Here’s a nice document about giving blood. Â Courtesy of United Health Care.
Anthem
Generic for Lipitor Now Available
On November 30, 2011 Ranbaxy Laboratories launched the generic equivalent for Lipitor, atorvastatin. Â Ranbaxy will be the sole manufacturer of this generic drug for the next 180 days. Â Other manufacturers of the drug will be available in May 2012.
The savings at the beginning will be minimal, but once May 2012 roles around we should see substantial savings. Â This means big savings to consumers and payers alike.
November is Diabetes Awareness Month
November is Diabetes Awareness Month. Â This is a cause that we personally have a stake in because my father in law had diabetes. Â Our family participates in the Louisville ADA walk each year. Â I’m also proud to say that my wife’s family is the number one fund-raising family and friends team. Â They’ve been number one now for I’d say at least the last six years.
Here’s your newsletter
Small Business Tax Credit
With businesses winding down for the 2011 calender year, this tax credit calculation tool will come in handy to the many small business customers that health insurance companies have. Â This link is from United Health Care and goes over the small business tax credit.
Certain small businesses that offer health benefits are now eligible for health care tax credits. These vary depending on the tax-exempt status of the organization and employer contribution toward health benefits.
- Eligible employers must pay at least half the cost of single coverage for their employees.
- There must be no more than 25 full-time equivalent (FTE) employees, not counting owners or their family members.
- Average annual wages of employees must be less than $50,000 per FTE.
We are not tax advisors, so please consult your personal tax advisor if you have any questions regarding this tax credit.
Health Insurance Rate Reviews
Here is a recent article about the rate review process that was started on September 1st of this year. Â HHS released a statement stating how this rate review process has helped keep premiums down. Â However, an industry trade group, America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) states that the rate reviews focus too much on rate increases and not enough on the real issue, rising cost of doing business in the medical industry.
As of the writing of this article, there appears to be at least 8 states this year who have won in getting health insurance companies that were asking for double digit increases to lower their renewals. Â Kentucky is not one of these states.
There appears to be some validity to HHS promoting the success of these rate reviews. Â This article doesn’t go into why or how the states that have succeeded in getting double digit rate increases overturned, just that there are more states getting grants from the federal government to assist in these rate reviews.
http://aishealth.com//archive/nhpw092611-04