Give BCBS more and they’ll give us less
Blue Cross/Blue Shield of NC has asked he state for an average 7 percent increase in premiums. Some comsumers, however, could see their rates increase by up to 30 percent, and a few will see a 50-percent hike. This comes just a week after the insurance company laid off 90 workers to cut costs.
The company is blaming it on health reform, but that’s just not true. Most of the provisions don’t even take effect until 2014. I don’t know the annual compensation package for Brad Wilson, the new CEO of BCBS NC, but total compensation for his predecessor, Bob Greczyn, was $4.07 million last year. The President and COO, James B. Wilson made $561,462 in salary and $1,237,921 in bonused. CAO and General Counsel Maureen K. O’Connor made $493,269 in salary and $815,717 in bonuses.
Blue Cross/Blue Shield is, by law, a nonprofit. They also provide almost all the individual policies in NC and a huge chunk of employer health coverage, plus thet administer the state workers’ plan. They are an effective monopoly here in North Carolina.
Wilson, in an interview with WFAE, an NPR station, said doctors are charging too much. But BCBS payscare providers a negitoated rate.
This happened a few years ago, but here’s an example of what negotiations are like:
I was covering health both as an issue and as business when BCBS entered negotiations with Mission Hospitals (then Mission St. Joseph Health Care System). I got press releases every week with quotes from Greczyn about how inefficient Mission was and how they charged more than any other similar hospital in the state, possibly even in the Southeast. Mission spokespeople told me BCBS was trying to reduce the reimbursement rates, although spokespeople could not offer me specifics because of the ongoing talks. It looked for awhile as though Mission would not be in the BCBS network.
Finally, they settled and signed a contract. A couple of months later, Greczyn was in Asheville for an event at the Chamber of Commerce. I brought along a few of the press releases just in case he wanted to talk about Mission. During his remarks, he praised Mission for its efficiency and low costs. It was the exact opposite of what he had been saying during the negotiations. After he spoke, I brought the press releases over to him and asked what he thought had turned Mission around so quickly and so completely. I showed him the quotes in the press releases and he just walked away.
Again, this wasn’t the current CEO; Greczyn has since retired. But this is the nature of the health insurance business. Perhaps if they had paid out less in lobbying fees to fight health care reform, they wouldn’t have to lay people off and raise prices even before the provisions of this weak law take effect.
Have a beer in May
Stop into Altamont Brewing, 1042 Haywood Road, West Asheville, any time in May and ask for their "charity" beer of the day. Buy one and Life o' Mike gets $1. In fact, we get a buck for each one sold. So go in every day and have one to support Life o' Mike.
Thanks, Altamont!
Patient Pals & Family Friends
Life o' Mike has a peer support program for people with one or more serious or chronic medical issues or disabilities.
We aim to reduce isolation and fear among people who have conditions, including psychiatric illness, HIV/AIDS, diabetes, mild dementia or other cognitive disorder or disability, thereby reducing depression and complications as people learn to improve self-management of their medical conditions.
Patient Pals help alleviate feelings of isolation and frustration. They can help people develop a list of questions to ask the doctor and then accompany the person to the doctor to make sure all the questions are answered, taking notes to be sure the person understands the doctor’s answers.
Our trained volunteers also accompany their “Pals” to art exhibits, movies and walks outdoors, meet for coffee, call to check in and more.
Our Pals have experienced weight loss, improvement in diabetes, HIV, psoriasis, depression and more, just because they have someone who cares about them. Some relationships develop into longer-term friendships; other Pals move on to more independent lives.
Family Friends are there to help caregivers and other family members grow into their new role.
We need volunteers, who are asked to donate a minimum of one hour a week. Training is free and includes information on active listening, ways to help and when to know more help is needed.
And of course, we need funding.
To learn more, call Leslie Boyd at 828-243-6712 or e-mail lifeomike@gmail.com.
Start From Seed
Life o' Mike has a new program- Start from Seed (SFS).
SFS is a volunteer doula program aimed at providing non-medical, comprehensive support to low income, high-risk women and families of Buncombe County focusing on three areas:
1. We help new doulas with certification and training in return for their participation as a volunteer doula for SFS
2. We mentor volunteer doulas with their first few clients
3. Our volunteer doulas provide birth and postpartum doula services to low income, high risk moms, providing support and tools to empower them as a new parent.
A birth doula is a trained and experienced professional who provides continuous physical, emotional and informational support to the mother before, during and just after birth; a postpartum doula provides emotional and practical support during the postpartum period.
Start from Seed clients are referred to us from the Buncombe County Department of Health’s Nurse-Family Partnership Program, Western North Carolina Community Health Services, and Mission Hospital. The Program is intended and designed for growing clients’ inner strength and helping them gain empowerment to help them cope with the emotional, physical and mental challenges of childbirth, labor, and motherhood.
Our new moms and their infants have many needs. If you would like to help them get off to a good start, please visit our Start from Seed web site: Start from Seed, or call Program Director Chelsea Kouns at 804-814-9946.
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