Healthcare

In September 2023, Dr. Ed Weisbart gave an informative presentation on Medicare enrollment options and the differences between Medicare and Medicare Advantage. Dr. Weisbart is the board president of Consumers Council and is also the national board secretary and MO chapter chair of Physicians for a National Health Program, a non-profit non-partisan organization of more than 25,000 physicians and other healthcare advocates in support of a publicly financed, non-profit single-payer...

https://nicholasinstitute.duke.edu/articles/policy-pandemic-housing-security-policies-reduce-us-covid-19-infection-rates As the impact of COVID-19 grows in the United States, the lack of vaccines or effective treatment, coupled with anticipated subsequent outbreaks, has made it necessary to adopt unprecedented policy interventions across many aspects of daily life. Now many people are facing financial challenges resulting from these interventions and are struggling to pay housing and utility...

Jefferson City — Believe it or not, generic medicines can be less expensive than co-pays, making them cheaper to buy outright than with insurance – but your pharmacist may be banned from telling you that. The cost difference doesn’t go to the pharmacist, it doesn’t go to the drug manufacturer, it goes to the middleman: the drug benefit manager. That payback is called a clawback. Clawbacks can range from $2 to $30 a prescription, boosting profits while unfairly charging consumers....

Chlora Lindley-MyersDirector, Missouri Department of InsuranceTruman State Office Building, Room 530Jefferson City, MO 65102 Director Lindley-Meyers: Attached are the complete comments from Consumers Council of Missouri on proposed individual rate increases for 2018. We commend the Department along with the carriers for ensuring that all counties in MO have ACA coverage, leaving no Missouri consumer without any options. Three companies will be offering insurance on the exchange in...

Consumers Council of Missouri has completed a formal review of proposed 2018 health insurance rates in the state of Missouri. This marks the first year the Missouri Department of Insurance has the authority to review rates and CCM is calling for the Department to deem each of the rates hikes “unreasonable.” Three companies will be offering insurance on the exchange in Missouri in 2018: Cigna, Healthy Alliance (Anthem) and Celtic (Centene, new to the MO exchange). Proposed rate increases are...

Consumers Council of Missouri has completed a complete review of proposed 2018 health insurance rates in the state of Missouri.

Proposed rates for the 2018 Missouri health insurance exchange were released on Friday by the Missouri Department of Insurance. While the Department and our state’s carriers both deserve credit for ensuring that all counties in MO have ACA coverage, this comes at significant cost. Requested increases average between 35 and 42% according to a review by the Department and as reported here. What makes these increases even worse is that they come with compromised transparency to the general...

Under Governor Greitens, the state has launched an initiative to increase transparency and within that framework, Consumers Council of Missouri submits a formal argument that the Department’s regulation 20 CSR § 10-2.400, on the redaction of trade secrets, should be updated to reflect what is required by law and that nothing that isn’t a trade secret should be withheld from the public.   Insurance companies routinely designate a substantial amount of information in their rate...