Insurance plan requires weight loss
"Insurance plan requires weight loss"Aberdeen American News (07/19/04) Bob Mercerhttp://www.aberdeennews.com/mld/aberdeennews/Under a new requirement, severely obese people enrolled in South Dakota'sgovernment-run health insurance program must participate in weight-lossprograms or face a reduction in their insurance benefits.
.................
There are around 30 states with state-run health insurance risk pools created to provide health coverage for the "medically uninsurable." Risk pool insurance will likely cost more than regular insurance, but the premiums are capped by state law to protect against exorbitant costs. In other aspects, they appear and operate just as regular insurance would. Enrollment is typically capped due to available funds and all state risk pools inherently lose money and need to be subsidized. To pay for the program, some states assess all insurance carriers, or appropriate general state tax revenue; some will use a tobacco tax, or a hospital or health care provider surcharge.
I am not surprised that insurance benefits being a little odd like this has come out of the State risk pool program. The risk pool usually runs irrespective of other state aid programs and often has direct legislator oversite (or at least influence) and will be administered via a private insurance firm. That should say enough about the potential for "innovative?" benefits practices.
.................
There are around 30 states with state-run health insurance risk pools created to provide health coverage for the "medically uninsurable." Risk pool insurance will likely cost more than regular insurance, but the premiums are capped by state law to protect against exorbitant costs. In other aspects, they appear and operate just as regular insurance would. Enrollment is typically capped due to available funds and all state risk pools inherently lose money and need to be subsidized. To pay for the program, some states assess all insurance carriers, or appropriate general state tax revenue; some will use a tobacco tax, or a hospital or health care provider surcharge.
I am not surprised that insurance benefits being a little odd like this has come out of the State risk pool program. The risk pool usually runs irrespective of other state aid programs and often has direct legislator oversite (or at least influence) and will be administered via a private insurance firm. That should say enough about the potential for "innovative?" benefits practices.
posted by nawledge at
6:37 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home