It is time, once again, for the weekly Insurance Podcast Roundup. This is where to look for new episodes of podcasts that focus on insurance related issues. It is also a good way to stay informed with some of the current news that could affect your insurance policies.
NPR released an episode of “All Things Considered” on December 14, 2011. This episode is called “Hospitals Torn on Reducing Repeat Admissions”.
Starting in the Fall of 2012, the Department of Health and Human Services will start penalizing hospitals whose Medicare readmission rates are higher than expected for heart attacks, heart failure, and pneumonia. First, a 1% penalty will happen, where that amount of a hospital’s Medicare payments will be withheld. It will increase each year after that. This episode talks about this can affect hospitals and the medical care received by poor people.
NPR released an episode of “Morning Edition” on December 19, 2011. This episode is called “Fight Over Extending Payroll Tax Cuts Flares Up Again”.
This episode notes that House Republicans are rejecting the bipartisan compromise that was accepted by the Senate just a few days ago. That deal would have extended unemployment insurance benefits through February of 2012.
NPR released an episode of “Morning Edition” on December 16, 2011. This episode is called “Popularity Bankrupts Early Retiree Program”.
This episode talks about the federal program that was designed to pay for the health benefits of early retirees. The funding for it will run out much sooner than expected. This could leave thousands of early retirees, who are too young to be eligible for Medicare, completely without health insurance.
Woodmen of the World released an episode on December 19, 2011. This episode is called “What is a Fraternal Benefit Society?” This episode features an interview with Larry King, the Executive Vice President of Fraternal at Woodmen of the World. He explains what a Fraternal Benefit Society is, what it does, and how it compares with other types of insurance societies.
Family Life Podcast has an episode that was released on November 29, 2011. This episode is called “FL News: Christmas Decorating Safety Tips”. In this episode, a fire official talks about the potential hazards involved with decorating for the holidays. These hazards are mostly connected with your Christmas tree. These safety tips could prevent you from having to make a very unhappy homeowners insurance claim.
Image by Hidde de Vries on Flickr