Insight, analysis & opinion from Joe Paduda
This is one tough year to be putting on the swami hat and dusting off the crystal ball. There are so many moving pieces affecting the group health/individual/Medicare/ Medicaid world that it will be hard enough to analyze what happened … Continue reading The future of health plans – predictions for 2009
Read More...Last week a study hit the wires indicating that managed care plans did not have better outcomes for carotid endarterectomies (CEs), a surgical procedure ostensibly intended to reduce the risk of stroke. Here’s the headline from UPI – “No managed … Continue reading Misleading managed care headlines
Read More...Much against my better judgment, here are my predictions – in no particular order – for the work comp managed care world in 2009. 1. Coventry will be acquired. Currently trading just under $15 per share, Coventry Health looks to … Continue reading Predictions for Comp managed care in 2009
Read More...As the options on the table become somewhat more clear, it appears all but inevitable that any national health reform program will include a public insurance option, sometimes labled as “Medicare for All”. The plans offered by Pres. Elect Obama … Continue reading What are health insurers afraid of?
Read More...A positive brand image. That’s what every successful company seeks, and what unsuccessful companies don’t have – and which the Democratic party, despite its recent successes, is sorely lacking. Yes, the 2008 elections were a rousing success for the Democrats, … Continue reading The political case for national health reform
Read More...From the world of workers comp comes a crystal clear picture of what’s wrong with America’s health care system, and how difficult it will be to get it right. WorkCompCentral has a piece this morning about California’s proposal to not … Continue reading Why health reform will be so tough
Read More...I’ve gotten several queries about the future of work comp if/when health reform occurs. The real answer is – no one knows. But I’m happy to take an educated guess. I very much doubt comp will be directly impacted by … Continue reading National health reform – implications for workers comp
Read More...As if the declining frequency rate wasn’t bad enough, managed care companies are now looking at significantly lower claims volume in 2009, a decline that will spell trouble for work comp managed care. When the number of injuries goes down … Continue reading Tough times ahead for work comp managed care
Read More...In the three and a half years I’ve been publishing MCM, I’ve been labeled a conservative, libertarian, apologist for the insurance industry, socialist, leftist, liberal, and other less printable terms. It’s nice to be part of so many seemingly diverse … Continue reading Why big reform won’t happen in 2009
Read More...While I and a few thousand other industry folks have been conferring in Las Vegas, the world (most inconveniently I would add) has been marching forward without us. In Florida, it looks their progress is headed right for the edge … Continue reading Florida – the end of the happy times
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