Disqus - Latest Comments for hgstern

Re: Fallout From a Political Pandemic?

H G Stern, LUTCF, CBC — Wed, 19 Aug 2020 08:15:54 -0000

Yeah, abt that 170k:

"We're sorry, Mrs Smith, but your husband - who was shot in the face and then hurled from the 20th floor - has died of The 'Rona."

Re: P&C Files Bleg: COVID vs Football

H G Stern, LUTCF, CBC — Thu, 13 Aug 2020 12:51:24 -0000

Thank you!!

Re: intransigent Providers

H G Stern, LUTCF, CBC — Wed, 05 Aug 2020 14:17:46 -0000

>> two NPIN's

You'd think so, but the doc's billing lady denied this.

I've already lit the Bat Signal for Kelley over at Twitter.

What's frustrating is that the BL seemed utterly unwilling to escalate past her supervisor, the heck with the patient's well-being.

Re: Math is hard

H G Stern, LUTCF, CBC — Wed, 22 Jul 2020 16:50:32 -0000

Heh.

Just got this in separate email from CMMS:

" The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) developed a video ...

- Update their income information due to unemployment
- Add in unemployment benefits to their income
- Determine what types of unemployment benefits should be counted as income
- Accurately estimate their yearly income"

Re: Math is hard

H G Stern, LUTCF, CBC — Wed, 22 Jul 2020 08:32:28 -0000

Really?

That's interesting - but not (unfortunately) surprising. Will dig up that email and let them know (or at least try).

Good catch - Thank you!

Update: I emailed the CMMS Helpdesk about this. Will let you know if/when I hear anything back from them. HGS

Update #2, from CMMS Helpdesk: "Ticket #CS[xxx] has been opened ... Thank you for contacting the Agent Broker desk. The ticket number assigned to this inquiry is CS[xxx]. An agent will follow up with you shortly to provide further assistance."

Re: So this is weird

H G Stern, LUTCF, CBC — Tue, 21 Jul 2020 13:00:14 -0000

No argument here, what's bothering me is the dichotomy of "female spouse" for "female employee." At a given age they're still the same risk.

Except they're not , apparently.

The good news is that one of our co-bloggers has been doing some in-depth research on this and should have a post up on it in the next few days.

Re: So this is weird

H G Stern, LUTCF, CBC — Mon, 20 Jul 2020 14:14:57 -0000

Thank you! This has really been bugging me for the past few days.

Re: So this is weird

H G Stern, LUTCF, CBC — Mon, 20 Jul 2020 10:38:54 -0000

Okay, Thanks!

But: working women also get pregnant. And men, working or SAH, don't.

Re: Timing is Everything (Still!)

H G Stern, LUTCF, CBC — Fri, 17 Jul 2020 16:44:11 -0000

>> Ass-urant

ISWYDT

/golf clap

Re: Rx for Shanda

H G Stern, LUTCF, CBC — Thu, 16 Jul 2020 12:08:30 -0000

Yup.

Or this:

"In private medicine, a dead patient is a revenue loss; in a socialist system, the dead patient is a cost-savings."

Re: Timing is Everything (Still!)

H G Stern, LUTCF, CBC — Wed, 15 Jul 2020 12:42:56 -0000

Good question - Thanks for asking!

Several answers come to mind, first and foremost of which is that these plans are all PPO-based, unlike the current crop of ACA plans (all of which in at least this market are HMO's).

Second, they are all priced *much* lower than comparable ACA plans (esp for non-subsidy-eligible folks).

Third, there are generally a *lot* more plan design options available, including ones with *much* lower out-of-pocket exposure.

Which is not to say that they're perfect: they don't cover pre-existing conditions and aren't guaranteed issue (which are major reasons why they're so much less expense). But for many folks, such as Sally here, they offer a much more affordable alternative.

Re: Medicare (Re-)Certification: Are you kidding me?

H G Stern, LUTCF, CBC — Thu, 09 Jul 2020 16:22:44 -0000

I make no judgements on that - it's just one more reason why I've long-since forsworn Medicare plan sales.

Re: Double dipping and CV-19

H G Stern, LUTCF, CBC — Wed, 08 Jul 2020 14:28:03 -0000

Fair question. I've reached out to her for a cite, will post as soon a it gets here.

Re: The Latest Case for Health Care Transparency

H G Stern, LUTCF, CBC — Wed, 01 Jul 2020 15:38:35 -0000

No real argument here - although I've long been a transparency advocate, over the years my enthusiasm has dimmed dramatically, primarily because I've yet to see any real consumer/insured demand for it.

And your point abt burgers vs surgery is also relevant.

Re: Bad Boys, Bad Boys

H G Stern, LUTCF, CBC — Mon, 29 Jun 2020 08:52:08 -0000

Yeah, the scope of this is astounding. And that it went on for so long - you'd think folks would have noticed (as you observed).

Re: Bad Boys, Bad Boys

H G Stern, LUTCF, CBC — Mon, 29 Jun 2020 00:11:13 -0000

You swore you'd never tell!!

#MoriaryWeeps

Re: Analysis Paralysis*

H G Stern, LUTCF, CBC — Fri, 19 Jun 2020 09:02:24 -0000

No major arguments here, although I'd point out that the rate increases on "traditional" LTCi plans are now mitigated by statute.

Re: Analysis Paralysis*

H G Stern, LUTCF, CBC — Thu, 18 Jun 2020 10:37:11 -0000

>> insuring your assets

Oh, absolutely, and I always explain this to potential clients (including Mark).

But for this post I wanted to emphasize the challenge of balancing information gathering vs information overload.

Re: Riddle Me This: A Health Insurance Premium Update

H G Stern, LUTCF, CBC — Wed, 10 Jun 2020 17:52:28 -0000

Good catch - Thank you!

Re: Homeowner's Heads' Up

H G Stern, LUTCF, CBC — Fri, 05 Jun 2020 14:02:26 -0000

That makes sense, too.

Seems like the common thread in a lot of these cases is Struther Martin Syndrome.

Re: Riots, Unrest, and Insurance: What Gives?

H G Stern, LUTCF, CBC — Thu, 04 Jun 2020 09:49:37 -0000

> as we say in the truth business: begging.

This is a GREAT point - Thank you!

> Maybe someone can tell me what is a price range for BOP for a few types of businesses that would be rioted, like a bar, a convenience store, or a small clothing store.

Would obviously depend on the exact nature and location of the business, but they're usually pretty inexpensive ($100's), most expensive would likely be the bar (so maybe a few thousand, depending on alcohol sales).

Re: Riots, Unrest, and Insurance: What Gives?

H G Stern, LUTCF, CBC — Tue, 02 Jun 2020 13:45:47 -0000

Agreed!

(Also: whitelisted, so your comments should auto-post now)

Re: Riots, Unrest, and Insurance: What Gives?

H G Stern, LUTCF, CBC — Tue, 02 Jun 2020 08:47:50 -0000

That is a *very* good question. It's my understanding that there's an insurance distinction between domestic vs foreign terrorism. I decided to avoid that issue in the post since it's currently moot.

But: Should that change, will definitely circle back to it.

Thank you for your comment/question!

Re: Silent Spring - 2020

H G Stern, LUTCF, CBC — Mon, 25 May 2020 23:02:19 -0000

Wow, Mike, thoughtful, provocative, and timely post - Thank you!

Re: At Issue: ACA & HMO

H G Stern, LUTCF, CBC — Sun, 24 May 2020 14:35:14 -0000

>> spoiled

Can't say I disagree, but she's a client, so....

>> non-fatal

Baruch HaShem - so glad that's the case!