health insurance quotes

Injunction sought against Vancouver’s Harrison Healthcare, claiming contravention of Medicare Protection Act

Violin06/02/2023 61 Views

The commission overseeing British Columbia’s public Medical Services Plan (MSP) has applied for an injunction against Harrison Healthcare for breaching the Medicare Protection Act.

Documents filed by the Medical Services Commission (MSC) in BC Supreme Court claim Harrison Healthcare’s bundled client program fees constitute extra billing in contravention of section 17 of the Act.

According to Harrison Healthcare’s website, its “Premier” program for adults cost $5,500 to join in the first year, dropping to $4,500 per year after. The “Foundations” program for teens and young adults costs $1,600 per year, while the “Harrison Kids” program charges $675 per year per

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3 min read

Health Insurance

After adopting a senior pet should you get pet health insurance? Here’s what to consider

Violin06/02/2023 67 Views

Pet health insurance doesn't cover preexisting conditions, but covering seniors before chronic conditions develop can save you big bucks over time. — Pet health insurance doesn’t cover preexisting conditions, but covering seniors before chronic conditions develop can save you big bucks over time.

When I bought Harper as a puppy 15 years ago, there were fewer pet health insurance options than there are today, and often coverage didn’t include common problems in cavalier King Charles spaniels, such as heart disease. I decided against purchasing it, recognizing that heart issues that cropped up wouldn’t be covered and that cancer wasn’t common in the breed.

That’s generally true, but cancer is common in older dogs of any breed, and Harper was diagnosed with it

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4 min read

Health Insurance

What is the health insurance sector expecting?, Health News, ET HealthWorld

Violin04/02/2023 77 Views

Union Budget 2023-24: What is the health insurance sector expecting?

New Delhi: Health insurance companies are keenly awaiting the upcoming Union Budget 2023-24, which is just a day away. Stakeholders of the sector expect that the government will lower the prevailing GST rate on health insurance, propose to increase the FDI limit to 100 per cent and anticipate that the upcoming budget will take into account higher tax exemptions under Section 80D from the current limit 25,000 to at least Rs 1 lakh.

Speaking to ETHealthworld health insurance segment experts informed that the sector is expecting growth and development and various measures for the health insurance sector. Particular focus should

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10 min read

Health Care

Government health line referring patients to virtual-only doctors

Violin26/01/2023 54 Views

When the Ontario government reduced the fees paid to doctors for virtual-only appointments in December, it was said the reason was to encourage family physicians to see patients in person as well as online.

It’s a model of comprehensive care that many experts say is preferable to virtual-only.

But the government’s own help line staffed by registered nurses — Health Connect Ontario — is referring to patients they believe should see a doctor to those same virtual services.

“Health Connect Ontario’s practice is to refer to OHIP-funded virtual care services where appropriate,” said the Ministry of Health in an email.

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5 min read

Health Care

Quebec health minister apologizes for end-of-life care for Robert Bourassa’s widow at St. Mary’s Hospital

Violin25/01/2023 90 Views

The regional health board that oversees St. Mary’s Hospital in Montreal says it will conduct an internal investigation into the end-of-life care the widow of a former Quebec premier received there, after her family said she suffered needlessly in her final days.

The family’s description of Andrée Simard’s treatment prompted Quebec Health Minister Christian Dubé to offer them his apologies “in my name and that of the network,” while the minister responsible for end-of-life care, Sonia Bélanger, said the responsible health board must “review practices at St. Mary’s Hospital so that a situation like this one never happens again.”

Simard,

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6 min read

Health Insurance

More and More Doctors Are Billing for Email Advice

Violin25/01/2023 52 Views

A patient sitting at the table in an exam room and speaking with the doctor.

Image source: Getty Images

what happened

Email medical advice is costing patients anything from copays of $3 to charges of $100, according to recent reports. Not only has the volume of email consultations increased dramatically in recent years, but new billing rules allow healthcare providers to charge for so-called “e-visits.” As a result, some doctors now charge for the service.

So what

As a patient, the idea that you might have to pay for email communications on top of other healthcare costs can be very disturbing, especially if you’re not clear on what you might be charged. Some patient advocate

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3 min read

Health Care

Is ‘defund the IRS’ the new Obama Care repeal?

Violin17/01/2023 60 Views

House Republicans kicked off the 118th session of Congress by fulfilling a campaign pledge to defund the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), apparently in order to undermine the agency’s ability to audit the complex tax filings of millionaires and billionaires. The move that may well empower tax cheats is an opening gambit to what will likely be a years-long Republican effort to claw back the $80 billion appropriated in last year’s Inflation Reduction Act to modernize the IRS and empower it to efficiently collect tax revenue.

It seems the GOP’s larger ideological goal is to cripple the function of government in

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4 min read

Health Care

New partnership to aid health care options for vulnerable patients

Violin16/01/2023 53 Views

This partnership comes at a time when hospitals across the province are facing staffing and capacity pressures

A new partnership between the North Bay Regional Health Center (NBRHC) and the AIDS Committee (ACNBA) is trying to expand healthcare options for patients in vulnerable communities says a news release.

“For many, the emergency department is not always the most appropriate place to seek medical care. In fact, many health issues can be better addressed in another care setting—if patients know how and where to access it,” explains the release.

The partnership will allow more options for treating wounds in the early

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2 min read