Answers to Insurance Questions

Are Unlawful ACA Payments a Costly Catch-22?

By Michael Hamilton, The Heartland Institute
Are Unlawful ACA Payments a Costly Catch-22?

Violating the U.S. Constitution could save federal taxpayers more money than stopping illegal Obamacare payments to health insurers, according to a new report illustrating the cronyism of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). A new Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) report reveals a lose-lose Obamacare proposition for Americans: Continue to make unconstitutional payments to insurers, or halt the unlawful payments and make up for them by paying higher premium subsidies. Here is how this shell game works…

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Should Dentists Support the Right of Dentists to Make Hiring Decisions?

By Michael Hamilton, The Heartland Institute
Should Dentists Support the Right of Dentists to Make Hiring Decisions?

  Lawmakers in several states have considered proposals in 2017 to let dentists custom-build their ideal dental teams. Unfortunately, it is increasingly likely that most state legislatures will leave dentists’ hands tied when they adjourn, against the wisdom of dentists, dental hygienists, and free-market policy experts. One kind of dental teammate inaccessible to dentists in most states is the dental therapist. Obstruction of dentists’ freedom to hire dental therapists ensues not from political bias but from special interests. Opponents include dentists who…

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The Tangled Webs Behind PPO Insurance Networks

By Dr. Alieta Eck, The Heartland Institute
The Tangled Webs Behind PPO Insurance Networks

Nothing could be more confusing than fees charged by hospitals and doctors. There are many reasons why hospitals would like to keep it that way. I remember sitting in a hospital staff meeting and hearing about negotiations to merge two hospitals that were about a mile apart. The argument was that bigger is better, and a merger would put the hospitals in a greater “bargaining position” to get higher fees. I remember thinking that monopolies…

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The Horror of Tornado Damage and Homeowners Insurance Coverage

By Alexa Hyman
The Horror of Tornado Damage and Homeowners Insurance Coverage

Back in 2011, 362 tornadoes ravaged seven Southern states and those horrific twisters during that April killed more than 300, injured thousands more, leveled whole neighborhoods and reduced well-constructed homes to piles of rubble. Weather authorities are calling it the second worst natural disaster in the history of this country – following Hurricane Katrina in 2005 – and the deadliest U.S. tornado incident in 37 years. Insured losses are estimated at 2 billion to 5 billion dollars by risk…

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Shut It Down! The Healthcare Battle That Will Shut Down the US Government

By Todd Halterman
Shut It Down! The Healthcare Battle That Will Shut Down the US Government

Congress must pass a bill this week to keep most of the government running beyond Friday when a government spending bill runs out. It won’t be easy. The debate over a new spending bill focuses on an esoteric issue affecting the Affordable Care Act. The question is whether Congress will pass — and President Donald Trump will sign — a bill that also funds subsidies for lower-income people who purchase health insurance under the law….

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Latest Republican Proposals Aimed at Capping Medicaid Spending

By Todd Halterman
Latest Republican Proposals Aimed at Capping Medicaid Spending

Transitioning Medicaid from an unlimited entitlement program to limited block grants could save U.S. taxpayers more than $100 billion, or $803 per household, over the next five years, according to a study from the healthcare innovation research company Avalere. Block grants of fixed amounts to states would save $150 billion by 2022, the February analysis found. A per-capita block grant, which would increase or decrease with enrollment, would cut federal spending by $110 billion. In…

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Cyber Liability Poses Risks Not Covered By Ordinary Insurance

By Mike Mosser
Cyber Liability Poses Risks Not Covered By Ordinary Insurance

It’s all but impossible to do business today without computers and the Internet.  Even if a computer is used for nothing more than accounting and keeping track of orders, a data loss or equipment failure could mean economic hardship for any company. Throw in the use of email, a website or social media and a company’s risk exposure could be greater than that posed by the more physical threats of fire or other disasters—especially where…

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Drone Insurance? It’s Coming Your Way From Above

By Todd Halterman
Drone Insurance? It’s Coming Your Way From Above

New technologies are impacting many different industries – and have been as long as commerce has been taking place. Whether it be when JC Penny and Sears and Roebuck were selling products to gold miners in the 1850’s or when Henry Ford was selling the Model T in the first half of the 20th century, companies that adapt to technological change are the companies that succeed in the long term. At this time technological advances…

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Jump Start Seven Day Auto Insurance Policies Under Fire in Michigan

By Todd Halterman
Jump Start Seven Day Auto Insurance Policies Under Fire in Michigan

What is a Seven Day Auto Insurance Policy? Michigan drivers have some of the highest auto insurance rates in the nation, and drivers in Detroit pay rates so high one state senator says the premiums there are “probably the highest on earth.” Sen. Joe Hune, R-Fowlerville, chairs the Senate Insurance Committee in Michigan, and he says the huge rates paid by Detroit drivers “has caused people to find some creative solutions.” Among those creative solutions,…

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Are Head-up Displays And Voice Command Technologies As Dangerous As Manual Texting While Driving

By Todd Halterman
Are Head-up Displays And Voice Command Technologies As Dangerous As Manual Texting While Driving

From drinking coffee to eating a donut to putting on makeup or touching up a morning shave, as drivers we’re often guilty of performing “secondary tasks” in our cars. As a result, there’s been an uptick in injuries – and even fatalities – directly tied to distracted driving. And now “wearable technologies” are coming under scrutiny as well. While it may seem at first glance that devices such as Google Glass, which include features such…

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