Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Investors Plow $7.5M Into Health Insurance Comparison Tool
The Miami Herald: Healthcare.com Attracts $7.5M In Funding For Comparison Website
HealthCare.com likes to describe itself as the "Kayak of healthcare." On Tuesday, the Miami-based private online marketplace for insurance announced it closed a Series A funding round of $7.5 million from the owners of Priceline.com and Kayak, among other brands including most recently, OpenTable. The funding announcement comes as the U.S. government’s Healthcare.gov begins its second year of enrolling patients under Obamacare. Vargas said HealthCare.com’s healthcare insurance comparison tool, released this fall, allows people to compare 75,000 state and federal exchange plans as well as off-exchange plans (but it will not include subsidies available through Healthcare.gov). “Going forward, we are going to be adding other comparison features into other products such as Medicare and dental insurance,” Vargas said in an interview with the Miami Herald Tuesday morning. (Dahlberg, 11/11)
The Washington Post: The Small Change That Can Save You Thousands Of Dollars A Year In Health Costs
Welcome to open enrollment season. That time of year when you get e-mail after e-mail from your employer reminding you of all the changes you need to make to your benefits. Of all the decisions that need to be made around now, one that often gets looked over is the chance to open a health savings account. (Marte, 11/11)
Los Angeles Times: Should Life Insurance Firms Have Access To Your Genetic Test Results?
So, you're thinking you might like to check out one of those inexpensive new tests that would give you some insight into, say, the health implications of your ethnic heritage. It may, incidentally, turn up findings you may or may not want -- say, on your Alzheimer's disease risk, or your risk of developing lung, breast or skin cancer. ... Although the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 bars the use of genetic information for health insurance coverage decisions, it does not do so when it comes to life insurance, disability insurance or long-term care insurance. (Healy, 11/11)
Kaiser Health News: Network Blues: Big Bills Surprise Some E.R. Patients
In-network” and “out-of-network” – for people with health insurance, those words mean one thing: money. If you don’t want to get charged extra, you get your treatment done in-network. It sounds straightforward, but sometimes it doesn’t work out that way, even when patients think they’re playing by the rules. Jeffrey Craig Hopper, a probate attorney in Austin, Texas, knows all about following the rules. Still, accidents happen. Last June he was coaching a Little League practice session when an errant baseball smashed into his face. (Feibel, 11/11)
