Independent Medicare Advisory Board- unemployed employee benefit managers wanted
31 Mar
Let’s say you were just hired as the benefits manager for a large organization. Your first job is to help the firm control health care costs, whatever you come up with will be negotiated with the union. Sounds like a tough job to me, even with all the help you just received from Congress. A lot is a stake here, the company’s earnings are suffering, dividends are at risk and something serious has to be done.
By the way, the company already tried wellness programs, HMOs, preferred provider organizations, flexible spending accounts, high deductible health plans, prescription drug managers, promoting generic drug use and has redesigned the plans several times in the last ten years to no avail.
In addition, there are certain things you cannot do in your quest to save money. You cannot attempt to ration health care, raise premiums, increase employee cost sharing (including deductibles, coinsurance, and co payments), or otherwise restrict benefits or modify eligibility criteria.
You gotta be kidding! I’m outta here, how am I supposed to control company’s health care costs?
Frankly, I don’t know why you are so upset, if the federal government can do it why can’t you?
If those criteria sound familiar, they should because they are the same as what applies to the Medicare Advisory Board:
The proposal shall not include any recommendation to ration health care, raise revenues or Medicare beneficiary premiums under section 1818, 1818A, or 1839, increase Medicare beneficiary cost sharing (including deductibles, coinsurance, and copayments), or otherwise restrict benefits or modify eligibility criteria.
But you have one disadvantage, you do not have the ability to simply say what you will pay for health care and the consequences be damned.
Leanr more about the Board here.
Have to agree with this one; first responsibility for one’s health has to rest with one’s self; this should be obvious. I am 57 years old, but I still work out almost every day. I watch what I eat, don’t use drugs except for the occasional glass of wine or shot of scotch. Can’t remember the last time I ate a Big Mac, or anything similar, and being a couch potato is just a recipe for becoming brain dead, as well as over-weight. I’d be satisfied with free preventive care, which would cost society less in the long run, if only everyone took the most basic care of themselves.