No One Likes Health Insurance Companies, But Here Is One Idea That Could Control Costs If It Is Smartly Applied

One of the easiest things to do in life is complain about a health insurance company. So we feel like we're going out a limb in offering support for a new policy announced by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas, even as we do so with an important caveat.The new policy is this: Starting in June, the largest health insurer in Texas will require some of the people it covers to pay the full cost of a visit to the emergency room if it is later determined that that visit was to treat an issue that even a lay person should have known was better taken care outside of the ER.The policy itself is limited to people in an HMO plan that doesn't cover out-of-network doctor visits. Children less than a year old will be exempted. All told, this will apply to about 500,000 people out of the 5 million covered by Blue Cross Blue Shield in the Lone Star State.  Continue reading...