by Tom Barrett | Feb 12, 2015 | Employer Issues, General Health, General Insurance Issues, Healthcare Issues, Healthcare Reform, Managed Care - Group Health, Providers
Healthcare consumerism is good. We should all work to get better at it. Transparency tools that are provided by the carriers and by innovative up and comers like CareTrader can be quite helpful. We should take advantage of these tools and use them wisely. But, if you...
by Tom Barrett | Sep 27, 2014 | Employer Issues, General Health, Healthcare Issues, Healthcare Reform, Providers
Despite the fact that narrow networks continue to come under fire, we believe they will remain an integral part of the fabric of health plan options. Narrow network strategies are employed by carriers as a means to control costs, offer lower-priced health insurance...
by Tom Barrett | Sep 19, 2014 | Employer Issues, General Health, Healthcare Issues, Managed Care - Group Health, Pharmacy Costs, Providers
Last week I wrote about improving healthcare literacy. It’s an important and worthy goal. However, I always juxtapose this with something a highly respected physician colleague and friend said to me a few years back. It really resonated with me back then and still...
by Tom Barrett | Sep 12, 2014 | Employer Issues, General Health, General Insurance Issues, Health Policy, Healthcare Issues, Healthcare Reform, Providers
We can all agree that our healthcare system is difficult to understand. Have you considered the confusion for people who have never had health insurance, or perhaps have not had it for a really long time? According to Drew Altman, president and CEO of the Kaiser...
by Tom Barrett | Aug 15, 2014 | Employer Issues, General Health, Healthcare Reform, Providers
In primary care, like many other things, bigger isn’t always better. And in the case of primary care physician practices, this study backs it up. It’s no secret among those who know me well that I have a strong affinity for small businesses and have long...
by Tom Barrett | Mar 5, 2014 | Employer Issues, Healthcare Reform, Providers
More on the topic of narrow networks… In a recent Kaiser Family Foundation survey of health plan buyers, a little over half (51 percent) of those responding pointed toward buying a plan that cost more but presented a greater selection of providers vs. buying a...
