Latest Commentary

When payers know better, they'll do better

Maya Angelou and health insurance companies are rarely--if ever--associated with one another. But I would like to bridge that extremely wide gap and even declare that payers can learn some very...

List of overused services a gift to payers seeking to curb costs

Payers have been working to reduce the healthcare industry's ever-rising costs, starting with shifting reimbursements to focus on quality care instead of volume. Well, payers were handed a...

HCSC Exclusive: Intensive medical home cuts high-risk patient costs

Faced with the reality that only 10 percent of all patients drive at least 60 percent of all healthcare costs, Health Care Service Corporation (HCSC) and its Blues plans have taken action to lower...

E-cigarettes: New challenge to smoking cessation coverage

Sometimes you just have to rip the Band-Aid right off--in one fell swoop. It may be scary, uncomfortable and even painful, but doing something right the first time often leads to positive results...

Lessons big insurers can learn from CO-OPs

I'm a frequent shopper of mom-and-pop stores. I like their personal service, the unique products sold and the genuine attention the shop owners and employees provide. And I hope the core values...

Exchange, marketplace: What's in a name (change)

When I was pregnant two years ago, my husband and I spent hours and hours discussing names for our daughter. We wanted a name that would sound good with our last name; we preferred something Italian...

Exclusive: What it takes for payers to succeed in exchanges

Although health insurance exchanges will usher in millions of new customers for insurers, they also will provide significant challenges as insurers try to compete among each other for dominance in...

Public contests: Boost perception, payer innovation

Neither one person nor one company can do it all. That's a major life lesson we adults benefit from once truly learned. And health insurers are embracing the philosophy as they attempt to lower...

Do insurers overhype flu vaccine benefits?

It's flu season, the time when every doctor, pharmacy, hospital, urgent care clinic and insurance company bombards the public with fearful messages about the urgent need to be vaccinated against...

We need comprehensive mental health coverage, stat

I've had mental health coverage on the brain ever since the Sandy Hook school shooting in Newtown, Conn. last month. When I first heard about the horrific tragedy, I almost immediately wondered...