| Cashless mediclaims in a few hospitals
NEW DELHI: Hospitals may soon be asked to meet prescribed quality standards in order to provide cashless mediclaim facilities. Insurance companies are in consultation with the National Accreditation Board of Hospitals and Healthcare providers (NABH) to identify hospitals and diagnostic centres that will be allowed to process cashless claims. This move will streamline the process of mediclaims, since hospitals inflate costs, driving up claim amounts. Once hospitals are graded, insurance companies may be able to give discounts on mediclaim policies depending on the track record of the hospitals. The certification will provide a system of empanelment by insurance and other third parties. Quality Council of India secretary general and NABH CEO Girdhar Gyani said: "We are coming out with the standards of certifying small healthcare service providers such as clinics, dental clinics, diagnostic centres (radiology) and nursing homes." The purpose of the certification of small healthcare centres is to provide alternative centres of healthcare treatment which can process mediclaim policies, he added.
More local children in jeopardy if Bush vetoes S-CHIP health bill
Among those lives: More than 9,000 Volusia and Flagler county children who could lose coverage if the State Children's Health Insurance Program (S-CHIP) isn't reauthorized. The program's effectiveness should be obvious to anyone who takes an honest look. Healthy Kids (Florida's S-CHIP-funded program) gives children access to checkups and medicines they need to thrive. Without it, many would have care only through hard-to-find free clinics and hospital emergency rooms. Florida politicians -- including former Gov. Jeb Bush -- could be among the most effective advocates for the program, because they've watched it from the beginning. Inspired by a hospital-district-funded pilot in Volusia and Flagler counties, Florida lawmakers created Healthy Kids in 1990. Unlike Medicaid, Healthy Kids isn't a handout; instead, it uses tax dollars to help lower the cost of private-sector health insurance policies for children.
Instant Car Insurance Quotes Can Be Free - Here Are Some Things To ...
The annual cost of your auto insurance policy is influenced by many factors. A policy with a very low premium may not carry all the coverage you need. A policy with a very high premium may be stuffed with extras you don't need. Understanding a few basic auto insurance terms may help you decided which types of auto insurance are best for your particular needs. Usage The way you use your car may have a great impact on the premium you pay. Some companies offer significant discounts to car owners who don't commute on a daily basis. Be sure to let your insurer know if you take mass transit to work or carpool. If you drive a considerable number of miles for work or pleasure your premium may be higher. Principal driver .
Healthcare biggies eyeing insured overseas patients
NEW DELHI: Indian corporate hospitals are now looking at tapping insured overseas patients to expand the medical tourism market. "The next phase of globalisation of healthcare services will be the treatment of insured patients across the world. Market forces will themselves ensure that a large number of insured patients come to Indian hospitals. The key would be to provide top quality healthcare services at low cost. Insurance companies are accountable for the safety of their patients and they would not sent them to any hospital if the quality is not world class, no matter how low the cost is, " says Wockhardt Hospital CEO Vishal Bali. Industry officials say Indian hospitals have been lobbying to treat insured patients for some years now. But deteriorating financial condition of national health services of many western countries and also the need to care for uninsured patients will compel insurance companies to look at Indian hospitals.
ConocoPhillips CEO proposes energy-price insurance
WASHINGTON, July 19 (Reuters) - ConocoPhillips (COP.N: Quote, Profile, Research) Chief Executive James Mulva said on Thursday the U.S. government should encourage investment in alternative energy by providing "price insurance" to remove the risk from a drop in conventional energy prices. He also suggested in a wide ranging speech on energy policy that the government should phase out tariffs on imported ethanol, saying they penalize lower-cost and less carbon-intensive imports. (Reporting by Chris Baltimore) .
French healthcare 'available' for expat pensioners
Expatriate pensioners now living France have access to French healthcare system, but those who have not yet retires should consider taking out private medical insurance.Membership organisation Heyday explains that the many Britons planning to purchase a property and retire to France are entitled to the same healthcare that is available to French pensioners.However, the French healthcare system, one of the best in the world, is slightly different to Britains National Health Service and Heyday director, Ailsa Ogilvie, stresses that care is not always free, with pensioners expected to cover around 20 to 30 per cent of the total cost. Retirees can have their UK state pension paid into a bank account in France if they choose to retire abroad and it is important that Britons consider differences in inheritance law when retiring to France.In order to avoid unnecessary problems, a will should be drawn up in France detailing what they want to happen to a property there, as French inheritance rules will apply to homes in the country.Recent figures from the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) indicate that Britons are still most likely to choose a European destination for their retirement because of the proximity to the UK and low-cost flights.
Health insurance 'a tax rort'
PRIVATE health insurance is being "misused" by people who take out cheaper policies providing only limited cover to simply avoid paying the Medicare levy surcharge, a left-wing think tank claims. An analysis by the Australia Institute argues that if large numbers of high income earners are using low-cost insurance products to avoid the surcharge, it will do nothing to reduce the burden on public hospitals because people who did have health insurance were not necessarily using it. The report analyses the extent to which health funds are offering "cheap" policies to enable people to avoid the surcharge. Single people who earn more than $50,000 or couples or families earning more than $100,000 have to pay the surcharge if they do not have private hospital cover. The institute found that almost all funds now offer low-cost products that have been created primarily for the purpose of reducing people's tax burden.
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