AlphaDog Reporter

Californias 22% HMO claims-rejection rates trigger state investigation

alphadr — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 23:09:58 +0000

“Six of the state’s largest insurers rejected 45.7 million claims for medical care, or 22% of all claims, from 2002 to June 30, 2009, according to the California Nurses Assn.’s analysis of data submitted to regulators by the companies.”

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-insure4-2009sep04,0,4503502.story

RNC hits new low with health reform survey that asks about discriminating against Republicans health care by Dems

alphadr — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 03:16:15 +0000

After reversing themselves on Medicare(first the Republicans hated it now they want to preserve it), and just when you thought the GOP in general and the Republican National Committee in particular couldn’t possibly stoop any lower when it comes to their blantant partisan politics and scare tactics regarding health care and insurance reform, well, they managed to actually do it once again. That’s right, the people that brought you death squads and pulling the plug on granny have now sent out a survey to voters that pretty much implies in no uncertain terms that if a Democratic health reform bill is passed, the big bad liberals might use your voter registration and party affiliation to – you guessed it – ration health care.

In a stunning discovery by the Washington Independent, the new RNC health care survey contains quite possibly THE most blantantly partisan and completely biased question ever seen in a survey.

The question asks whether voter registration could be used to discriminate against GOP party members in a health reform bill passed by Democrats. You can’t make this stuff up – and the rest of the survey is pretty shocking as well.

Scanned images of the survey are here:

http://washingtonindependent.com/56844/obtained-the-rncs-health-care-survey

Survey shows 19% of employers plan to drop or cut health benefits

alphadr — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 14:29:27 +0000

“Nineteen percent of employers responding to a new Hewitt Associates survey are planning to stop offering health benefits over the next three to five years, nearly five times as many as the 4 percent that said they were planning an exit strategy last year.”

http://www.workforce.com/section/00/article/26/22/90.php

Veteran Group Demands that Fox News, GOP Apologize for Lying

alphadr — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 22:10:06 +0000

“Let me be absolutely clear, Steele lied. There is no VA manual encouraging veterans to commit suicide,” said Paul Sullivan, the executive director of VCS, a non-profit based in Washington, DC providing advocacy for veterans, especially veterans with mental health conditions.”

http://www.veteransforcommonsense.org/index.php/whats-new/1165-veterans-for-common-sense

Chicago Tool Workers Health Care Plans Dropped – 75 employees and families going without

alphadr — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 20:07:43 +0000

“If you don’t need health insurance, you’re fine, but when you need it, you really need it.” One worker who had to have surgery was hit with a bill of $20,000 because of the dropped coverage.

“People are threatened with losing their homes, with financial ruin”

The company said in a released statement, “We realize that employees want to have health care and we wish that we could provide them with coverage. The elimination of the coverage was not our choice; rather it was due to a third party’s decision to remove coverage which was beyond our control.” The National Labor Relations Board issued a complaint against the company in July, and a hearing has been scheduled for Sept. 3.”

http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/1733410,chicago-tool-workers-strike-082509.article

United Health Group Exposed on MSNBC

alphadr — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 14:44:38 +0000

Republicans – against Medical for decades – now for preserving it

alphadr — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 14:24:53 +0000

The party of hypocrites is back at it again. They have unveiled their “Republican Health Care Bill of Rights for Seniors” (if you aren’t a senior you must be excluded from having any rights for health care) which calls for the protection of Medicare. The funny thing about this is, that Republicans have been against Medicare from its inception and were dragged kicking and screaming into it. Even current RNC Chairman Michael Steele has spoken in the past about cutting Medicare, now he has reversed himself and wants to make sure it is preserved.

What a lame way to pander for votes.

Bill of Rights link:
http://barackobamaexperiment.com/posts/1502

Blast from the past – Republicans AGAINST Medicare:
http://thinkprogress.org/2009/07/29/medicare-flashback/

Health care claim costs expected to rise 10.5 percent over the next year

alphadr — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 13:02:13 +0000

“Costs for employer-provided health plans are expected to rise more than 10 percent within the next 12 months, a jump workers may feel in their paychecks or through changes to their insurance coverage.”

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090825/ap_on_bi_ge/us_health_care_cost_forecast_1

VetVoice.com responds to outrageous ‘death book’ claims by Towey and Wallace

alphadr — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 00:43:34 +0000

“Really, if the document was really trying to get veterans to pull the plug on themselves, then first suggesting to them that their life should be prolonged at all costs is a pretty stupid way to do it.”

http://www.vetvoice.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=3084

VA Outranks Private Sector in Health Care Patient Satisfaction

alphadr — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 23:57:06 +0000

“Veterans continued to rate the care they receive through the Department of Veterans Affairs health care system higher than other Americans rate private-sector health care for the sixth consecutive year, a new annual report on customer satisfaction reveals. “

http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=14560