| Blue Chip News: Fundamental Review for Aetna Inc.
Mount Etna is Europe's most active volcano; Aetna is one of the most active health insurance companies in the US. The company operates in three segments. Its Health Care division offers HMOs, PPOs, point-of-service (POS) plans, health savings accounts, and traditional indemnity coverage, along with dental, vision, behavioral health, and Medicare plans. Aetna covers more than 15 million individuals under its health plans, some 13 million dental plan members, and 10 million pharmacy members. Its Group Insurance segment sells life, disability, and long-term care insurance, covering about 15 million people. The Large Case Pensions segment offers pensions, annuities, and other retirement savings products. Shares were down 2% expanding efforts to help consumers purchase health care. BellwetherReport.com is a leading online research firm for international investors looking to get an edge over their portfolio.
Local Medical Leaders Develop Plan for Physician-Owned Insurance ...
In response to the growing health insurance crisis, local medical leaders have developed plans to create The Physicians Assurance Corp. (TPAC). The intended goal of TPAC is to provide a fair, equitable, and shared insurance solution primarily owned and managed by local physicians for both the medical community and small employer members. "Group medical insurance premium rates are not stable for small employers, especially in the central Ohio market. It is not uncommon to see price increases two to three times the trend," said Dr. Alice Epitropoulos, founder of The Refractive Center of Ohio and board member of TPAC. "This variance leads to significant employer uncertainty and in turn, uncertainty to their employees." "Small employers see larger premium rate increases because they lack the purchasing power of larger employers.
Norvax Names Steve Greanias Director of Client Services
Today Norvax, the leading provider of online insurance marketing tools and sales technology to the health insurance industry, announced that Steve Greanias has joined the company as director of client services. Chicago (PRWeb) April 1, 2007 -- Today Norvax, the leading provider of online insurance marketing tools and sales technology to the health insurance industry, announced that Steve Greanias has joined the company as director of client services. Mr. Greanias joins Norvax from Wilson Dow Group, a marketing consulting agency focusing on internal communications and sales strategies for pharmaceutical companies. At Norvax, Mr. Greanias will oversee all client services, including support and training programs for insurance agents, general agencies, and carriers.
Wells Fargo Insurance Services Opens Orlando Office
Wells Fargo Insurance Services announced today the opening of its first office in Orlando, Fla. The new Wells Fargo Insurance Services office is located at 801 International Parkway, Lake Mary, and offers both commercial and group health and benefits insurance services, as well as extensive experience with the health care industry. Shawn F. Smith has been appointed Senior Vice President and Managing Director for the Orlando Wells Fargo Insurance Services office. Joining Smith are Kim McGee, Vice President/Account Manager, and Kim Zastrow, Vice President/Senior Account Manager. Smith has more than 17 years of insurance experience and joins Wells Fargo Insurance Services from Marsh. While at Marsh, Smith assumed various business development roles and was the health care practice leader for Florida and sales leader for the company's Orlando and Tampa offices.
Texas Physicians and Hospitals Join State Legislators to Ensure ...
AUSTIN, Texas, April 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Nearly 400 Texas physicians, medical students, and hospital leaders rallied state legislators today to pass legislation that would provide health insurance to thousands of Texas children. Physician and hospital leaders from across the state joined state Reps. Sylvester Turner (D-Houston); House Bill 109 author, John Davis (R-Houston); Elliott Naishtat (D-Austin); and Patrick Rose (D-Dripping Springs) to encourage their colleagues to pass HB 109. The bill would restore 12 months of continuous coverage for kids in the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), establish a more realistic asset test for working families, and remove the 90-day waiting period for uninsured children. Health care leaders believe restoring the cuts made to CHIP in 2003 is a critical and important first step in reducing the number of uninsured children.
Women end up paying more for high-deductible health insurance ...
ATLANTA - High-deductible, consumer-driven health insurance plans often wind up being an unfair burden to women, a study says, largely because women need many routine medical exams that quickly add up.The median expense for men under 45 in these plans was less than $500, but for women it was more than $1,200, according to the study by Harvard Medical School researchers.They also found that only a third of insured men in that age group spent more than $1,050 in annual medical costs, while 55 percent of women did."High-deductible plans punish women for having breasts and uteruses and having babies," said Dr. Steffie Woolhandler, the study's lead author."When an employer switches all his employees into a consumer-driven health plan, it's the same as giving all the women a $1,000 pay cut, on average, because women on average have $1,000 more in health costs than men," she said.Women's costs are higher because women need mammograms, cervical cancer vaccine, Pap tests, birth control and pregnancy-related services that men do not, said Woolhandler, who also is a co-founder of a physicians' group that advocates for a single-payer national health insurance system.The Harvard team's findings are consistent with data from earlier studies, said Ken Thorpe, an Emory University health policy professor who has studied the topic.He said that so far, fewer than 3 percent of Americans with private health insurance use the consumer-driven health plans, which are based on the idea that patients will be more fiscally responsible with how they use medical services if they must pay off the first thousand dollars or more of their own annual health-care bills.But the plans are growing more popular, and President Bush has championed them as a way to control rising U.S.
Health insurance is mandatory starting this fall for all full-time ...
When uninsured or underinsured students become seriously ill or injured, their academic careers can be extensively impacted by substantial health care debt or disability. The vast majority of University of St. Thomas students have health insurance coverage, but those few who do not carry insurance are at a much greater risk. This will be changing for all full-time UST students this fall. Achieving affordability and increasing access to medical care are among our primary goals, and these align appropriately with the institutional strategic priorities of access, excellence and Catholic identity. In keeping with the university’s mission and convictions, the President’s Staff and Academic and Administrative Leadership recently approved implementation of mandatory health insurance starting in fall semester 2007 for all full-time students.
A Reason to Smile: Health Net of California Launches 'Health Net ...
Providing Low-Cost Coverage Healthcare Editors/Insurance Writers WOODLAND HILLS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 29, 2007--Health Net of California is giving Healthy Families participants a reason to smile: low-cost dental insurance is now available in nine additional counties in California. "Tooth decay is a leading cause of missed school days among school-age children," said Robert Shechet, D.D.S., chief dental officer for Health Net of California. "We need to make every effort to ensure that all children have access to dental care, and it cannot be understated: Access to dental care is dependent on access to dental coverage. We need to help children get access and preventive treatments." The new dental counties are: Fresno, Imperial, Kern, Sacramento, San Diego, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Tulare and Ventura.
Bill Would Mandate Dental Coverage for Children in State Programs
Responding to the recent preventable deaths of children in Maryland and Mississippi from untreated dental infections, Congress is moving toward including mandatory dental coverage for children in state-subsidized health programs. The legislation is on track to be folded into the biannual reauthorization of the State Children's Health Insurance Program, known as SCHIP, which the House is due to consider later this month. "Lack of dental care is the most prevalent unmet health need among our children," said Rep. Mike Simpson (R-Idaho), who left his dental practice when he entered the House a decade ago. "Tooth decay and other dental diseases often lead to other, more severe health-related issues in children." "You could even say it is at the 'root' of the problem," he added.
Lawmakers Give Old Auto Law New Spin
Mar. 28--TALLAHASSEE -- A Senate insurance committee on Tuesday took the Legislature's first major stab at rewriting the state's mandatory automobile insurance laws. In so doing, the members unanimously passed a bill that manages to irritate just about everybody: doctors, hospitals, lawyers and most auto insurance companies. The state's "no-fault law," also known as personal injury protection, is scheduled to vanish on Oct. 1. That law requires all Florida motorists to carry $10,000 worth of auto insurance coverage to pay the health care costs for injuries in any wreck, no matter who caused it. Proponents of the no-fault law say it keeps minor crashes from clogging the courts and ensures timely payment, especially for those who don't have any health care coverage. Opponents say it already leads to lawsuits, is prone to fraud and forces those who already have health insurance to pay for duplicative coverage.
Zila Pharmaceuticals Says Guardian Life Insurance Company of ...
PHOENIX, March 28 /PRNewswire/ -- Zila Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a division of Zila, Inc. (NASDAQ:ZILA) and marketer of the ViziLite(R) Plus with TBlue630 system for the early detection of oral abnormalities that could lead to cancer, announced that The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America (Guardian) will offer coverage for ViziLite Plus exams. "We're seeing a steady expansion of insurance coverage for this potentially life-saving technology," said Frank Bellizzi, president of Zila Pharmaceuticals. "This reflects both the insurance industry's confidence in the value of the ViziLite Plus exam, and increasing use of the technology by dental practitioners. Coverage by Guardian moves ViziLite Plus exams that much closer to being recognized as the standard of care across the entire dental profession." In announcing their decision, Guardian emphasized the connection between oral health and overall health, noting that research links an unhealthy mouth to an increased risk of heart attack, stroke, cancer, diabetes and preterm labor, among other serious conditions.
Health savings accounts found to cost women more
High-deductible health insurance plans favored by many employers often wind up being an unfair burden to women, a new study says, largely because women need many routine medical exams that quickly add up. The median expense for men under 45 in these plans was less than $500. But for women it was more than $1,200, according to a study by Harvard Medical School researchers. They also found that only a third of insured men in that age group spent more than $1,050 in annual medical costs, while 55 percent of women did. "High-deductible plans punish women for having breasts and uteruses and having babies," said Dr. Steffie Woolhandler, the study's lead author. .
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