It’s the time of year for leaves, baseball, and 30-page open enrollment guides*. If you’re a prospective employee, “we offer benefits” doesn’t have the precision on the scale of value as does a first class flights to Europe. “We offer a free first class direct flight to London. Travel dates and times are flexible. Towels…
Category: High Deductible Health Plans
Could Healthcare Be Like Lasik?
Lasik is odd in at least two ways. It’s in a rare deflationary healthcare category. It’s also awkwardly priced at an average of $2,000 per eye. “Shoes for sale, $50 per shoe.” That aside, could healthcare be more like Lasik, shoppable and/or deflationary? There are key differences. There are more options in your city for…
January’s Healthcare Index
Inspired by the monthly Harper’s Index, this is 2019’s first index on healthcare and finance. The average ratio of Medicaid-to-Medicare payments spending across the US across all services: .72; In CA: .52. The factor by which commercial insurance payments exceed the reimbursements from Medicare: 1.88x The net assets of HCA, the largest publicly-traded hospital in the…
Stats on High Deductibles
November has past and healthcare open enrollment is behind us. It’s the time when spreadsheets are pulled together, employees and spouses (even actuaries) run front and back of the envelope calculations to decide where to enroll. Stock photos of happy couples in the 30-page guides beckon workers toward a tortuous process. It’s usually a choice…
Costco: Lessons from Member Obsession.
Some call them clients, others guests or customers. Costco (Ticker: COST, revenue $141B) calls them members, a term that makes you feel like you’re part of a special club. It’s a club that will not sell you junk*. They do not exaggerate. Theirs is not fake-Enron-style-ethics-virtue-signaling, and they actually list shareholders’ interests last. Focus on the…