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The article offers consumer advice related to health insurance in the U.S., as of October 2013. It looks at factors important to consider in selecting a health insurance policy, noting that policies with low premiums typically have higher out-of-pocket medical care costs including co-payments and deductibles. It discusses preferred provider organizations (PPOs), emphasizing the importance of determining whether a provider is within the plan's network. Other topics include Medicare enrollment, flexible-spending accounts, and prescription drug coverage. The implementation of the U.S. Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is cited. INSET: Penny wise, health foolish.

The article discusses various issues related to waiver of copayments and deductibles including its history, measures taken by insurers for solving illicit billing practices and identifying various other legal issues. It further mentions that waiver of copayments is an issue of state frauds. It also informs about the Special Fraud Alert issued by the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in 1994.

The article addresses the attempts of insurers to curb healthcare insurance fraud by preserving the role of an insured's copayments and deductibles in containing costs. The copayment system allows patients to feel the cost of the benefits they acquire and cut excessive medical services. The federal healthcare law enacted in May 2010 boosts costs to give more comprehensive coverage to patients. It is generally accepted that the routine waiver of copayments mandated by insurance contracts is prohibited and fraudulent.

The article focuses on the proposed combination of high-deductible employer-sponsored health care plans with the health care co-payments of employees in the U.S. in 2006. Larger share of prescription costs will be shifted to employees as a result of the combination and may discourage them from taking maintenance medication. A requirement under regulation of the U.S. Treasury Department regarding prescription drug costs of health savings accounts participants is presented. INSET: Caveats on Drug Information.

The article offers tips on checking out potential errors in medical bills. Before being charged, try to call a plan's toll-free number to ask for an estimate of the amount the plan will cover. To easily track billing statement items, create a list of every test, treatment and medication received. Upon receipt of bills, examine it closely paying attention to the amount being charged for the procedures performed, the amount the insurer is paying and the amount owed in deductibles and co-payments. Also, compare the list of precdures done with one's notes.

Reports that health insurance costs for employers are expected to rise by 16% this year, marking the fifth straight year of double-digit increases, leading many companies to share the burden with their employees. Rise in family coverage, deductibles and copayments; Increase in numbers of uninsured Americans; Prediction that a new battle over reforming the health-care system is ahead; Reasons for rising costs, including an aging population, increased use of prescription drugs and greater demand for tests and specialists; Increase in prices by insurers; Decrease in the number of small businesses offering health insurance to employees.

The article emphasizes the importance of reforming the U.S. health care system, stating that the high cost of healthcare premiums has prompted companies to increase co-payments and deductibles for their workers. It notes that the administration of U.S. President Barack Obama has allocated $630 billion of the national budget for over 10 years to finance health care reform. It also proposes that a new health care reform bill must be able to provide universal coverage and a public insurance plan that would serve as an alternative to private insurance.

Deals with the drug costs plans launched by Siemens Canada Ltd. Comment from Stephanie Johnson, total compensation specialist, on the company's promotion for appropriate prescription drug use; Information on prescription drugs spending in the country; Discussion on co-payments and deductibles on drug prescription consumption of employees.

The article focuses on the U.S. Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, requires health plans to cover preventive service for women without copayments or deductibles. It says that an interim final rule has been published by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) which requires contraceptive services for women. It mentions that the administration of President Barack Obama modify the rule about contraceptive coverage.

Reports that the Deborah Heart and Lung Center in Brown Mills, New Jersey has violated federal anti-kickback statutes for refusing to bill Medicare patients for their copayments or deductibles. Total amount of Medicare copayments and deductibles for fiscal 2000; Information on the copayment and deductible practices of the center.

The article discusses the impact on U.S. household budgets of insurance copayments, deductibles, and other out-of-pocket healthcare expenses. Statistics from a report by the Center for Studying Health System Change on family medical costs are cited, showing that when they exceed 2.5 percent of family income, such costs push a third of families into financial hardship. Advice on reducing such costs is also presented.

Advises those who have a flexible spending account for medical expenses to increase the amount they contribute to the account for 2004. Increasing cost of health care; Specific guidelines for items such as copayments, deductibles, prescriptions, and others.

The article offers steps on how to waive deductibles or discount for copayment in the U.S. Physicians or suppliers are suggested to have understanding of the exception to the rule because routine deductible and copayment waiving can violate federal regulations and laws. They are advised to put the waiver in a written document other than just in words. They are also recommended to send a waiver denial form to the patient who fails to qualify for a waiver.

The article informs that Medicare Supplement policies are being offered through Sterling Life Insurance Co. in California. It further informs about Medicare Supplement's offerings for filling the gaps in Medicare coverage which includes coinsurance, copayments and deductibles. It mentions the programs offered by Sterling which includes discounted memberships, 12-month rate guarantee and telephonic access to a registered nurse.

The article focuses on waiving the deductibles and copayments of patients having financial hardships by physicians. It says that the Office of Inspector General (OIG) has issued guidelines on waiving deductibles and co-pays wherein routinely waiving violates the Federal False Claims Act. Moreover, a physician will be able to write off a patient's co-pay deductible if the patient meets the financial hardship criteria that can be proven by asking the patient's gross monthly household income.

The article focuses on the U.S. 2010 Affordable Care Act (ACA) reform. It says that the insurance policy is required to have a basic preventive health-care package, such as mammograms and Pap test, with no co-pays or deductibles. It states that there will be no pays are required for checkups, sexually transmitted disease (STD), or prenatal screenings as of August 1, 2012. Moreover, National Women's Law Center (NWLC) estimates that gender rating costs women around $1 billion a year.

The article offers information on the five ways to navigate the process of benefit plans and rates for employees. It says that small small businesses must evaluate the plan benefits, together with the out-of-pocket maximums, deductibles, and co-pay structures. It states that small businesses that come together as professional employer organization (PEO) can seek discounted health insurance. Sue Nelson of Gulfshore Insurance adds that health maintenance organization (HMO) can help cut costs.

The article offers the author's insights on several requirements or factors to consider for the maintenance of grandfathered status, which include maintaining documentation of plan materials, ensuring the maintenance of employer's contribution rates, and maintaining copayments and deductibles.

The article focuses on the potential of the report of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) on the economy of Canada to challenge the rise of health care costs in the country. The OECD indicates the tendency of revenues to be raised and excess demand to be curbed through the implementation of co-payments and deductibles. The report suggests the need of Canada to pay more attention to the determinants of population health.

The article examines the Canada health care system, where consumers have no copayments, no deductibles and no medical cost sharing. It states that the citizens of Canada, which spends around 10% of gross domestic product (GDP) on health care, live about 80.7 years. An analysis of the reason behind the lower obesity level and longer life expectancy in Canada is offered. It was found that Canadians walk more in daily life making them spend less on health care but live longer.

The article reports that family health care premiums have increased 3.2 times higher than the median earnings of workers in Iowa from 2000 to 2009 as cited by Families USA, a consumer health organization. It mentions the 79.4% increase in family health premiums and the 24.5% increase in median earnings. It notes that the insurance premiums have sustained in spite of the small coverage received by employees that offers lesser benefits but with higher deductibles, co-payments and co-insurance.

The article reports on the possible increases in Tricare fees including enrollment costs, deductibles and co-payments according to Democratic Representative Susan Davis of California. Davis reveals that the House version of the 2010 defense authorization bill does not include a provision prohibiting increases following three consecutive years in which legislators inserted specific language on the bill, due to the fact that the Department of Defense did not ask for such in its budget request.

The article focuses on the imminent increase in Tricare enrollment costs, deductibles and co-payments according to Democratic Representative Susan Davis, chairwoman of the U.S. House Armed Services Committee military personnel panel. She cites that the lack of prohibition on Tricare fee increases in the House version of the 2010 defense policy bill was due to the fact that the Department of Defense (DoD) did not ask for it. She added that several lawmakers are concerned about the negative impact of the rising health care costs on other defense programs.

The article reports on the potential slow down of the annual health-benefit cost in the businesses in New York. A significant 5.7% decrease in 2009 is revealed by a new survey conducted by Mercer, LLC on employer-sponsored health plans which was released on September 3, 2008. Meanwhile, 60% of employers are expected to raise deductibles, copayments, as well as coinsurance for the cost increases in 2009 to be reduced.

The article presents questions and answers related to Tricare benefits for U.S. military personnel including a way to get Medicare Explanation of Benefits (EOBs) showing huge co-payments sooner than 90 days and deductible accounts maintained by Tricare for every family.

The article offers information on prescription drug premiums. It is advised to compare the medicare prescription-drug options during open enrollment, before getting into a premium increase. Deductibles and co-payments should be taken into account before calculating out of pocket costs for prescription drugs. Switching over to generic drugs may cut the price dramatically.

The article provides tips for selecting a health insurer. It is important to figure out what insurance options the company needs whether it is using a broker or not. What percentage of the insurance cost the company will pay and how much employees must contribute should be decided. Information about all applicable co-payments, deductibles, payout limits, exclusions from the plans and which procedures require pre-approval must be asked.

Looks at several problems faced by employees in the U.S. regarding their health insurance. Increase in health care premiums and deductibles; Competition between co-payments and coinsurance; Limits on covered services.

The article presents corrections to misconceptions on Medicare in the U.S. Government payers should be the lowest-priced in several fee schedules instead of billing everyone the same amount. Deductibles and copayments should not be routinely waived as such action can violate federal laws and regulations. Diagnosis codes should be billed as much as possible instead of billing one diagnosis code per claim.

This article talks about the use of debit cards to purchase or avail of healthcare products and services. Flexible spending accounts enable consumers to spend pretax dollars on qualified health care, transit and dependent care services and health reimbursement arrangements allow them to spend pretax funds toward deductibles and copayments not covered by health-insurance plans. Health debit cards can be used for purchasing eligible over-the-counter items, as specified by merchants.

The article reports that Detroit, Michigan, area hospitals are worried that the latest cure for high health costs may dump extra costs at their doorstep. Southeast Michigan employers are adopting so-called consumer-driven health plans, benefit plans that combine high deductibles and co-pays with special medical savings accounts for employees. The new plans usually make the insured person responsible for paying the first $500 to $5,000 of their medical costs, plus a 10 percent to 20 percent co-pay on dollars spent after that.