MedWorm provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest medical blog items that have been tagged with 'hsa'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 02:31:01 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4419140&cid=t_138723_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fmessage-to-the-irs-leave-medicine-to-the-experts%2F2011.01.31 I saw this via a friend’s Facebook post: Really, IRS? Believe it or not, the folks at the IRS think they know more about breastfeeding than doctors and medical researchers. According to an article in the New York Times, the Internal Revenue Service has determined that breastfeeding “does not have enough health benefits to qualify as a form of medical care.”  Therefore, women cannot count expenses for breastfeeding supplies in their tax-sheltered healthcare spending accounts. In doing so, the IRS has ignored the guidance of experts at the Department of Health & Human Services and World Health Organization who are actively promoting breastfeeding because of its significant health benefits for mothers and children. Sign our petition reminding the IRS to leave medicine to the expert... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4419140 Mon, 31 Jan 2011 14:00:26 +0100 4419140 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4399511&cid=t_138723_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FRHFAqiVb69Y%2F By Michael F. CannonThe following chart shows that ObamaCare‘s unfavorables reached 50 percent in the latest Kaiser Family Foundation poll.  That’s higher than at any point since KFF started tracking ObamaCare’s unfavorables in January 2010.  The KFF poll also found that opposition is much more intense than support; 19 percent view the law very favorably, while 34 percent view the law very unfavorably.  Despite the availability of the these nuggets, KFF’S press release chose to deemphasize the surge: “Americans Remain Divided Over Health Reform With An Uptick In Public Opposition As GOP Ramped Up Repeal Campaign.” Even more entertaining was this chart, which purports to show that Americans oppose defunding ObamaCare by nearly 2-to-1. Dig a little d... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4399511 Tue, 25 Jan 2011 17:07:52 +0100 4399511 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3592197&cid=t_138723_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FOdetYO-VnLg%2F By Michael F. CannonJohn Goodman is correct that ObamaCare’s individual mandate — and Kathleen Sebelius’s power to make the mandate more burdensome at whim — threaten the continued existence of health savings accounts (HSAs).  But ObamaCare’s price controls are no less a threat. The new law requires insurers to charge enrollees of the same age the same average premium, regardless of health status.  That’s a price control, and it will cause premiums for healthy people to rise dramatically and thus lead to massive adverse selection.  Healthy people will gravitate to less-comprehensive insurance — in particular, HSA-compatible high-deductible plans — where the implicit tax is smaller. As premiums for comprehensive plans spiral upward (ulti... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3592197 Mon, 24 May 2010 13:55:02 +0100 3592197 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3354321&cid=t_138723_87_f&fid=38368&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FDisruptiveWomenInHealthCare%2F%7E3%2FJIMisnOmNIc%2F By Stephanie Cohen. This month’s health insurance nightmare: You believe the cost of your policy is too high and the benefits too low. The situation: Sara E. was looking at new insurance options because she was concerned that her current policy cost too much and covered too little. A case in point was a recent eye exam. She had to pay for the appointment because she hadn’t yet met the $1000 deductible on her current policy. The solution: It was clear that Sara did not understand the details of the policy she had purchased. It’s not unusual, but can prove problematic. In fact, we recommend that all of our customers make a list of the medical services they will likely need throughout the year. Before buying anything, we tell them to read the fine print on the policy and ask... Disruptive Women in Health Care blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3354321 Thu, 11 Mar 2010 13:14:15 +0100 3354321 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3331273&cid=t_138723_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FPRv9cOR422k%2F By Michael F. CannonPresident Obama evidently thinks that if he promises not to kill health savings accounts (HSAs), opponents will swoon for his government takeover of health care.  If that doesn’t do the trick, he should make clear that his health plan would not eliminate other things too, like the Defense Department and puppies. Of course, that hollow gesture didn’t win the president any Republican support.  But it may have cost him some Democratic support — or at least frayed the nerves of a few House Democrats.  According to CongressDaily: Liberals, meanwhile, are fuming over an addition Obama made to his proposal to make the effort appear bipartisan and possibly switch the votes of moderate Democrats who opposed the House bill last year. The Congressional Progres... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3331273 Thu, 04 Mar 2010 13:42:23 +0100 3331273 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2645264&cid=t_138723_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fx4Uq-hxjADo%2F In a recent article Ralph Nader attacks several critics of Obama’s health care reform proposal, including Cato: Now enters the well-insured libertarian Cato Institute with full-page ads in the Washington Post and The New York Times charging Obama with pursuing government-run health care. A picture of Uncle Sam pointing under the headline “Your New Doctor.” Nonsense. The well-insured people at Cato should know better than to declare that this “government takeover” would “reduce health care quality.” I agree that Cato employees are “well-insured” – a description so appropriate that Nader used it twice in a single paragraph. At Cato we have Health Savings Accounts, which are probably the closest thing to free market health insurance allowed by law. It’s nice to see Nad... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2645264 Mon, 27 Jul 2009 18:30:47 +0100 2645264 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2639559&cid=t_138723_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F25I6M-p3wGc%2F There may be nothing that more scares advocates of government-controlled health care than giving patients control over their medical treatment.  Thus, it should come as no surprise that the current versions of health care “reform” would kill off Health Savings Accounts (HSAs). Explains John Fund in the Wall Street Journal: Eight million Americans, according to the Treasury Department, are covered by plans with low-cost premiums and high deductibles that are designed for large, unexpected medical costs. Money is also set aside in a savings account to cover the deductibles, and whatever isn’t spent in one year can build up tax-free. Nearly a third of new HSA users, according to Treasury figures, previously had no insurance or bought coverage on their own. These policies will ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2639559 Sun, 26 Jul 2009 02:01:34 +0100 2639559 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2325080&cid=t_138723_134_f&fid=36012&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FBattleDiabetes%2F%7E3%2FotlAc5Rrs3Q%2F Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) are becoming quite popular for people who are generally healthy. But what about sick people? What about people who have chronic conditions like diabetes, multiple sclerosis or the like? Does an HSA make sense for them? The short answer is yes. One of my clients is a diabetic. She is very careful about what she eats and she takes her insulin regularly. She has a tremendous amount of energy and a great outlook on life. She’s in her late fifties. She asked me about the high-deductible health insurance policy and the HSA in my book. We began to work the numbers together. With a high-deductible plan, she would definitely be paying out-of-pocket for insulin and other supplies every month, to the tune of over eighty dollars. But, on the other hand, she would s... Battle Diabetes Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2325080 Wed, 08 Apr 2009 01:30:00 +0100 2325080 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=792800&cid=t_138723_113_f&fid=34657&url=http%3A%2F%2Fscottshreeve.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F08%2Fhigh-deductible-try-low-premium.html Deductible (dĭ-dŭk'tə-bəl) n. 1. Something, such as an expense, that can be deducted, as for income-tax purposes.2. A clause in an insurance policy that exempts the insurer from paying an initial specified amount in the event that the insured sustains a loss.I didn't really realize that I was such a stickler for words and the definitions of words. However, perhaps as a result of writing this blog (with my signature of having a definition to lead off each entry), I have become a novice wordsmith of sorts. I have also clearly been influenced by my recent reading of the Founding Fathers and their amazing use of the English language to playfully, persuasively, and powerfully make their point. Words do matter.I have been working a lot with health plans who are attempting to offer a "Consume... Scott Shreeve, MD blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=792800 Fri, 10 Aug 2007 01:30:00 +0100 792800