Danilo Manimtim and his wife Marilou both had cataract surgery in Fresno, California in late 2021 and early 2022, respectively. Manimtim, a retired orthopedic surgeon, calculated that since he had met his deductible, his cost-sharing would amount to about $750. He sought care at an outpatient department of a local hospital. As I’ve often said, if you are physically capable of walking, never, ever seek any kind of care at a hospital. Manimtim failed to realize that his health plan, the California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS) health plan, uses an innovative system known as reference pricing. Anthem Blue Cross managed the plan for CalPERS.
Monday Links
- Colorado gets permission to include a public option in its (Obamacare) exchange. But as Ed Haislmaier and I showed, this won’t matter as long as the playing field is level.
- Buprenorphine is highly effective at preventing overdoses and treating opioid use disorder; but enrollees in Medicaid managed care rarely see a doctor who prescribes it. Even so, that’s better than regular Medicaid.
- Another article on medical debt, missing Devon Herrick’s point that Obamacare is the reason for its rise.
- Responding to the Roe decision, Matt Holt completely loses it. Lesson for us all: don’t write blog posts when you are having a temper tantrum.
- If housing is a health care issue, should Medicaid pay the rent?
Have a Chronic Disease? There’s a Smartphone App for That
An article in the San Francisco Chronical that was republished in Kaiser Heath News looked at tech firms that monitor chronic conditions remotely. The firms offer both digital or human health coaches to help patients better manage their care. There are approximately 50 different firms designed to help patients adhere to treatment programs or deal with chronic conditions.