If you don't already have a dart board with Edward Liddy's face on it maybe you should get one. Edward Liddy is the former CEO of Allstate Insurance and the current CEO of AIG. You know AIG from the television commercials and the fact they are most recently in the news for receiving bailout money to the tone of $50 Billion, some of you may even have them as your insurance provider.
On March 19th, Liddy sat in front of a congressional committee and explained why he feels $165 million of the federal bailout money should go to AIG employees as bonuses. Chairman Kanjorski questioned Liddy's priorities, pointing out Liddy's role and stance while at the helm of Allstate, Liddy's company denied contract insurance claims. Kanjorski asked why taxpayers should be forced to pay $165 million in bonuses to AIG employees on the basis of contract, when it appeared that Liddy had no problem denying insurance contract claims made against Allstate, his former company.
Liddy changed the way that Casualty insurance is done in the world. Edward Liddy completely redesigned how the Property and Casualty insurance company pays claims. Liddy implemented a plan to deny and otherwise underpay contract claims to Allstate policy holders. These plans and denials of your claims have secured over $350 million in salary and stock options for Mr. Liddy. To learn more about Mr. Liddy you can read the book, Good Hands to Boxing Gloves: How Allstate Changed Casualty Insurance in America.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Monday, March 9, 2009
Rate your Doctor!!
In this day in age you can go online and rate just about anything you want. Some sites do a number rating system and others allow you to have a forum for what or who you are rating and why you are giving it or them the said favorable or unfavorable comments. There are at least three sites that allow you to do this forum style rating in the medial feild, Zagat’s, Angie’s List, and RateMDs.com.
There are Doctors that are requiring patients to sign a form stating that the patient will not post any material online that has a negative connotation to it, in relationship to the doctor or his or her place of practice. Doctors are essentially demanding a gag order on patients who are not happy with the service they receive at their doctor’s office.
John Swapceinski, creator of RateMDs.com said, “They’re (Doctors) basically forcing the patients to choose between health care and their First Amendment right, and I really find that repulsive!” A “Wall of Shame”, naming all doctors who use patient waivers is in the works.
The question is for you as a patient is do you believe every thing you read online or do you take everything with a grain of salt and determine for yourself what is worthy of concern. Question the medicine not the wait in the lobby.
There are Doctors that are requiring patients to sign a form stating that the patient will not post any material online that has a negative connotation to it, in relationship to the doctor or his or her place of practice. Doctors are essentially demanding a gag order on patients who are not happy with the service they receive at their doctor’s office.
John Swapceinski, creator of RateMDs.com said, “They’re (Doctors) basically forcing the patients to choose between health care and their First Amendment right, and I really find that repulsive!” A “Wall of Shame”, naming all doctors who use patient waivers is in the works.
The question is for you as a patient is do you believe every thing you read online or do you take everything with a grain of salt and determine for yourself what is worthy of concern. Question the medicine not the wait in the lobby.
Who's in your Doctors pocket?
Pfizer has set aside $2.3 billion for EXPECTED fines for illegal marketing practices for this coming year. Drug and medical device companies have been faced with greatly increase fines for illegal marketing tactics, over the past year. An illegal marketing tactic is when a company pays a doctor excessively to hock their product. The main issue is not that the doctors are being paid to sell products, the main issue is that the doctors are not educated on the overall value or usefulness of the products. We as patients are not holding them accountable to taking care of us when we are sick or injured. We assume that doctors know the best treatment for us, fact is some doctors take the word of the drug companies and the device companies that their product is ideal for you.
Much of the debate surrounds the manufacturers repeatedly giving consulting payments in illegal schemes to persuade doctors to prescribe drugs or devices in inappropriate and unapproved ways. Federal officials are planning on attacking the connection between the manufacturers and the people. Doctors are now the focus of the Federal Regulators, hoping to expose those that are excepting kickbacks from those manufactures and to hit them with heavy fine and possible jail time for essentially accepting bribes to prescribe particular products.
Federal Regulators will also be pushing for similar laws, which are already in place in Minn. Drug and device company's would be required to publicly post any payments to doctors over $500. This in Minn. has given way to hospital systems regulating themselves to a higher degree, in what is in and used within their systems.
Much of the debate surrounds the manufacturers repeatedly giving consulting payments in illegal schemes to persuade doctors to prescribe drugs or devices in inappropriate and unapproved ways. Federal officials are planning on attacking the connection between the manufacturers and the people. Doctors are now the focus of the Federal Regulators, hoping to expose those that are excepting kickbacks from those manufactures and to hit them with heavy fine and possible jail time for essentially accepting bribes to prescribe particular products.
Federal Regulators will also be pushing for similar laws, which are already in place in Minn. Drug and device company's would be required to publicly post any payments to doctors over $500. This in Minn. has given way to hospital systems regulating themselves to a higher degree, in what is in and used within their systems.
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