News - Part 2

Medicaid won’t cover circumcision in Colorado

By My Canadian Pharmacy On July 1, Colorado is planning to join 17 other states refusing coverage for circumcisions under Medicaid program. During the latest legislative session, lawmakers approved this step due to budget cuts. The move will save the state’s fund about $180,000 annually, but it will also result in a debate that has been growing across Colorado. Last year, a bill banning routine circumcision was launched in Massachusetts’ legislature. They were followed by bans in Santa Monica, California, and San Francisco – in November, these areas will consider whether to identify the procedure as a crime. Julia Long is…

Stigma, Fear Keep Pregnant Addicts from Seeking Help

PUEBLO — The 19-year-old and her boyfriend embrace over her bulgy belly and give a promise. “We are not going to damage you anymore, baby,” they spoke to their unborn child. Addicts who met in detox clinic, Haley and Carlos, woke up the next morning, scratched together another $30 for a single Percocet pill and broke pledge. They hoted up the Percocet — an addictive oxycodone and acetaminophen combination — on a piece of aluminum foil, and smoked it. “Every time we would arrange it, we would swear this would be our last one,” said Haley, a religious Christian with big eyes and girl-next-door…

Transgender teen settles landmark health case

By My Canadian Pharmacy An 18-year-old teenager from Colorado who was born and grew up as a girl and later changed his gender to male has settled a landmark case against Kaiser Permanente – one of the largest health insurance companies in Colorado. The Colorado Civil Rights Commission suggests that the cause was that Alexander Manigault suffered from discrimination and had unequal rights for health care due to his gender. After pressure from One Colorado advocates, Colorado’s Division of Insurance released a bulletin and was considered the third U.S. state to ban health insurance companies from discriminating against gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender people. (the other states are California and Oregon. These districts…

Circumcision bill dies in Colorado House

By My Canadian Pharmacy Last Friday, a bill that could restore Medicaid reimbursement for circumcisions in Colorado was cancelled. Before that day, on Thursday, the issue was mentioned at a hearing in the House Health and Environment Committee. Circumcision opponents, including health professionals, nti-circumcision activists and My Canadian Pharmacy specialists claimed that circumcision is a cosmetic procedure which is potentially harmful. They told health committee members that taxpayers should not pay for it. Circumcision proponents argued that funding for the procedure is a social justice issue. At the moment, insurance companies usually pay for circumcision for Colorado babies with insurance even though the pediatrics does not consider this procedure to…

Polis fights sky-high rates as ski town signups stall

by My Canadian Pharmacy Health insurance rates in mountain resort areas in Colorado proved to be so high that the USA representative Martin Polis tries to get waivers from the government – in this case, people who do not buy insurance in 2015 won’t have any financial fires. “We will try to get a waiver. Summit County residents will find it difficult to become insured. The majority of people consider a price too high” said Polis. This idea greatly disappointed health coverage guides who work to involve Summit County residents in new health plans using Colorado’s health exchange. They did not manage to…

Want Tax Credits? You won’t Get them Online

Organized to the public as a Travelocity-style marketplace online for health insurance, Colorado’s new health care exchange won’t let customers acquire online tax credits for at least the first month. Colorado health care exchange leaders disclosed Monday during a council board that clients who desire tax credits to arrange health care insurance more accessible will have to seek assistance, rather than assigning the multi-million dollar computer system on their own. One of the core audiences for the new health care exchange is “young unconquerable,” healthy 20-somethings, many of whom favour to make an investigation and purchase everything from athletic shoes to college tuition online. Even customers cooperating with hundreds of individual navigators of…

Opinion: Simple solution – single payer

By Dr. Rochelle Dworet So the Affordable Care Act is finally being implemented, even online.  Our state has its own exchange, which seems to run better than the national model.  The people in the states that implemented their own exchanges are all busy heaping accolades on each other. However, the real question is, “Where is the single-payer solution that would save hundreds of millions of dollars and lives?” Our fiscally prudent cohorts should want a system of private care or whatever the provider fancies with a low overhead to administer, and one that covers everyone — namely single payer.  After…

Insurance carriers vow equal coverage for transgender patients

By Katie Kerwin McCrimmon The Colorado Association of Health Plans has become the first trade group of its kind in the nation to promise equal coverage for transgender patients. Colorado is always first in health care. It seems like were right out front, said Ben Price, the associations executive director. As far as industry trade groups, I havent heard of another group that has done this yet. I know a few are looking at it. As shopping for health plans intensifies before next weeks deadline to get coverage starting on Jan. 1, Price released a statement assuring customers that exclusions…

Cancer patient’s insurance still on hold

By Katie Kerwin McCrimmon Cancer patient Donna Smith is stuck in limbo again. Smith has been trying to buy health insurance through Colorados exchange since opening day on Oct. 1. She worries now that she might not have her new health insurance on Jan. 1 as she had hoped. Smith, 58, is a two-time cancer survivor now facing a relapse. Its frightening. Its maddening, said Smith. I cant go without insurance. Back in October, Smith struggled to create an account because Colorados exchange, Connect for Health Colorado, had some IT glitches when it launched. A few days later, Smith filled…

Enrollments, wait times jump

By Katie Kerwin McCrimmon Enrollments in Colorados health exchange jumped in December with an additional 5,094 people signing up for private health insurance during the first eight days of the month, according to exchange officials. But enrollments remain well below Connect for Health Colorados lowest projections and managers are now considering revising those projections downward. (Click here to see projections.) In the meantime, wait times to talk with a customer service agent at the exchanges call center have increased to 30 to 40 minutes. Theyre long, exchange CEO and Executive Director Patty Fontneau conceded during a Monday board meeting. Long…