Punishing people for being unhealthy is certainly not a new concept. Everything from societal peer pressure and restrictions on things like where you can smoke, to calorie counts at fast food restaurants and financial hits through insurance have tried to convince people to just be healthier. And for some people, it may have worked.
But now the state of Arizona wants to take a similar “health initiative” and turn it into a money maker. Arizona’s…
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By
AmyT on
September 14, 2009
Today I am in Rochester, MN, at the world-famous Mayo Clinic, taking in part in a “collaborative symposium” on health care called Transform.
David Rosenman, a physician who runs the Mayo’s new Center for Innovation, had the idea to gather a bunch of smart, engaged people to exchange ideas on “new models of health care.” This is not just about the relative merits of Obama’s proposal for universal coverage. Rather, it’s about the role of…
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We switched health insurance providers again a few months ago, because of a new position my husband took on. I braced myself for the fallout. Despite the fact that I got an early start on informing our various physicians and pharmacies that we’d be switching, it’s once again been an extremely bumpy road — er, more of ridiculous time-suck, if you want to get particular about it.
1) Various doctor’s offices insisted that were “still…
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By
AmyT on
January 16, 2009
A health care plan that is welcoming to diabetics and also affordable has long been on our wish list. So you might say the PWDs of this country are getting a late Christmas present here with UnitedHealthcare’s announcement of the first-ever health plan designed specifically for diabetics and pre-diabetics — with built-in self-care incentives that will save us money.
Under this plan, there will be NO COST for wellness exams, prescription drugs, or office visits…
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By
AmyT on
January 14, 2009
At my endo appointment last week, the good woman reminded me that she hadn’t seen my “full-body” test results for a while: my most recent eye exam, mammogram and pap smear. This turned out to be a good reminder, as the former two were last done a full year ago and it was time to reschedule (sigh). What a pain! More appointment-making and driving around and time out of my schedule for unpleasant tests.
But…
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