Rob's Rant - Feb 25, 2006

Rob's Daily Health and Healthcare Newsletter - February 25, 2006

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Price Transparency

Rob's Note - I just have to say, CASHDOCTOR.COM was the first to promote direct pricing via the internet. All readers need to get out and start promoting our FREE SERVICE to every provider in your home town. We can make a difference

2/24/2006 12:41:00 PM
By Grace-Marie Turner
The need for price transparency is the hottest conversation right now in the world of consumer directed health care. I hear pleas for more information in my radio interviews, from people writing us through our website, and in talks around the country, most recently yesterday in Milwaukee. FULL STORY
http://www.galen.org/ccbdocs.asp?docID=871


Bush's Proposed Health Accounts Offer Tax Benefit for Wealthy

Rob's Note - Bloomberg News really dug up some idiots this time. I guess is you look under every rock you can get any one to say anything. I will start with the first IDIOT, Steven Bankler, who does not understand health insurance. He is dead wrong. I sell to doctors and auto mechanics alike. I sell to healthy and SICK. Someone with diabetes would benefit under and HSA qualified plan. Just apply my formula X + Y = Z. Next, HSAs are not ABOUT TAX DEDUCTIONS, they are about personal responsibility and the movement from a three payer system to a two payer system or the transition from SICK CARE TO HEALTH CARE. The tax deduction is just a bonus. Lastly Jason Furman is an idiot when he said ``No one needs to put away $10,000 a year and have it accumulate to hundreds of thousands of dollars to pay for health care.'' just this week we see Americans are making less than they did 5 years ago and they have negative savings and HSA savings can be used as income in retirement. I am sure in his cushy job with the University he gets a guaranteed annual pay increase and retirement benefits until he dies.. MR Furman needs to get his head out of the clouds and get into the real world before he speaks for us. We need to run these jerks out of town by sun down.

Feb. 24 (Bloomberg) -- President George W. Bush's proposal to expand health savings accounts, intended to help contain spiraling medical costs, may prove a tax-free boon for the nation's rich. FULL STORY
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000103&sid=a.v8quwjesw8&refer=us


Hagel forms health care commission
BY JAKE THOMPSON
WORLD-HERALD BUREAU
WASHINGTON - Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., said he has pulled together 10 experts for a commission that will examine health care issues for one year, then make recommendations to him on changes that he could pursue with legislation. FULL STORY
http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_pg=1642&u_sid=2122021


INCENTIVES FOR THE HEALTH CONSCIOUS
Daily Policy Digest
HEALTH ISSUES
Friday, February 24, 2006
Taking care of your body should have its own rewards. But a South African health insurance company is adding some new lures, such as discounts on travel, movie tickets and electronics, says the Wall Street Journal. FULL STORY
http://www.ncpa.org/newdpd/dpdarticle.php?article_id=2961

Does Health Cost Too Much? If you think so, stop buying so much
Ronald Bailey

Rob's Note - There are some great facts in this article, but I disagree when Mr Bailey states that demand is not driving up the cost. We must look at today CITIZEN and not the one from past centuries.

"When you've got your health, you've got everything," my mother used to say. All the evidence suggests that most Americans fervently agree with my mom, given how much they are willing to spend on health care. FULL STORY
http://www.reason.com/rb/rb022406.shtml


Health costs for state retirees to take center stage

Posted on Feb. 24, 2006 11:05 AM CST

MIAMI (Reuters)?U.S. state governments wrestling with inadequately funded pension plans are bracing for new accounting rules that will put a spotlight on the costs of massively expensive health benefits for retired workers. FULL STORY
http://www.businessinsurance.com/cgi-bin/news.pl?newsId=7275#


Health savings accounts are off to slow start

Rob's Note - Mr O'Neil is an idiot. He is the typical insurance executive that is driven by greed. Mr O'Neil does not understand the power of the HSA. He makes some real dumb comments. "We make them available" but we PUSH AND PROMOTE our most profitable plans. "Employees have rich benefit packages" referring to they typical Las Vegas employee where 80% use them very little (80/20 rule). If their plans are so rich, I know for a fact that not one employee would turn down a PPO with 100% of the deductible in an HSA for every employee. The major players can hold the HSA back by pricing, but competition will arrive in Las Vegas soon. NOW, Mr Harrison gets it because he is on the street working and educating the individual and employee. Hats off to Mr Harrison I would like to see you kick butts in Las Vegas..

By Michelle Swafford / Staff Writer
President Bush is touting health savings accounts as a viable solution to escalating health care premiums.
But Nevada businesses have been slow to accept them even though it can mean lower out-of-pocket costs for employers. FULL STORY
http://www.inbusinesslasvegas.com/2006/02/24/health.html

New Guide Promotes Affordable Health Insurance

Written By: HCN Staff
Published In: Health Care News
Publication Date: March 1, 2006
Publisher: The Heartland Institute
Managing Editor's note: A guide designed to help state legislators understand why health insurance premiums have been rising was released in January by the Council for Affordable Health Insurance (CAHI). The 2006 State Legislators' Guide to Health Insurance Solutions provides solutions that encourage greater access to affordable health coverage. FULL STORY
http://www.heartland.org/Article.cfm?artId=18596


D E A D M E A T!

is a 25 minute short film which shows the reality of health care under Canada's socialized medical system: Canadians wait ... and wait ... and wait. .... And sometimes they die while waiting for free government health care. CLICK TO VIEW FILM

http://www.onthefencefilms.com/video/deadmeat /



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