Comments on: Health insurance doesn’t cover enough, new report shows

By: Dawn Pugh

Dawn Pugh — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 20:14:02 +0000

Hi,
We hear of this far too often these days, it can be a minefield of small print and insufficient information.
I like Kim “love the idea of standardized plan comparison tools.”

Thank you
Regards
Dawn Pugh

By: Rico Henderson

Rico Henderson — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 18:34:45 +0000

This topic has really taken off lately. I am happy to see that it is finally getting the attention it deserves. I work in a hospital and I see the problem it is for those without coverage. You have really ill people that need medical attention, but they avoid it because of the costs associated with receiving medical treatment.

I don’t really know the resolution to this problem, but it must be found soon. Read my blog on my experience with patients without healthcare insurance:

http://hendersoninsurance.blogspot.com/2009/06/what-is-vip-patient.html

By: webmaster

webmaster — Thu, 28 May 2009 14:21:04 +0000

Hi, Steve, thanks for writing. The full report is available at Center for American Progress's website -- click on this link, and you'll see the link to the full report and summary on the web page, as well as links to the detailed Massachusetts and California original studies.

By: Steve Luptak

Steve Luptak — Thu, 28 May 2009 14:06:07 +0000

Where may I find the original studies, not the summaries? Thank you.

By: eHealth Insurance Comparison

eHealth Insurance Comparison — Thu, 21 May 2009 16:40:42 +0000

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By: Monica Rudloff

Monica Rudloff — Thu, 21 May 2009 14:14:38 +0000

This sounds like a great start.

In addition,are you considering any action that would have a similar policy created around prescription drug pricing AT PHARMACIES?

I have gotten onto various pharmacies’ websites and checked the different lists for drugs that they price competitively. Since my insurance covers 50% of the drug cost, I thought that the prices would be half. But that is never the case.

I learned that the only way to find out how much the drug will actually cost is to have the script filled once at one pharmacy, and then go to another pharmacy for the refill, and then compare prices. Pharmacies will not quote the correct price (even for a simple calculation like 50%!) unless they go through the process of filling the script.

WalMart is generally the least expensive, although I have found that, depending on the drug, that is not always the case. I would really like to be able to “shop” for drugs by price and then make the decision as to whether or not I am willing to travel the distance (if that is the case) to get them less expensively. I can do that when I buy clothes or other consumer items.

This may not be something that you choose to address at this point; however, I thought I’d offer my opinion. Many thanks in advance for your feedback, if any.

Sincerely,
Monica Rudloff

By: Kim Calder

Kim Calder — Wed, 20 May 2009 17:19:52 +0000

Love the idea of standardized plan comparison tools! People with MS are often fearful of changing jobs/ health plans because they don’t want to ‘out themselves’ by asking potential employer questions about health benefits, especially what drugs are on the formulary, what the co-pay or co-insurance would be, etc.

By: Health Insurance Consumer Guides are Back Online! | Consumer Guides for Getting and Keeping Health Insurance

Tue, 19 May 2009 20:46:06 +0000

[...] We’ve recently published several policy studies in partnership with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Center for American Progress, advocating for better consumer information labeling for health insurance policies. Learn more about the studies at the website as well: Coverage When It Counts: How Much Protection Does Health Insurance Offer and How Much Can You Know? [...]