Joyce J. Perrone
PROMISE Consulting
300 Alpha Drive, Pittsburgh, PA 15238
412.599.1112
"Change is Inevitable, but Growth is Optional”
Why is Healthcare Coverage becoming such an issue?
The volume of “boomers” is 70% larger than the generation born during the
prior two decades (US Census)
Hitting the healthcare system as a the largest volume in history – Will begin
hitting in waves by 2010
In 2000 – 4.2 million reached age 85 By 2010 – 5.7 million reach 85 By 2030 – 8.5 million In 2004 – 29 Million between 55-64 y.o Over the 2004-2014 period will increase by 11 million –
up to 40 Million between 55-64 y.o Uninsured Americans totaled 45.8 million in 2004 (ref: Holahan & Cook) Employer sponsored coverage fell 4.6% Medicaid & state-sponsored insurance increased 2.4% Health insurance premiums rose 12.2% per yr – vs annual wage increases of 2.9% Long Island NY passes law requiring large, non-unionized retail stores to contribute to
low-paid employees’ health care costs- effective 7/1/2006
CIGNA Fined $150,000 By New York State
By DIANE LEVICK Courant Staff Writer January 25 2006
CIGNA HealthCare has paid a $150,000 fine to the state of New York because the company failed for
years to respond to many consumer complaints in a timely or adequate manner, regulators said Tuesday.
The fine is higher than what other companies, including Oxford Health Plans and Aetna, have paid New
York because CIGNA's problems continued for so long, dating from at least 2002, said Michael F. Barry,
director of public affairs for the New York Insurance Department.
CIGNA also agreed to take corrective action.
The department says it alleged, and CIGNA agreed as part of a stipulation, that the company "provided
neither timely nor substantive responses to the written customer complaints that were referred to CIGNA
via the Insurance Department's Consumer Services Bureau."
The department said it sends hundreds of pieces of correspondence each year to CIGNA's
customer advocacy unit for a response or action, often involving coverage or claim
issues.
New York law requires health insurers to acknowledge within 15 business days the
consumer complaints sent by the department's bureau - a deadline CIGNA repeatedly
failed to meet, regulators said.
Rising costs for older people squeeze Pennsylvania
Long-term care strategy improvement is focus
By Gary Rotstein, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Sunday, January 22, 2006
Surges in senior population, health-care costs and home-based services for the frail
elderly have combined to squeeze Pennsylvania's finances, putting unprecedented
pressure on state officials to improve their long-term care strategy.
Blue Cross revises Direct Pay overhaul
The program is for people who buy health insurance on their own rather than through an employer.
BY FELICE J. FREYER, 03:43 PM EST on Wednesday, January 25, 2006
PROVIDENCE(RI) -- Faced with opposition from the attorney general's office and criticism from
subscribers, Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island has changed its proposal to overhaul its
Direct Pay program.
The revised version of the program, which is for people who buy health insurance on their own
rather than through an employer, includes a 1-percent reduction in all the proposed rates, changes
the deductible and premiums for one of the four plans, and has new provisions to ease the transition
for the 14,500 Direct Pay enrollees. If approved by the state health insurance commissioner, the
revised program would take effect April 1.
CIGNA directors approve big pay raises for themselves
CIGNA Corp. directors have approved a revised compensation program for
themselves that will mean a pay increase of 40 percent or more in 2006, the
company has disclosed. The Philadelphia-based insurer decided to raise pay
for outside directors after a review of what competitors such as Aetna and
UnitedHealth Group pay their board members. Hartford Courant,Dec 14,
2005
Study faults consumer-directed health plans
Americans in new "consumer-directed" health plans are less satisfied with them and more
likely to delay or forgo care than people with regular insurance, says a new survey that
could raise red flags for insurers and employers. Hartford Courant,Dec 09, 2005
Governor forms health care plan
5-point proposal seeks to squeeze more out of system
By CHRIS McGANN SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER CAPITOL CORRESPONDENT
OLYMPIA -- With a half-billion-dollar increase for health care costs looming, Gov.
Christine Gregoire has proposed a five-prong plan to try to address the problem.
Medicaid costs from increased caseloads alone will grow by $457 million in 2007-09
biennium, according the Office of Financial Management. [Washington State]
And thousands will continue to live outside the safety net.
"We have 600,000 (residents) who don't have coverage and we have many more who are
underinsured," Gregoire said.
Gregoire wants programs that would:
Emphasize evidence-based health care. Promote prevention. Manage care for chronic illness better. Create more transparency. Make better use of information technology.
Embrace Technology!
Speed of Information continues to accelerate!
“You can be on the bus driving it, miss the bus, or be run over by it”
– … A Pittsburgh PCP
Connecticut to Launch eHealth Program
By STEPHANIE REITZ, Associated Press Writer Jan 30
NEW BRITAIN — Within the next few years, Connecticut patients' medical records
could be electronically accessible around the clock to doctors, hospitals and other
health care providers statewide.
Reaching the Next Generation of Healthcare Consumers
Generation Y
Also known as “Millennials” or “Echo Boomers,” Generation Y consists of the group of
people born between 1977 and 1994. (now age 12-26)
Numbering at least 60 million and representing about $200 billion in annual spending,
this generation is the largest consumer group in U.S. history.
Every market segment, including healthcare, is vying for their dollars.
Previously considered “teen marketing,” that is no longer the case. It is a coming of age
of a new generation. (ref: Joy Scott and Marna Bunger, for HealthLeaders News)
Why is this category important?
Spending power: They are used to having their own money. Influence: Older Generation Yers are making their own healthcare
purchasing decisions. Teens and pre-teens are key “influencers” in their
households. Brand loyalty: This generation has grown up in an ad-saturated
environment. Early brand intervention creates deeper relationships
How do you reach them?
The amount of time spent online surpasses all other forms of media. In an average week, Gen Yers spend 16.7 hours online (excluding e-mail), 13.6 hours
watching television and 12 hours listening to the radio. Regular Radio is in trouble Podcasts Satellite
What Boomers Want
"Out of clutter, find Simplicity. From discord, find Harmony. In the middle of difficulty
lies opportunity."
--Albert Einstein
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