Insight, analysis & opinion from Joe Paduda
When it is spending by the other party. Bob Laszewski points out the hypocrisy of Pres. Bush’s latest rant about the Democratic budget bill’s “excessive” discretionary spending. Bob notes that Bush’s opposition to entitlement spending is a rather new thing, … Continue reading When is entitlement spending bad?
Read More...A backlash is what happens after something occurs. That being the case, a “pre-lash” is a “reaction” to something before it occurs. Awkward, but accurate when describing what’s happening with consumer-directed health care.
Read More...I met with quite a few managed care execs at RIMS, as well as several network vendors. There’s a disconnect between the two groups.
Read More...A scientific study supports what claims adjusters and case managers have known for years – obese workers incur more workers comp claims and cost way more and are much harder to get back to work than their skinnier colleagues. Three … Continue reading the bigger they are, the harder they fall
Read More...OK, another trip down Esoteric Lane, into the wierd world of WC drug management… When states set high workers comp fee schedules for drugs, WC medical costs go up, and too many dollars are taken from employers and given to … Continue reading Working to increase your drug costs…
Read More...An effort in Connecticut to implement a single payer, universal coverage program is just about dead, after the state’s Office of Fiscal Analysis determined it would cost as much as the entire state budget. Politicians were shocked by the estimated … Continue reading Connecticut’s still-born single payer plan
Read More...Insurance companies, employers, and TPAs rely on vendors to process bills, build and operate networks, manage prescriptions and PT, support litigation, and provide expert advice on problematic medical issues. In many instances the vendors are selected thru a competitive bidding … Continue reading those damn vendors
Read More...Consumer directed health plans will make all of us better users of the health care system. We’ll shop for price, be careful about what procedures we get from whom for how much how often. We’ll bargain, examine data, and carefully … Continue reading You’re it. No, you’re it. No…
Read More...California workers comp rates are likely to drop again. Clearly, the WC reform initiatives are starting to pay off. That’s good. Sort of. When rates drop, employers’ costs go down, leaving more money for investment, profits, higher wages, and perhaps … Continue reading California’s rate reduction – not all good news
Read More...The short answer – elimination of a major network and bill review competitor, acquisition of a PBM and case management operator, and an annual revenue increase for Coventry’s specialty division of about $320 million.
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