Tag Archives: insurance

U.S.

“unsustainable for our company”: ObamaCare ACA Death Spiral, May 2017

Incomplete list of healthcare related layoffs and shutdowns, announced in May 2017:

Alabama:  Southeast Alabama Medical Center eliminated 80 jobs because ObamaCare is forcing them to reduce operating costs by $30-million USD per year.  The Health Care Authority of the City of Anniston laid off 19 Stringfellow Memorial Hospital employees as a result of buying a new hospital.

Arizona: Banner Health revealed that its 1st Q 2017 restructuring resulted in nearly 5-hundred people becoming unemployed!  In Tucson, non-profit Marshall Home for Men warning of shutdown after employees got a $1.95 per hour raise!

California:  In Bakersfield, Pacific Pulmonary Services eliminating 170 jobs in July, possibly in connection to a lawsuit by the federal government! It was revealed that Long Beach based ObamaCare (ACA) company Molina Healthcare allowed a data breach of patient info to go on for at least a month!  Ambry Genetics issued a layoff WARN, 99 jobs lost by the end of July.

Colorado: Longmont United Hospital shutting down its clinic in Lyons, due to financial losses.

Connecticut:  Stamford Health laid off 20 people blaming ObamaCare for causing “flat or lower volumes in inpatient services and surgical specialties.”  The state’s new hospital tax doesn’t help either.

Florida:  University of Miami Hospital is shifting focus to outpatient care and will eliminate jobs as a result.  Fort Myers based “world’s largest cancer treatment” operation 21st Century Oncology now chapter 11 bankrupt busted, after a year of data breaches and accusations of fraud.  Campbellton-Graceville Hospital now chapter 11 bankrupt busted due to “a lot of factors”, including a lot of lawsuits.

Idaho: Insurance company BridgeSpan announced it will exit The Gem State’s ObamaCare system in 2018, due to lack of profits and “uncertainty and instability for the exchanges”.

Iowa:   Planned Parenthood shutting down four clinics due to state taxpayer funding cuts.

Kansas: Blue Cross Blue Shield getting out of the state’s ObamaCare business in 2018.  67-thousand Kansans will lose health insurance as a result, but many will then qualify for taxpayer funded insurance!  Blue Cross Blue Shield said ObamaCare is “… unsustainable for our company…”

Louisiana: Lafayette Surgical Specialty Hospital laid off 14 people blaming ObamaCare’s “declining reimbursements”.

Massachusetts: South Shore Health System suddenly laid off 27 management employees, blaming ObamaCare for lower payer reimbursements, yet at the same time reported that its 2016 revenues actually went up.  Partners HealthCare System’s Spaulding Rehabilitation Network laying off 35 people blaming “The external environment for healthcare providers…”, ie ObamaCare.  Harrington Hospital shutting down its Family Birthing Center.  UMass closing 13 inpatient psychiatric beds.

Mississippi:  The state Department of Mental Health eliminating 650 jobs due to state taxpayer funding cuts!

Missouri:  Blue Cross Blue Shield getting out of the state’s ObamaCare business in 2018.  The insurance company says that since 2014 it lost more than $100-million USD as a result of doing business in Missouri and Kansas!   Saint Louis University School of Medicine suddenly eliminated 21 jobs by shutting down its Center for World Health and medicine, due to a budget deficit of $16-million USD.

New Jersey: God powerless to stop ObamaCare from forcing Saint Mary’s General Hospital to layoff 20 people.  Administrators blamed ObamaCare saying “Our hospital never denies care to the poor or uninsured, and this major loss of government reimbursement negatively affected our finances.” 

New Mexico: California based Molina Healthcare eliminating 81 jobs, claiming its Healthcare Services Department is overstaffed.

New York: An unnamed Coney Island Hospital employee reported that as many as 3-hundred people could lose their jobs, and that no warning will be given to them, only those employees keeping their jobs will be notified, it’s part of New York City Health & Hospitals plan to eliminate at least 6-hundred management jobs throughout its network of municipal hospitals!  Eyecare company Davis Vision shutting down its factory in Plainview (eyecare, vision, plainview, for real), 151 jobs gone by the end of May!  Healthcare contract service company IPRO eliminating 162 jobs at nine locations in August!

North Carolina: Blue Cross and Blue Shield laying off 165 call center employees!  News reports say those employees were hired for the expected flood of ObamaCare sign-ups for 2017, apparently the flood of new enrollees didn’t happen (administrators referred to to the lack of enrollments as “stability of our systems”).

Ohio:  Medical device maker Invacare adding another 50 people to its North American layoff spree (on top of the 1-hundred already laid off this year) in an effort towards “improving profitability and managing cash flow”.

Pennsylvania: Lehigh Valley Hospital-Hazleton suddenly laid off employees, but refused to say how many.  They also admitted they’re having trouble retaining doctors as ObamaCare is forcing them to focus on outpatient clinic ops.  Capital BlueCross notified 48 employees they would soon become unemployed due to a “constantly changing environment”.   After 27 years non-profit Camelot for Children halting services for disabled kids due to lack of funding.

Texas: Woodland Heights Medical Center laid off six people due to declining patient volumes.

Washington:  UW Medicine’s Valley Medical Center suddenly eliminated 60 jobs, including top administrative positions, saying they’ve been hit with “exploded” patient volumes, but greatly reduced reimbursements as ObamaCare-Medicare is now the main payment source.

ObamaCare (ACA) death spiral April 2017: “WE ARE ACTIVELY COURSE CORRECTING”

U.S.

“operational changes” : ObamaCare (ACA) Death Spiral, February 2017

Incomplete list of healthcare related layoffs and shutdowns, February 2017:

California:  Stanford Healthcare finally notified the state Employment Development Department that it suddenly laid off 142 people at the end of January! Western Health Resources issued a shutdown WARN for its San Diego operations, 52 jobs gone by April. Quantum Health-Promise issued a shutdown WARN for its San Diego ops, 257 jobs lost by the end of April!  San Francisco based Your People-Zenefits laid off 254 people without warning! However, local news media reported that Zenefits will eliminate a total of 430 jobs after getting caught selling health insurance by using employees who don’t have the required licenses!  Dignity Health issued a shutdown WARN for its Monterey Park ops, 290 jobs gone by the end of June!  Behavioral health company Valley CAPS shutting down its Stockton location, 32 jobs gone by mid-April.

Colorado: Minnesota based UnitedHealth Group eliminating 119 Optum insurance jobs in Centennial as it shuts down one of two offices in April!  Local new reports said UnitedHealth Group swore it was not downsizing.   Missouri based prescription ‘benefits’ company Express Scripts shutting down its call center in Pueblo, 320 jobs lost by the end of April!  City leaders say Express Scripts still owes local taxpayers $2.8-million USD that was loaned to the prescription company, and never mind that Express Scripts also got about $3-million in tax incentives to build a call center in Pueblo!

Connecticut:  Eastern Connecticut Health Network is now owned by California based Prospect Medical Holdings, which promptly laid off 20 people.

Florida: In Fort Myers, Louisiana based Schumacher Clinical Partners eliminating 125 jobs between April and November, blaming the ‘healthcare revenue cycle’!  Kentucky based Humana laying off about 422 At Home employees in April!  After only four years drugs pusher Walgreens shutting down its store on Monroe and Tennessee streets. Local news media pointed out that tax-breaks were used to bring Walgreens to that location. Cempra Pharmaceuticals eliminating jobs in March.  Transitions Optical also eliminating jobs in march.

Illinois: Sycamore Healthcare issued a shutdown WARN for its Quincy nursing home ops, 87 jobs lost in April.  Drugs seller CVS shutting down 11 stores across the state by the end of March, as part of a plan to shutdown 70 pharmacies across the U.S. in 2017.

Iowa: The state Department for the Blind eliminating ten jobs in March due to massive taxpayer funding cuts over the next two years.

Kansas: God powerless to stop Via Christi Health from notifying 70 billing employees of pending layoffs.  Some of those employees were offered jobs elsewhere in the company.

Kentucky:  Humana warned it will eliminate 5-hundred At Home  jobs in Ohio and Florida by April!

Louisiana:  Walgreens owned drugs pusher Rite Aid shutting down five of its six stores in Shreveport.

Maine: Central Maine Medical Center laid off 28 people, directly blaming ObamaCare (ACA).

Minnesota: Blue Cross and Blue Shield laying off 50 people.  13 of them are InfoTech employees and the rest are being contracted out (outsourced). Hennepin County Medical Center laying off 131 people by mid-March! Administrators blame ObamaCare for forcing them to cut their budget.

Mississippi: University of Mississippi Medical Center warning of mass layoffs due to a $35-million USD reduction in Medicaid funding.

New Jersey: In Middlesex, drugs maker Impax Labs eliminating 207 jobs by mid-March!

New York: Phoenix House Foundation issued a shutdown WARN for their Brentwood drug rehab ops, at least 20 jobs lost by the end of April due to “operational changes”.  NYC Health&Hospitals laid off 70 managers, apparently because their jobs suddenly became redundant.  Walgreens shutdown its drug pushing store on Chili Avenue as part of its plan to shutdown 2-hundred U.S. stores by the end of 2017.  Folts Home and Folts Adult Home chapter 11 bankrupt busted and for sale.

Ohio: TriHealth laid off 69 administration employees. 

Oregon: PeaceHealth warning of mass layoffs due to contracting out its lab work with Quest Diagnostics, at least 186 jobs lost by the end of April!  Admin said it was the only way they could save money under ObamaCare.

Pennsylvania:  Crawford County Care Center furloughed 81 employees and told 46 employees they will be laid off in March, due to lack of patients. After only six years Revolution Physical Therapy is now chapter 11 bankrupt busted.

Texas: San Antonio based ‘cloud’ company Rackspace suddenly laid off 276 people across several departments, including with their Secure Healthcare Cloud Computing department, due to lack of revenues!  However, other news media reports said it was due to being taken over by vulture capitalist Apollo.  Humble Surgical Hospital now chapter 11 bankrupt busted, partly due to insurance company Aetna winning a lawsuit which claimed the hospital overcharged for services.

Vermont: Maple Leaf Treatment Center shutdown without warning or reason, and is now chapter 7 bankrupt busted.

Washington: PeaceHealth issued a shutdown WARN due to contracting out its lab work with Quest Diagnostics, 142 jobs gone by the end of April!

West Virginia: Drugs pusher Walgreens shutdown its store in Sabraton.

Wisconsin: In Madison, after “90 wonderful years” Mallatt’s Pharmacy & Costumes shutdown.  Local news media reported that the pharmacy portion of the store actually ceased ops back in October.  The owner said he’s focusing on his Homecare Pharmacy operations.

ObamaCare (ACA) death spiral January 2017: “A STREAMLINING OF OPERATIONS.”

International

‘Minority Report’ programing for Insurance Policies, after Japan takes over U.S. companies!

07 September 2016 (03:58 UTC-07 Tango 01) 17 Shahrivar 1395/04 Dhu I-Hijja 1437/07 Ding-You 4714

Dai-ichi Life Insurance Company announced plans to create an artificial inteligence (AI) program to predict a person’s likeliness to get sick and die.   Electronics company Hitachi is working on the ‘minority report’ program for the insurance company.

Japan’s Dai-ichi Life will use the AI program to analize the medical records of 10-million clients, and then adjust their policies!   Company administrators are promoting the new AI ‘minority report’ style program as a way to provide insurance coverage to people who currently don’t have insurance!

This news comes a couple of weeks after Dai-ichi Life (through its U.S. subsidary Protective Life, which Dai-ichi Life took over in 2015) took over Florida based United States Warranty Corporation.  USWC’s primary service is asset protection, specifically selling you insurance for unexpected car repairs:  “….our Asset Protection line of business has been performing well and this transaction is a great way to grow the line of business. The two companies both have a history of quality and success, so putting them together creates the potential for the business to grow even stronger and serve more dealerships with these important products. We are pleased to have the USWC team become part of Protective.”-Richard J. Bielen, president and coo of Protective Life

Idaho

Boise Fire update: 2500 acres, still burning

30 June 2016 (12:54 UTC-07 Tango 01) 10 Tir 1395/24 Ramadan 1437/26 Jia-Wu 4714

Fire investigators now consider the illegal use of fireworks as the cause of a fire that’s now burned more than 1-thousand and 12 hectares (2-thousand 5-hundred acres).

The ‘Table Rock’ fire started about midnight, near the Wild Horse subdivision, but stopped short of the Harris Ranch residential subdivision.  As soon as daylight came airstrikes were launched by water dropping helicopters, R/C drones should not be flown in the affected area.  The fire departments of Eagle, Meridian, Star and Boise, along with federal Bureau of Land Management, confronted the blaze.  The fire is 60% contained.

Idaho

Boise Fire update: Chubbuck Allstate already hit with fire claims!

30 June 2016 (04:42 UTC-07 Tango 01) 10 Tir 1395/24 Ramadan 1437/26 Jia-Wu 4714

As Boise area news media confirming at least four “structures” burned, inside unnamed sources at the Allstate insurance call center, in Chubbuck, reporting to Blind Bat News that numerous claims for fire damage have already come in.

The Table Rock Fire east of boise is still burning.

International

Government & Corporate Evil: Missing & crashed Malaysia Airlines aircraft actually saving the company’s financial ass?

26 July 2014 (14:55 UTC-07 Tango)/28 Ramadan 1435/04 Mordad 1393/30 Xin-Wei 4712

Years before MH370 went missing, and MH17 was supposedly shot down, Malaysia Airlines was losing millions of U.S. dollars.  However, the loss of MH370 actually paid off for the troubled airlines, in the form of insurance payouts, mainly from Lloyd’s of London!

Malaysia Airlines is 69% owned by the Malaysian government (through the government investment agency Khazanah Nasional).  Airline officials told the individual stockholders that a plan to turn around the failing company was about to be revealed, that was a few months before MH17 went down in Ukraine.

Western news media have speculated that the air disasters would shutdown the airlines by further reducing revenues, but that’s not the case.  Malaysia Airlines carries insurance to cover such ‘accidents’.  Their insurance provider is a Malaysian company with direct ties to Lloyd’s of London.   Not only do the families of the passengers get payouts, but so does Malaysia Airlines (for the loss of aircraft and crew).

So far this year, Malaysia Airlines revenue losses were greatly reduced from the prior three years.  How?   After all, they have yet to change the way they run their money losing operation, for example, they employ the most people per flight of any other airlines.  Did the insurance payout for the disappeared MH370 go to reducing profit losses?

At the end of 2013 Malaysia Airlines lost $356-million USD, triple what it lost in 2012!  The airlines actually increased revenues, but skyrocketing operating costs outpaced their ticket sales.

Geoffrey Tudor, of Japan Aviation Management Research, says Malaysia Airlines has lost $1.3-billion over the past three years, and is losing an average of $1.5-million per day!  How can they stay in business?

After MH370 went missing an attorney for a U.S. law firm handling insurance payouts stated: “It’s not an issue of whether families will be compensated….We’ve done more than 43 plane crashes and there’s never been a situation like this one, ever.”-Monica R. Kelly

The insurance industry began making payouts immediately after the MH370 fiasco, which is strange because it took two years for a court judge to approve payouts relating to the 2009 Air France crash in the Atlantic Ocean.

Malaysia Airlines itself immediately offered families $5-thousand each, to tide them over until the insurance payouts came through.  And don’t forget that the airlines paid for hotel expenses for families of the passengers.  This from a company that lost $356-million in 2013?

This time the insurance companies are holding off on making payouts on the MH17 crash in Ukraine, mainly because insurance policies have a “wartime” loophole.  However, that usually requires an official government declaration of war.

Is it possible somebody, or some corporation would deliberately cause an accident to cash in on an insurance policy, due to being in financial trouble? Just ask your local Fire Department arson investigator, or even arson investigators who work for the insurance industry.  Or how about police investigators who discover that family members killed off their ‘loved one’ for the insurance money?  Why was MH17 flying directly over an undeclared war zone (looking like a military transport) where several military planes had already been shot down?

Business/Economics, International, Technology, U.S.

Corporate Incompetence: 20 cases of cancer linked to breast implants, involving more countries, former company president gone missing now wanted by police, insurance companies suing

“We are faced with a health crisis linked to a scam. The whole profession is aware of it.”-Laurent Lantieri, plastic surgeon

The case of Poly Implant Prosthesis (PIP) is spreading to other countries, and several cancer cases could now be linked, and insurance companies are now suing. 

More than 300,000 women, in 65 countries including France, Italy, Spain, U.K., Venezuela, Brazil, Germany and Ukraine could be affected by the PIP silicon breasts.  At least 1000 women in France had their implants rupture.

PIP filed for bankruptcy after they were sued in British court, and lost.  Then it was revealed they were using industrial silicon, instead of medical grade silicon, in their breast implants.  But now important company documents, along with the company’s founder, Jean-Claude Mas, have gone missing and Interpol is looking for them.

In 2010, at least one case of a woman who died from cancer, was being investigated as murder because of her PIP implants.  On December 30, 2011, the French government revealed that at least 20 cases of cancer can be directly linked to PIP: “…there were three cases of lymphoma, 15 cases of breast adenocarcinoma, the most common form of breast cancer, one case of adenocarcinoma of the lung, and one case of acute myeloid leukemia.”-French Health Products Safety Agency

The government of Italy has ordered doctors and hospitals to report women who have PIP made implants.  Brazil and the United Kingdom are telling women with PIP implants to get checked up right away.  Brazil has banned the use of PIP products. France’s National Health Insurance Fund is now suing.  Venezuela’s government says it will pay for removing PIP implants.  In 2000, the U.S. FDA banned PIP products from the being used in the United States.

In a perverted twist, Jean-Claude Mas’s son and daughter have filed papers to create a new silicon implant company, and they list their father as an official consultant.  I wonder if Interpol knows.  The new company is scheduled to open in June 2012.

 

 

 

Business/Economics, Idaho, U.S.

What Economic Recovery? Health insurance rates in Idaho could go up more than 10%, thank you ObamaCare

Two insurance companies, that are part of Milwaukee based Assurant Health, have notified that Idaho Department of Insurance, that they will jack up rates by more than 10% in 2012.

Those two operations are John Alden Life Insurance and Time Insurance.  They’ve both filed rate increases of 13%!

This is part of the 2010 health care reforms, commonly known as ObamaCare.  Under the reforms an insurance plan that went into effect after September 1, can be subject to such rate increases.

The 2010 reforms actually allow insurance companies to jack up their rates as long as they can make a convincing case.  Some of the many accepted excuses are age and if you smoke.  Now how is that supposed to keep costs to consumers down?

To find out if your insurance plan (if you even have one) is jacking up your rates you can check companyprofiles.healthcare.gov.

 

Read more here: http://www.idahostatesman.com/2011/12/29/1932970/2-idaho-health-insurers-file-rate.html#storylink=cpy

Business/Economics, Opinion, U.S.

OWS, What Economic Recovery? U.S. houses burning down, and people dying, direct result of local government budget cuts and insurance policies! More reason to get rid of government and the insurance industry!

“To me, it’s not an issue. To me it’s like car insurance. If you have a car, you pay insurance. If you want protection, you pay the price.”-Benny McGuire, Obion County Mayor

If you listen to Mayor McGuire’s statement it sure sounds like extortion.

For the second time this year, Tennessee firefighters stood by and watched a families home burn to the ground. The latest fire burned down a home on December 5.  When Obion County firefighters arrived they were ordered not to put out the fire, because the family had not paid a $75 firefighting fee!

Homeowner, Vicky Bell, told KFVS TV that she and most of her neighbors have not paid the fee because they were told they are ineligible for firefighting service anyway, because they don’t have home insurance!

Back on October 4, another Tennessee home burned to the ground for the same reason.  But this time the home owner offered to pay right then and there. The fire didn’t even start in the home!  The firefighters refused, and the home burned down killing three dogs and a cat!

“They coulda’ been saved if they put water on it. But they didn’t do it!”-Gene Cranick, watched pets burned alive

Some Tea Party ass holes think this is they way things should be done. Bull Shit!  I’ve been in Third World Countries and that’s the way it’s done there.  So you Tea Party ass holes want the United States to revert to Third World status?  Don’t worry, I think you’ll get your wish for freakin’ Xmas!

As previously stated, even if the home owners could afford the extortion fee of $75 , if they did not have insurance, which most home owners don’t have once they reach a certain point on making their mortgage payments (or they’ve paid off their home) because they can’t afford the insurance, they do not qualify to pay the extortion fee!!!

By the way, this is why you should not call a firefighter, EMT or cop, a hero.  Hero’s don’t require payment!!!

Oh, now I’ll get to the guy who died why public servants literally stood by and wrung their hands.

“I thought it was kind of weird that they weren’t going out to bring the guy in, you know, he was out there, his head was above water, he was looking at everybody, there was plenty of time for them to react.”-Perry Smith, witness

On May 30, a distraught man drowned after treading water for more than an hour.  It happened in daylight, on Alameda Beach in California, in front of dozens of people, including emergency personnel.  The beach goers all thought the paid emergency personnel were going to take care of it, they were wrong, and many are shocked: “It’s horrible. How can we let that happen? How can our emergency personnel allow that to happen? I don’t get it, I don’t understand it.”-Gary Barlow, witness

The Coast Guard said they didn’t have a boat that could reach him where he was, and their helicopters were busy!  Police said it’s not their job: “We’re not trained to go into the water, obviously the type of gear that we have on, we don’t have the type of equipment that you would use to go into the water.”-Joe McNiff, Alameda Police Department

What about firefighters?  “…I would have to stay within our policies and procedures because that’s what’s required by our department to do.”– Ricci Zombeck, Alameda Fire Division Chief

Those policies don’t allow firefighters to go into the water.  In fact, it was a woman, a civilian, a true hero, who went in, albeit too late (the man died), and recovered the body.  The taxpayer paid emergency personnel were not even going to recover the body!

The ‘hero’ division fire chief admitted they should have done something, and “…that we’re going to evaluate our response protocols.”

The next day it was revealed that the city had quietly stopped funding their water rescue program, back in 2009, in an attempt to save the city some money.  On top of that the city’s firefighters were ordered to stay out of the water.

To prove the point that paid emergency personnel are not heros, here’s what the interim fire chief of Alameda had to say: “I know that yesterday, those crews, it was killing them to stand on those shores and not be able to do anything. But under the circumstance and because of the policy, they really didn’t have a choice.”-Michael D’Orazi, Interim Fire Chief

Notice; “…because of the policy…”.  The ultimate concern of emergency personnel is not violating their policies (for cops it’s a different story, so many of them violate their own policies all the time, but in a bad way)!

I had a lot of bad experiences with emergency personnel, and cops, and this was decades back when the economy was good!  So pardon me if I seem upset!

For you Tea Party ass holes who’d like to see the U.S. turn into a Third World Country, there’s a saying that should be applied to you: “Git a rope.”

However, if people can’t work together and overthrow their oppressive governments and corporations, and create a better system, then let Anarchy reign!!!


Business/Economics, U.S.

What Economic Recovery? Number of uninsured drivers accelerating

According to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, the number of people driving without insurance has hit one in seven.

Some insurance analysts blame the bad economy, and skyrocketing insurance costs: “Laws in most states have proven ineffective in reducing the numbers of drivers who are uninsured. Some drivers can’t afford insurance, and some drivers with surcharges for accidents or serious traffic violations don’t want to pay the high premiums that result from a poor driving record. It is costly to track down violators of compulsory insurance laws, and unless the odds of getting caught are high and the penalties severe, drivers will continue to flout the law.”-Loretta Worters, Insurance Information Institute

The percent of uninsured drivers varies from 4% in states like Maine, to 28% in Mississippi.