When a New Jersey lawyer named Philip received legal papers last year informing him that his former psychologist’s practice was suing him over an unpaid bill, he was initially upset they could not work out a payment arrangement outside of court. It was only later, Philip said… Read the rest of this entry »
By Joseph M. DiBella
Recently the Asbury Park Press published a story based on a widely criticized and discredited State Comptroller’s 2012 report examining the state of health benefits for public workers of municipalities, county governments and school districts. The report, which was panned by most benefit and insurance professional at the time as being actuarially and statistically invalid, also failed to accurately reflect the process local governments must use when selecting benefits for its employees. The report made for good headlines, but it didn’t make for good policy.
The takeaway of the report was that local entities in New Jersey — counties, townships, boroughs, school districts — could simply join the state health benefit plan and save the state $100 million dollars. But that wasn’t correct then and it isn’t correct now. The report overlooked the fact that benefits are collectively bargained for and can’t simply be changed on whim or all at once. It also made the false assumption that just by merging all the groups across the state, their claims history, which is how insurance policies are priced, would miraculously get better and generate savings. Finally, the report largely blamed local benefit brokers and consultants for the high cost of health care for public plans even though the cost of brokerage services is about 2% to 3% of the total cost of healthcare. The state plan is a solution for many public employers as are other private plan options. The key is to examine all of the options and align the entity with the best solution for their circumstances.
The report was largely discredited and dismissed at the time of its issuance by industry experts for being naïve and non-factual. But because it includes an eye-popping alleged savings number, the nearly 4 years old report is regularly dusted off and re-circulated by political operatives and media types looking to re-create a controversy that never existed.
Posted: November 3rd, 2015 | Author: admin | Filed under: Health Care, Monmouth County News, ObamaCare, Opinion | Tags: Affordable Care Act, Health Care, Howell Township, Joe DiBella, Joseph M. DiBella, Monmouth County News, ObamaCare, Opinion | 3 Comments »TRENTON — Gov. Chris Christie on Monday signed a bill that wrests control of emergency ambulance services in Camden from one south Jersey hospital chain and gives it its competitor, Cooper Health, overseen by south Jersey power broker George Norcross. Virtua Health, with hospitals in Voorhees, Marlton and Berlin in suburban Camden County, has provided advanced… Read the rest of this entry »
Posted: July 7th, 2015 | Author: admin | Filed under: Chris Christie, George Norcross, Health Care, New Jersey, NJ State Legislature | Tags: Chris Christie, Cooper Heath System, EMS services, George Norcross, George Norcross University Hospital, Virtua Health | Comments Off on Christie signs bill giving EMS contract to hospital chaired by power broker Norcross
“Colonoscopy” might just be the most uncomfortable yet necessary 11-letter word in the English language. According to the American Cancer Society, an estimated 132,700 new cases of colorectal cancer are expected this year, and its death toll will reach nearly 50,000. As things stand, it is considered the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths among men… Read the rest of this entry »
On Friday afternoons, women start trickling into Dr. Norman Rowe’s Upper East Side office, a bright, white space hidden inside a ritzy doorman building near Central Park. When they leave his office a short time later and head out to their evening engagements, they’ll be just a few cc’s heavier. The women are getting their breasts… Read the rest of this entry »
New Jersey remains one of just seven states where the flu is still widespread, according to the latest update from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Cases of the illness have receded from their seasonal highs in most other regions of the country. “We are trending downward, although not as quickly as the other… Read the rest of this entry »
Many a beer drinker has heard about the health benefits of red wine over the past few years. In fact, there have been so many studies on the supposed elixir of life that there’s a good chance some beer drinkers, looking to confer the same benefits, have converted into wine connoisseurs. But convert not my fellow… Read the rest of this entry »
Here’s one to tell your mother: Not everything Dr. Oz says should be interpreted as gospel. A new study tried to fact-check the advice dished out on Mehmet Oz’s medical show and didn’t have much luck. “The research supporting any of these recommendations is frequently absent, contradictory or of poor quality,” Christina Korownyk, an associate professor… Read the rest of this entry »
This time, the Obamacare deadlines actually mean something. New and returning enrollees have until late Monday to sign up for health insurance on the federal online exchange and be covered by Jan. 1 – a hard deadline and stark turnaround from last year, when glitches on HealthCare.gov blurred pre-Christmas deadlines. Instead of fretting over a website,… Read the rest of this entry »© Copyright 2024 | MoreMonmouthMusings | All Rights Reserved