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The Cost of Being Over-Insured

$45,000.Forty-five thousand dollars is a conservative estimate of the 30-year opportunity cost of having family PPOPreferred Provider Organization coverage instead of a high deductible health plan (HDHP).According to the Kaiser Family Foundation ("Kaiser"), the average annual family premium for an HDHP is $1,900 cheaper than a preferred provider plan (and has averaged $2,000 over the last seven years). Assuming a 3% real return per year invested over 30 years, and that half the $1,900 premium di ...

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Business, Statistics, and the Carpenter’s Cup

The Holy Grail scene in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade shows the closing piece of the riddle to find the cup of Christ. Walter, businessman-turned-scoundrel, outsourced his decision on which cup to choose to Elsa, the archeologist. Caught by his lust for power, he drinks from a beautiful golden cup. “He chose poorly,” and quickly turns to dust. Naturally, Indy choses wisely. It’s obvious that the plainest of cups was the one, without the flare, the simple cup of a carpenter. Technology teac ...

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When Telemedicine Costs the Same as a Primary Care Visit.

The idea is great. Where do you go at 2:00am when your kid has a nagging cough and stubborn fever? Telemedicine offers a solution. Access a doctor from your smartphone and within 10 mins you're connected. Many people use it and end up loving it for these reasons. But how much does it cost? $130 per visit on average according to Teladoc's (ticker: TDOC) financial filings ($186.3M in telemedicine revenue divided by 1.46M visits in 2017). That's likely more than you thought, and about same as the ...

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AJMC Article: The Value of Brokers

"In healthcare, brokers help most companies buy, manage, and choose healthcare plans. But, judging by rates of change, spending trends, and objectivity, it’s debatable where they’re adding value and how keen their eye is for innovation." Read more at AJMC.   Photo by Adeolu Eletu on Unsplash