Children in the US Write of the Healthcare Experiences
Apr 13th 2007, 12:10 pm
#16
Guttural Brumerican
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Apr 13th 2007, 12:16 pm
#17
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Re: Children in the US Write of the Healthcare Experiences
Levels of patient care hasn't been under discussion.
If you completely fail to see what benefit HIPPA is, I suggest you read it.
Apr 13th 2007, 12:52 pm
#18
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Re: Children in the US Write of the Healthcare Experiences
HIPPA did a lot for people with pre-existing conditions. Before they could have trouble whenever they changed jobs. Now, it is not a problem if they keep continuous coverage. I'm sure you can come back with something it doesn't fix, but that is a BIG help for people with pre-existing conditions.
Levels of patient care hasn't been under discussion.
If you completely fail to see what benefit HIPPA is, I suggest you read it.
Levels of patient care hasn't been under discussion.
If you completely fail to see what benefit HIPPA is, I suggest you read it.
Answer: Due to a rising administrative burden (cost) placed on the service provider to provide higher levels of data security and communication security, which ultimately gets passed onto the patient in a larger bill. It doesn't help the uninsured at all.
Apr 13th 2007, 1:28 pm
#19
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Re: Children in the US Write of the Healthcare Experiences
Thats a very good point you make and one I didn't know. Of course HIPPA is great for those with pre existing conditions who go from job to job with insurance. How about those, who may, or may not, have pre existing conditions who can't afford healthcare insurance (which many of these posts have been about)? How does HIPPA help them in that respect?
Answer: Due to a rising administrative burden (cost) placed on the service provider to provide higher levels of data security and communication security, which ultimately gets passed onto the patient in a larger bill. It doesn't help the uninsured at all.
Answer: Due to a rising administrative burden (cost) placed on the service provider to provide higher levels of data security and communication security, which ultimately gets passed onto the patient in a larger bill. It doesn't help the uninsured at all.
Actually I am in favor of the data security. Privacy is important as well as cost, at least to me.
I wouldn't begin to say that HIPPA was the answer to everything, of course it's not. But it does help some groups of people quite a bit, which is certainly better than nothing at all.
There has been talk of people with insurance who still have to pay out lots (such as for pre-existing conditions I'd bet) - and HIPPA does severely limit that.
Apr 13th 2007, 2:49 pm
#20
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Re: Children in the US Write of the Healthcare Experiences
I don't think HIPPA helps muchin that regard. It does (I think) require insurance companies to sell everyone individual insurance (they used to be able to refuse people) but it could still be prohibitavely expensive. I'm not looking at the details of that one, but I think it's right.
Actually I am in favor of the data security. Privacy is important as well as cost, at least to me.
I wouldn't begin to say that HIPPA was the answer to everything, of course it's not. But it does help some groups of people quite a bit, which is certainly better than nothing at all.
There has been talk of people with insurance who still have to pay out lots (such as for pre-existing conditions I'd bet) - and HIPPA does severely limit that.
Actually I am in favor of the data security. Privacy is important as well as cost, at least to me.
I wouldn't begin to say that HIPPA was the answer to everything, of course it's not. But it does help some groups of people quite a bit, which is certainly better than nothing at all.
There has been talk of people with insurance who still have to pay out lots (such as for pre-existing conditions I'd bet) - and HIPPA does severely limit that.
HIPPA increases the costs so the uninsured would less likely be able to afford cover. It is a socialism of the free market system.
And of course there is also the under insured, which are not counted in the above numbers.
Apr 13th 2007, 3:07 pm
#21
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Re: Children in the US Write of the Healthcare Experiences
Ray has mentioned a few times that he has been refused Insurance.
HIPPA increases the costs so the uninsured would less likely be able to afford cover. It is a socialism of the free market system.
And of course there is also the under insured, which are not counted in the above numbers.
HIPPA increases the costs so the uninsured would less likely be able to afford cover. It is a socialism of the free market system.
And of course there is also the under insured, which are not counted in the above numbers.
Does Florida have any state program? Illinois does, for those who have problems with getting insurance, if the price is too high due to pre-existing conditions.
Again, I'm not remotely saying HIPPA is the answer to everyone. But it has helped some. Sure people are saying 30% are uninsured. Fair enough. And some programs are being created. But it has also been said that the insured (the other 70%) can be hurt, and I suspect pre-existing conditions is a significant part of that. So I still think something that helps them out is a good thing.
I think HIPPA doesn't allow people in a group to be charged more than anyone else because of a pre-existing condition also. Another good thing imo.
Apr 13th 2007, 3:11 pm
#22
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Re: Children in the US Write of the Healthcare Experiences
Ray has mentioned a few times that he has been refused Insurance.
HIPPA increases the costs so the uninsured would less likely be able to afford cover. It is a socialism of the free market system.
And of course there is also the under insured, which are not counted in the above numbers.
HIPPA increases the costs so the uninsured would less likely be able to afford cover. It is a socialism of the free market system.
And of course there is also the under insured, which are not counted in the above numbers.
But for a pretty good summary of what it does and doesn't do, I like this one:
http://www.aarp.org/health/insurance...-02-hippa.html
Again, I'n not saying it answers all situations, or even most. Just that some reforms are happening, and here's one of them.
Apr 13th 2007, 3:36 pm
#23
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Re: Children in the US Write of the Healthcare Experiences
Here's one about the privacy part.
http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/hipaa/consumer_summary.pdf
So how are people saying HIPPA increases costs?
http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/hipaa/consumer_summary.pdf
So how are people saying HIPPA increases costs?
Apr 13th 2007, 4:16 pm
#24
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Re: Children in the US Write of the Healthcare Experiences
I think some folks might not understand the difference between COBRA and HIPAA.
COBRA came first, and is the law with the most teeth. It allows those who lose a job to continue health insurance for themselves and their dependents for 18 months. However, the policy holder must pay the *full* cost of coverage, with no employer subsidy. This often puts the policy out of reach, especially when there's been a job loss (= no income).
If someone loses coverage due to becoming a non-dependent (a child is too old to remain on the policy, or isn't a full-time student; or a divorce occurs) then the non-dependent has 36 months to continue the coverage. Again, full cost must be paid.
HIPAA means that if you go from job to job (group to group) coverage, that your pre-existing conditions cannot be excluded from cover.
These laws are band-aid solutions to the problems created when insurance is tied to a job. People who are lucky enough to have cover at work AND to afford the ridiculous rates of COBRA -- and who aren't out of work more than 18 months -- are okay.
But those who have never had cover at work, or who've been unable to afford it are screwed. If you've been unable to afford to COBRA your insurance, HIPAA doesn't mean a damn thing, because you've had a break in coverage, so your pre-existing conditions can be excluded.
These laws were expedient political solutions to mollify some people into accepting our current broken system. Congress knew that without them, the call for universal insurance would be much stronger and louder. So they pacified those who "counted" while leaving millions without any insurance whatsoever.
COBRA came first, and is the law with the most teeth. It allows those who lose a job to continue health insurance for themselves and their dependents for 18 months. However, the policy holder must pay the *full* cost of coverage, with no employer subsidy. This often puts the policy out of reach, especially when there's been a job loss (= no income).
If someone loses coverage due to becoming a non-dependent (a child is too old to remain on the policy, or isn't a full-time student; or a divorce occurs) then the non-dependent has 36 months to continue the coverage. Again, full cost must be paid.
HIPAA means that if you go from job to job (group to group) coverage, that your pre-existing conditions cannot be excluded from cover.
These laws are band-aid solutions to the problems created when insurance is tied to a job. People who are lucky enough to have cover at work AND to afford the ridiculous rates of COBRA -- and who aren't out of work more than 18 months -- are okay.
But those who have never had cover at work, or who've been unable to afford it are screwed. If you've been unable to afford to COBRA your insurance, HIPAA doesn't mean a damn thing, because you've had a break in coverage, so your pre-existing conditions can be excluded.
These laws were expedient political solutions to mollify some people into accepting our current broken system. Congress knew that without them, the call for universal insurance would be much stronger and louder. So they pacified those who "counted" while leaving millions without any insurance whatsoever.
Apr 13th 2007, 4:32 pm
#25
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Re: Children in the US Write of the Healthcare Experiences
Here's one about the privacy part.
http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/hipaa/consumer_summary.pdf
So how are people saying HIPPA increases costs?
http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/hipaa/consumer_summary.pdf
So how are people saying HIPPA increases costs?
Lets see. From my own experiences working for the Devil's IT Department (aka a medical billing company computer staff) for 5 years during the implementation of HIPPA, some of the tasks we had to perform to ensure compliance:
1. Rewriting of in house applications to ensure compliance with new patient confidentiality and data transmission security requirements
2. Renegotiation of contract with billing software/data warehouse company to ensure compliance with the above. IIRC this was at least a high end 5 figure sum, per year
3. Upgrading of equipment, communications infrastructure etc to ensure compliance with 1. I'm not talking one office, this was a company which operates in hospitals across the US
4. Staff Training (on site and off site) for approximately 300+ staff. Unsure of cost for this, I was being trained and only looked forward to the promise of free cookies (which didn't materialise).
I also do not know how much the cost of the companies liability insurance rose as a result of HIPPA, but I can bet it did rise. I m also sure that the legal review undertaken to make sure t's were dotted and i's crossed wasn't cheap.
The above are a mixture of one off payments and yearly contracts but all of them are ultimately paid for by the patient, at some point down the line.
Apr 13th 2007, 5:09 pm
#26
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Re: Children in the US Write of the Healthcare Experiences
The term HIPAA has been overloaded here. HIPAA is an umbrella term referring to a very complex set of laws enacted by Congress with amendments made.
In the beginning it was simply a health insurance portability act -- hence the acronym of a name.
About two years ago, it was amended to try to provide a "patient bill of rights" to ensure some minimal forms of privacy.
The two parts of the act -- the portability part, and the privacy part, are different.
Health insurance companies and health care providers should have curbed the worst of the abuses from the beginning -- things like using SSNs for patient IDs, and virtually uncontrolled access to people's health care records. They paid the price (and passed it onto us) for cleaning this up. This cleaning house has cost them. However, the portability part of the act has not cost nearly as much. Yes, it means that they must cover expenses that they might have been able to deny prior to HIPAA, but while these expenses can devastate a family, they aren't a high %age of the overall costs.
In the beginning it was simply a health insurance portability act -- hence the acronym of a name.
About two years ago, it was amended to try to provide a "patient bill of rights" to ensure some minimal forms of privacy.
The two parts of the act -- the portability part, and the privacy part, are different.
Health insurance companies and health care providers should have curbed the worst of the abuses from the beginning -- things like using SSNs for patient IDs, and virtually uncontrolled access to people's health care records. They paid the price (and passed it onto us) for cleaning this up. This cleaning house has cost them. However, the portability part of the act has not cost nearly as much. Yes, it means that they must cover expenses that they might have been able to deny prior to HIPAA, but while these expenses can devastate a family, they aren't a high %age of the overall costs.
Apr 13th 2007, 11:11 pm
#27
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Re: Children in the US Write of the Healthcare Experiences
The term HIPAA has been overloaded here. HIPAA is an umbrella term referring to a very complex set of laws enacted by Congress with amendments made.
In the beginning it was simply a health insurance portability act -- hence the acronym of a name.
About two years ago, it was amended to try to provide a "patient bill of rights" to ensure some minimal forms of privacy.
The two parts of the act -- the portability part, and the privacy part, are different.
Health insurance companies and health care providers should have curbed the worst of the abuses from the beginning -- things like using SSNs for patient IDs, and virtually uncontrolled access to people's health care records. They paid the price (and passed it onto us) for cleaning this up. This cleaning house has cost them. However, the portability part of the act has not cost nearly as much. Yes, it means that they must cover expenses that they might have been able to deny prior to HIPAA, but while these expenses can devastate a family, they aren't a high %age of the overall costs.
In the beginning it was simply a health insurance portability act -- hence the acronym of a name.
About two years ago, it was amended to try to provide a "patient bill of rights" to ensure some minimal forms of privacy.
The two parts of the act -- the portability part, and the privacy part, are different.
Health insurance companies and health care providers should have curbed the worst of the abuses from the beginning -- things like using SSNs for patient IDs, and virtually uncontrolled access to people's health care records. They paid the price (and passed it onto us) for cleaning this up. This cleaning house has cost them. However, the portability part of the act has not cost nearly as much. Yes, it means that they must cover expenses that they might have been able to deny prior to HIPAA, but while these expenses can devastate a family, they aren't a high %age of the overall costs.
COBRA allows the company to add on an administration cost.
I was being faceous on the cost comment, but with any factor that is material to price, not being able to use it means that there will be losers and winners.
Apr 13th 2007, 11:42 pm
#28
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Re: Children in the US Write of the Healthcare Experiences
I think some folks might not understand the difference between COBRA and HIPAA.
COBRA came first, and is the law with the most teeth. It allows those who lose a job to continue health insurance for themselves and their dependents for 18 months. However, the policy holder must pay the *full* cost of coverage, with no employer subsidy. This often puts the policy out of reach, especially when there's been a job loss (= no income).
If someone loses coverage due to becoming a non-dependent (a child is too old to remain on the policy, or isn't a full-time student; or a divorce occurs) then the non-dependent has 36 months to continue the coverage. Again, full cost must be paid.
HIPAA means that if you go from job to job (group to group) coverage, that your pre-existing conditions cannot be excluded from cover.
These laws are band-aid solutions to the problems created when insurance is tied to a job. People who are lucky enough to have cover at work AND to afford the ridiculous rates of COBRA -- and who aren't out of work more than 18 months -- are okay.
But those who have never had cover at work, or who've been unable to afford it are screwed. If you've been unable to afford to COBRA your insurance, HIPAA doesn't mean a damn thing, because you've had a break in coverage, so your pre-existing conditions can be excluded.
These laws were expedient political solutions to mollify some people into accepting our current broken system. Congress knew that without them, the call for universal insurance would be much stronger and louder. So they pacified those who "counted" while leaving millions without any insurance whatsoever.
COBRA came first, and is the law with the most teeth. It allows those who lose a job to continue health insurance for themselves and their dependents for 18 months. However, the policy holder must pay the *full* cost of coverage, with no employer subsidy. This often puts the policy out of reach, especially when there's been a job loss (= no income).
If someone loses coverage due to becoming a non-dependent (a child is too old to remain on the policy, or isn't a full-time student; or a divorce occurs) then the non-dependent has 36 months to continue the coverage. Again, full cost must be paid.
HIPAA means that if you go from job to job (group to group) coverage, that your pre-existing conditions cannot be excluded from cover.
These laws are band-aid solutions to the problems created when insurance is tied to a job. People who are lucky enough to have cover at work AND to afford the ridiculous rates of COBRA -- and who aren't out of work more than 18 months -- are okay.
But those who have never had cover at work, or who've been unable to afford it are screwed. If you've been unable to afford to COBRA your insurance, HIPAA doesn't mean a damn thing, because you've had a break in coverage, so your pre-existing conditions can be excluded.
These laws were expedient political solutions to mollify some people into accepting our current broken system. Congress knew that without them, the call for universal insurance would be much stronger and louder. So they pacified those who "counted" while leaving millions without any insurance whatsoever.
The part about going from job to job, and pre-existing conditions must be covered is true basically, but a bit simplified. I put up a link earlier that gave a bit of detail.
Also, HIPPA limits how long a group policy can look back for a pre-existing condition (6 months) and how long (under some conditions) that they can limit coverage.
Apr 13th 2007, 11:43 pm
#29
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Re: Children in the US Write of the Healthcare Experiences
Lets see. From my own experiences working for the Devil's IT Department (aka a medical billing company computer staff) for 5 years during the implementation of HIPPA, some of the tasks we had to perform to ensure compliance:
1. Rewriting of in house applications to ensure compliance with new patient confidentiality and data transmission security requirements
2. Renegotiation of contract with billing software/data warehouse company to ensure compliance with the above. IIRC this was at least a high end 5 figure sum, per year
3. Upgrading of equipment, communications infrastructure etc to ensure compliance with 1. I'm not talking one office, this was a company which operates in hospitals across the US
4. Staff Training (on site and off site) for approximately 300+ staff. Unsure of cost for this, I was being trained and only looked forward to the promise of free cookies (which didn't materialise).
I also do not know how much the cost of the companies liability insurance rose as a result of HIPPA, but I can bet it did rise. I m also sure that the legal review undertaken to make sure t's were dotted and i's crossed wasn't cheap.
The above are a mixture of one off payments and yearly contracts but all of them are ultimately paid for by the patient, at some point down the line.
1. Rewriting of in house applications to ensure compliance with new patient confidentiality and data transmission security requirements
2. Renegotiation of contract with billing software/data warehouse company to ensure compliance with the above. IIRC this was at least a high end 5 figure sum, per year
3. Upgrading of equipment, communications infrastructure etc to ensure compliance with 1. I'm not talking one office, this was a company which operates in hospitals across the US
4. Staff Training (on site and off site) for approximately 300+ staff. Unsure of cost for this, I was being trained and only looked forward to the promise of free cookies (which didn't materialise).
I also do not know how much the cost of the companies liability insurance rose as a result of HIPPA, but I can bet it did rise. I m also sure that the legal review undertaken to make sure t's were dotted and i's crossed wasn't cheap.
The above are a mixture of one off payments and yearly contracts but all of them are ultimately paid for by the patient, at some point down the line.
I understand this was a hassle, and expense at the time.
I'm still in favor of the privacy stuff though, personally it's important to me.
Apr 13th 2007, 11:59 pm
#30
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Re: Children in the US Write of the Healthcare Experiences
There are some good ones on the NHS over the last week or so.