Posted by: AtlasMD

January 3, 2014

You Won’t Believe This Reddit Tape

ABC reported on a recent Reddit post of a $55,000 appendectomy bill. Yes, 55 THOUSAND dollars. Although the 20-year-old man in question got over the pain of his appendix removal, his hospital bill probably won’t be feeling better anytime soon. Fortunately, the patient was insured, so he only had to pay $11,119.23 of the outstanding bill. The shocked man of course took to the best place on earth to document all things ridiculous.

“I never truly understood how much health care in the U.S. costs until I got appendicitis in October,” he wrote on Reddit. “I’m a 20-year-old guy. Thought other people should see this to get a real idea of how much an unpreventable illness costs in the U.S.” The recovery room cost $7,501.00, which surprised the man because he spent only two hours in there. The actual surgery cost $16,277.

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Posted by: AtlasMD

June 25, 2013

GOOD NEWS: Hatch-Rubio Bill Would Modify HSA, FSA Rules

“A new Republican Senate bill seeks to facilitate the use of tax-advantaged health savings accounts (HSA) and flexible spending arrangements by loosening the rules that govern them,” says a recent post from The Hill. On Thursday, Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) introduced legislation to get rid of what they have labeled, “onerous” restrictions on HSAs. This would include the current ban that disallows the spending of HSA dollars on over-the-counter drugs tax-free.

This looks like great news for us as we’re trying to help people out of the insurance trap. As the host of Night Talker Radio Network said during a podcast with Dr. Doug, he doesn’t want to be 50 years old, paying $1,200 a month in case he gets a sore throat. A bill like this is one less shackle tying us to an entrenched, greedy system. It’s sure to cause a stir with opponents. We’re curious to see how they attack it, and are keeping an eye out for what other legislation is proposed within the bill. Obviously, based on the issues presented, we’re entirely on board.

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Posted by: AtlasMD

April 11, 2013

Kansas Representatives Praise Stripped-Down Healthcare Plans

The Topeka Capital-Journal posted a story yesterday saying that David Powell and Beverly Gossage praised Kansas’ Legislature for passing of a bill that will open the state insurance market to stripped-down health plans.

Both candidates are vying to replace Sandy Praeger in 2014. According to them both, “Mandate Lite” policies will combat the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act — otherwise known as Obamacare.

Ironically, the law wasn’t even written to battle Obamacare. According to Powell, a Republican who helped draft it, the idea originated much earlier. He said, “I wrote this law in 2008 based on my concern that the direction our health insurance rates were going (up) in Kansas would hurt our citizens and businesses.”

Supporters believe this new Kansas law will make insurance more affordable, especially for young, healthy Kansans. It will allow them to opt out of coverage for things like diabetes care, allergy treatments, prostate screenings and mental services. These services are known culprits of high-cost insurance premiums.

Check out the complete article at cjonline.com.