Tag Archives: Health care

A health insurance company rolled the dice with a Las Vegas jury and lost more than half a billion dollars. The HMO was sued by patients who were infected in a hepatitis C outbreak at colonoscopy clinics operated by a doctor who reused syringes and cut corners. The two patients, Helen Meyer and Bonnie Brunson, contracted the incurable virus that attacks the liver after undergoing endoscopic procedures at a clinic run by Dr. Depak Desai. The outbreak infected dozens of …

One of the primary goals of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare,  is to make insurance available to as many consumers are possible. Now, as the law gears up toward full implementation in 2014, states are grappling with how to balance near-universal care with protecting their pocketbooks. Close to 50 million people lacked health insurance before the law’s passage, with tens of millions more who had insurance that was inadequate to cover their needs. The ACA aimed …

Waiting for Obamacare to bring affordable and comprehensive insurance to the masses? Consumers who enjoy the sweet, sweet drag of an American Spirit or Marlboro Red might be waiting in vain. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which will mandate that nearly everybody carry health insurance starting next year, will allow insurers to charge smokers at a rate of up to 1.5 times what their non-smoking peers pay. The increased premium could mean that older smokers could see bills …

The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Dec. 28 said the owners of an Illinois construction firm deserved a reprieve from the Obamacare mandate that for-profit employers provide contraception coverage in their health plans.   Temporary Reprieve The owners, Cyril and Jane Korte, are claiming that the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) allows them to avoid the mandate because it violates their religious freedom, according to Reuters. The Kortes violated the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) by …

Discover Defrauds Customers, Must Pay $200 Million You may get calls from credit card companies asking whether you’d like to hear about additional products they offer. If you said yes to a call from Discover between December 2007 and August 2011, you may be in for a little extra cash. Discover has settled deceptive marketing charges brought by the FDIC. The bank was accused of tricking customers into paying for extra credit protection programs. Find Out More…   Avoid Defaulting …