just a problem for the poor here—although it’s going to get a whole lot worse. It’s also a big issue in that place that the US loony right thinks will be where they ascend to heaven (or at least I think that’s what they think about it…who can tell with that bunch of nuts?).

Read up about the problems of paying for care in Israel.

Meanwhile if you want to know more about health care Zombies, read this great speech from Morris Barer…

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