Prepaid funeral plans are the “extended service warranties” of the funeral industry—profitable for the funeral home but often useless.
insurance
Mass. Residents Face Monthly Fines For Going Without Health Insurance
By 1.3.08
Residents in Mass., who refuse to get health insurance will soon face monthly fines of up to $76 , says the AP:
The fines are part of an increasingly aggressive approach written into the health care law designed to pressure Massachusetts residents into getting insurance. The law, intended to create near-universal coverage in the state, was approved by lawmakers and signed by former Gov. Mitt Romney in 2006.
Insurance Company Denies Coverage For 3-Year-Old's Only Source Of Nutrition
By 12.29.07
Hannah Devane is 3 years old and is allergic to food. Not certain specific foods. Hannah has a rare disorder that makes her allergic to every kind of food except a certain formula that her insurance company says is a “nutritional supplement.” Feeding Hannah costs $300 a week, but without the formula Hannah can’t eat enough to survive without doing permanent damage to her esophagus.
The 6 MPH Crash That Costs $8,000 To Repair
By 12.22.07
Minivan bumpers may not protect much, but they sure do cost a lot to repair, according to the Insurance Institute For Highway Safety. The IIHS smashed six minivans to test their bumpers and found that all racked up repair bills exceeding $5,000. The Nissan Quest was singled out as a “miserable failure,” costing $8,000 to patch-up.
By 12.21.07
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The lawyer for the family whose daughter died after CIGNA declined to pay for her liver transplant said that he will urge the DA’s office to press manslaughter charges against CIGNA for having “maliciously killed her.” [AP]
As CIGNA Insurance Waffles On Liver Transplant, Girl Dies
By 12.21.07
CIGNA denied a girl’s liver transplant, saying it was “experimental,” then changed it’s mind after 150 family, friends, and nurses association members protested outside CIGNA headquarters. But the reversal was too late, Natalee Sarkisian, 17, died last night at UCLA medical center. The insurance company had initially agreed to pay for the liver transplant, but then after Natalee developed a lung infection, then got a bone marrow transplant from her brother, delayed, and then denied coverage, the family says. She was in a vegetative state, battling leukemia. In an email sent out shortly before Natalee died, the insurance company wrote, ” … CIGNA HealthCare has decided to make an exception in this rare and unusual case and we will provide coverage should she proceed with the requested liver transplant.” Score another one for the bean counters.
By 12.17.07
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Fewer borrowers will qualify for mortgage insurance, due to tightened restrictions following the subprime…
Tips For Avoiding Medicare Sales Scams
By 12.11.07
The WSJ Health Blog alerts us to the existence of predatory sales scams involving private fee for service (PFFS) Medicare plans.
USAA Pays Excluded Claim Because You've Been A Customer For 11 Years
By 12.9.07
“A few months ago, the pipe under my front lawn which leads to the water main, as well as two of my neighbors’ pipes, burst as a result of city firefighters cleaning the hydrants and shutting the water off too quickly. There was a nice little stream going down the street until the city came and shut off our water the next day, routing our service through a different (unaffected) neighbor’s pipes. The Water Services Department informed us that we were financially responsible for hiring a plumber to make the repairs, and that if we failed to do so within 30 days, we would be disconnected from our neighbor’s service. All of the estimates we got from plumbers came in around $1,500.”
Keep A Police-Accessible Record Of Your Serial Numbers With JustStolen
By 12.7.07
JustStolen offers a free online database where you can store information about your personal property—”Any descriptive information can be entered into the database including make, model, color, serial number and any thing else you can think of. You can even upload photographs of your items.” The company makes its data available for free to police departments everywhere, so they can locate the owners of recovered items by (for example) typing in a serial number. It’s based in Boston but, since it’s an Internet company, it can be used by consumers and police departments no matter where they’re located.
By 12.6.07
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Health insurer UnitedHealth Group told investors that it lost 315,000 customers this year due to having ridiculously crappy customer service. In other news, the population of Pittsburgh, PA is only 312,819. Uh, whoops. [WSJ Health Blog]
40 Million Americans Cannot Afford Needed Heath Care Says CDC
By 12.4.07
The Centers For Disease Control And Prevention have issued a report saying that 1 in 5 U.S. adults, about 40 million people, cannot afford to get the health care they need.
9 Common Ailments And The Cheaper Generic Drugs To Treat Them
By 12.4.07
It’s not just for the cereal aisle anymore, generic over name brand saves behind the pharmacy counter too. Generic drugs work just as well as name-brands, often at a fraction of the cost. One-size does not fit all and only your doctor can tell you if switching to a cheaper option is right for you.
5 Confessions Of A Reference Lab Technician
By 12.3.07
He’s the guy whom pieces of your body get sent off to when you go to the doctor’s office, and he’s got some things he’d like to tell you. Like the secret manual covering which tests Medicare will and won’t cover, your rights under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, and can you please, please, write legibly and use a standard version of your name when filling out forms…
Individual Insurance More Horrific Than Employer Plans
By 12.3.07
Consumer Reports’ investigation found that, in comparison to employer offered insurance, individual insurance sucks and it’s expensive. Here’s the results of their survey, published in the January issue, asking consumers about their experience with both types of insurance.
Just Because You Have Health Insurance Doesn't Mean Your Bill Won't Be A Million Dollars
By 11.30.07
Here’s a scary thought: What if you have health insurance and still get stuck with a million dollar hospital bill? That’s what happened to Jim Dawson after a staph infection spread throughout his body.
By 11.29.07
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Walmart Watch is raising funds to help pay for the ongoing care of the woman who was hit by a semi. [Walmart Watch]
Health Insurance 101
By 11.27.07
We get a lot of questions about health insurance. We’re not experts, so we’ve turned to the folks at Kiplinger. They’ve put together a section on their site that will help you understand the “alphabet soup” of health care options that are available to you. Good luck out there.
