Obama Coming to Montana to talk Health Care Reform
By · CommentsThe president of the United States himself will be showing up in Montana on Friday August 14th in Belgrade to talk about health care reform. I will be unable to attend his town hall style meeting, but I would like to know what will happen to agents that sell health insurance in Montana if his health care reform will pass.
Here are some things that would happen in Montana if Obama’s health care reform passes:
–62 percent of Montana residents with employer-based coverage would lose their current insurance. Of the estimated 489,200 Montana residents with private health insurance,
there would be a decline of 256,700 people with private coverage.
–52 percent of privately insured Montana residents would transition out of private insurance Of the estimated 426,900 Montana residents with employer-based coverage,
265,400 people would be shifted out of their current employer-based plan.
The study is released ahead of a major forum on Healthcare/Health Insurance Reform hosted by the Montana Policy Institute in Bozeman on August 14. In attendance at the forum will be lawmakers and?policy analysts. The event is open to members of the public via pre-registration at www.montanapolicy.org. A full panel of speakers has been confirmed with a keynote address by Harvard Professor and author Regina Herzlinger.
The study further showed that 80 percent of Montana residents in a health insurance exchange would end up in thepublic plan. Of the estimated 414,100 Montana residents who would obtain coverage through an exchange, 330,500 would be covered by the public plan.
In addition, 32 percent of the uninsured in Montana would still lack coverage. Of the estimated 180,800 Montana residents without health insurance, the legislation would only reduce the uninsured by 123,200, leaving 57,600 Montana residents without coverage, according to the study.
The study also assessed the impact on the health care practitioners.
Physicians in Montana could see their net annual income decline by $36.6 million, an average loss in income of $13,877 per physician. Of this net loss in income, $129.7 million is attributable to the public plan using Medicare-based payments. Today, Medicare physician payments in Montana are 76 percent of private payments, according to the report.
Hospitals in Montana could have their net annual income fall by about $268.5 million, with hospital total margins dropping to -4 percent. This loss in hospital income, greater than total hospital margins, is overwhelmingly attributable to the public plan using Medicare-based payments. Today, Medicare hospital payments in Montana are 64 percent of private payments – from this source
Has president Obama thought about the above stats?
What about the thousands of insurance agents no longer able to an income due to everyone dumping their private and going to the public plan? What about the millions of dollars in losses for hospitals not only in Montana, but across the United States?
I encourage you to show and speak your mind! We need the health care Bill read out loud line by line. Don’t let our government ram another bill through without the people knowing what is really in it!
What is your take?
Still looking for Montana Health Insurance?
By · CommentsMontana health insurance companies can help give you the options that you are looking for found on this site.
Please take the time to get a Montana Health Insurance Quote and see who the companies are and what kind of coverage that they offer. Many times finding the right plan always comes down to seeing what your needs are and comparing that to what the companies have to offer.
For example if you are in your younger years and you are healthy what you need to do is pick Montana health insurance plans that allow for you to save money such as an HSA. If you can start now you can build up a big savings for future health insurance costs. The goal is to cover your deductible and then you will be fine if something major happens to you. Plus your HSA account will roll over from year to year and keep accumulating with an interest rate of 3 – 5% on the money that you are sticking in there.
Or maybe you are approaching the mid 40′s and may need some future prescription medications. What you need is a plan in place that would help cover those prescriptions before you start taking any.
There is also many options such as doctor visit co-pay that you may or may not want to consider based on how much it raises your monthly premium.
With all of these questions in mind you can narrow things down and pick the right Montana health insurance plan for you and or your family.
Health Care Reform and Baucus in Montana
By · CommentsAs the health care debate rages on you may have noticed this article from the Missoulian about the Montana Health Insurance senator:
By MIKE DENNISON Missoulian State Bureau
HELENA – As health care reform heats up politically in Washington, D.C., the temperature is being turned up in Montana as well, with TV ads and rallies targeting Sen. Max Baucus, who’s helping craft key health legislation.
Two liberal groups are sponsoring an ad urging Baucus to support a government health insurance plan as part of reforms – a proposal bitterly opposed by industry.
Meanwhile, advocates for national, taxpayer-supported health insurance for all are planning rallies Friday outside the Montana offices of Baucus and health insurer Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Montana.
And from the other end of the political spectrum, a Kalispell physician is in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday to take part in a news conference by a group opposing current reforms as “government-controlled health care.”
Anne Bucacek plans to join members of the Coalition to Protect Patients’ Rights for a conference at the National Press Club.
Baucus, D-Mont., chairs the Senate Finance Committee, which is working on one of three major health reform bills before Congress. The committee’s bill, yet to be released, is thought to be a bellwether of what could pass the full Senate, which is a key bottleneck in the legislative process.
On Tuesday, the Progressive Change Campaign Committee and Democracy for America began running a TV ad in Montana, urging Baucus to include the government health insurance plan in the bill.
The plan, also known as the “public option,” would be a government-sponsored insurance plan that competes with private health insurance.
The ad notes that Baucus has received nearly $4 million in campaign funds from health and insurance industry interests in the past six years, and that a recent poll showed that 76 percent of Americans support having the public option.
It shows two doors, one “for” and one “against” a public option and asks Baucus which one he’ll choose.
The ad began running Tuesday in Billings, Helena and Butte TV markets, and Progressive Change Campaign Committee is asking members to contribute money to keep it running for another week, said co-founder Adam Green in New York.
Baucus, through a spokesman, declined Tuesday to say whether he supports having the public option in the bill coming out of the Finance Committee.
“Max is committed to crafting a health care bill that will lower costs, improve quality and can pass the U.S. Senate,” said Ty Matsdorf. “At this point, he is looking at a variety of options to accomplish these goals.”
Green said his group’s members voted on which senator to target on the public-option issue, and that Baucus was the top target.
The group, founded earlier this year, works to elect more “progressives” to Congress and to push Democrats to act more boldly on progressive issues, Green said. Its partner on the ad, Democracy for America, is the group founded by former Vermont Gov. and ex-Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean.
This Friday, Montanans for Single-Payer, which supports national, public health insurance for all citizens, has scheduled rallies in Helena, Bozeman, Missoula, Billings and other cities.
Organizers say they’ll be rallying in support of a House bill provision that would allow states to set up their own single-payer health systems. The rallies are targeting Baucus, who has said single-payer won’t be considered as a reform option, and Blue Cross, the state’s largest private health insurer.
“If we can keep this amendment alive through the process (a big challenge), Montana could set up its own single-payer system,” the group said this week.
Bucacek, the
Kalispell physician, will be joining members of the Coalition to Protect Patients’ Rights to discuss how proposed reforms will “lead to long waiting lines, substandard care, and to the slowing of medical discovery.”
So where are you at in this big health insurance debate? It could be that some time in the near future that Montana Health Insurance Quotes could change!
My personal opinion is that change does need to happen but not in the form of single payer but rather in the form of controlling outragous health insurance premiums.
Montana Health Insurance Options
By · CommentsIt’s nice to have some options for Montana Health Insurance. These options can help you make an informed decision on which health insurance plans would be right for you.
Some things that you want to keep in mind when looking for Montana Health Insurance Quotes are as follows:
- Your age – if you are older you will probably need to consider premium prices. After age 50 it seems that premiums are beginning to go up at a high rate and stay there until age 65. What you may want to consider is some type of high deductible if you are looking to save money on your premium. If you are younger you may want to consider a health savings plan that will allow you to save for future healthcare.
- How long are you in Montana – If your only planning on staying in Montana for 12 months or less you may want to look into a short term health insurance plan. Short terms are great coverage but most don’t cover pre-existing and short term plans do also expire. If you are planning on staying longer than 12 months in Montana then you will probably want to apply for some type of permanent health insurance plan.
- Your health – if you are prone to going to the doctor you may want to add a doctor visit co-pay to your plan. If you are health and you never see the doctor then you probably would be better off getting a high deductible HSA plan that will help you save for future medical expenses.
These are just a few things to consider again while looking at your options to get Montana health insurance. Please click on the link to see your options on our homepage.