Individual Health Insurance In Texas May Change

Texas insurance consumer advocate is looking to get rid of the blanket authority of health insurance companies to decide what their policies will cover according to the article “Texas Consumer Advocate Wants Ban on Health Insurers’ Blanket Clauses” by Terrence Stutz on DallasNews.com. This would cause a big impact on individual health insurance in Texas.

Deeia Beck, the Public Insurance Counsel, asked the state’s insurance commissioner to stop provisions present in many health insurance policies, called discretionary clauses. This gives health insurance companies the freedom to decide what benefits will get paid. The health insurance industry strongly opposes this type of change being made.

There are currently 22 states who have banned this clause, and Texas may be next. Insurance Commissioner, Mike Geesline, has held a hearing to consider whether or not to move forward with this proposal. The National Association of Insurance Commissioners has urged its members to stop this practice.

Individual Health Insurance Affected By Reform

The Senate voted for health care reform last week and changes are just around the corner. According to the article “Senate Approves Health Care Bill” by Robert Pear on nytimes.com, the passing of the bill will guaranteeindividual health insurance to millions of Americans and also keep health care costs down.

The new bill has many parts to it but one of the main points is that it would require most Americans to carry health insurance and it would add 15 million people to Medicaid to subsidize private coverage for low and middle income residents. The budget office believes the bill would offer coverage to about 31 million uninsured Americans but still leave an unsettling 23 million uninsured by 2019.

If this bill does end up becoming a law it will be a major milestone in US history. This initiative does not carry full support from both sides of Congress which makes it even more complicated. Only one Republican voted for the House bill last month and in regards to the Senate version, no Republicans voted for that. This my end up being counterproductive as government tries to improve our health care system.

Health Insurance Tips

Review your health insurance policy and make sure you know coverage limits and exclusions. For example, health insurance typically excludes most dental profit. Understand that if you have a medical condition that result in damage to your teeth, while the medical condition may be covered, dentistry to restore your injured teeth may not be.


Understand your responsibilities under your health plan. Have you chosen a primary care provider (PCP)? Do you need a transfer from your primary care supplier for services and events your PCP cannot provide? Have you received written confirmation that a requested referral has been accepted, or, if you need authorization before a written notice has time to get to you, have you called your insurer to make sure they have certified the referral? Have you recognized with your insurer that the services your PCP has made a referral for are services covered by your health plan?

Keep your insurance ID card handy. Don't hesitate to pick up the phone and call the number on your insurance ID card for support in understanding any part of your policy you don't understand. Call your insurer if you get a bill, a referral, an explanation of benefits form or other document you don’t understand. Other sources of assistance include your insurance agent and your human resources department if your employer provides your health insurance


Keep good files. Know where to find your policy or benefits booklet. Keep copies of any health insurance linked documents you receive from your insurer, agent, human resources department or health care provider in a file you can easily locate. If you call your insurer, agent, human resources department or health care provider regarding an insurance issue, keep a pad of paper handy. Ask for the name of the person you are talking to and make a note of what you discussed, being sure to indicate the date and time of your call.


Know your rights. You have a right to receive a response to a request for authorization of services within two working days. If your insurer denies a request service on the grounds that the requested service is not medically necessary, your insurer must send both you and your supplier a written notice explaining why it believes the requested service is not medically necessary. The notice must advise you of your right to obtain any clinical criteria or information relied upon by the insurer in reaching its decision. The notice must also advise you of your right to appeal the decision. By law you are entitled to appeal any health insurer decision you disagree with. If you lose your appeal, your insurer must sent you a written notice identify the names and credentials of the persons who made the decision and explaining the reasons for the decision. You have the right to the information relied upon by your insurer in arriving at their decision. You have the right to a second level appeal. You have a right to attend and be represented at any second level appeal. If you are not content, you have the right to complain to the Bureau of Insurance.

Health Insurance Companies Easing Burden of High COBRA Costs

Senate Health Committee Chairman, Senator Kemp Hannon, announced a part of the recently adopted a new budget, which enables health insurance companies to carry individuals under their parent's policy to age 25, instead of age 19 for those who do not go to college and 23 for those who do.

The part of the bill, announced at a University Student Center during a June 1 press conference, will be a relief to many parents and young people facing extremely high COBRA costs when their child reaches the age of ineligibility under their plan, but is either still in school or searching for employment. The legislation also assists those young 20-somethings who are bearing the brunt of their own health insurance costs by enabling them to obtain health insurance coverage through their parents.

"We have to be realistic," Senator Hannon said. "With double and triple majors and five-year master's programs, many of our young people are not graduating college when they are 21 anymore. Burdening them and their families with COBRA costs is unfair."

Health Insurance Q&A for Small Business

This health insurance question came to me recently and I thought it worth sharing:

We are meeting with our health insurance broker tomorrow to review and select options in providing our employees HMO/PPO health insurance benefits. We have many options, and many rates in front of us between two insurers. Would you be able to suggest a few key critical review questions we should be asking our broker both from the perspectives of 1) lowest cost options to the company and 2) acceptable employee options? We have under 50 employees now, and are going to contribute 50% to the plan for the employees. None of us are experts in benefits, so we want to be sure we are making the choices in both the best interest of the company and to our employees which range in age from 22 to 75, half of which are over 50.

From a benefits perspective, you certainly know more about what it takes to attract and retain employees in your industry. My recommendation is to make sure you get all the numbers to make your health insurance spreadsheet for comparison and know how high a health insurance deductible your group will be able to tolerate (the higher the health insurance deductible, the lower the monthly health insurance rate). Depending on the group of employees and creative strategies allowed in your state, some companies are able to create reimbursement packages for employees such that they buy their own health insurance and/or receive HSA contributions from the employer.

Buying health insurance will be an annual exercise for your company, and of course there are other options such as employee leasing companies that can handle all of these details for you. Be sure to check out news stories (such as those from the LA Times and the Wall Street Journal) on these health insurers as well as to check them out via the free online databases in the health insurance resources center. You may also wish to make sure you are considering all of your options by looking at the insurers rated best at in the health insurance resource center and ensuring that you have health insurance quotes from them.

California Children at Risk of Losing Health Insurance Coverage

Thousands of California children could lose health insurance coverage in the coming months as a result of changes in Medi-Cal rules and decreased funding for local efforts that have provided coverage to children, the Los Angeles Times reports. Medi-Cal is California's Medicaid program.

State lawmakers will require parents of children enrolled in Medi-Cal to renew their enrollment every six months.

The administration of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) projects that the requirement will contribute to a drop in Medi-Cal enrollment over the next two years of about 196,000 children.

State lawmakers also have increased monthly premiums for Healthy Families, California's version of the StateChildren's Health Insurance Program, by $2 to $3 per child.

As a result, the state estimates that the parents of 19,000 children no longer will receive coverage through the program by July 2009.

The changes to Medi-Cal and Healthy Families were approved as part of a larger effort to address the state budget deficit.
Local Efforts.

Beyond changes to Medi-Cal and Healthy Families rules, children also could lose coverage because of funding challenges faced by local initiatives operating in 30 counties. The efforts target children who are ineligible for Medi-Cal or Healthy Families because of income or citizenship requirements.

The initiatives are funded largely by private philanthropies and local First 5 commissions, which disburse funds from a state tobacco tax for early childhood health care and education efforts.

Wendy Lazarus, co-president of the advocacy group Children's Partnership, estimates that enrollment in the efforts has dropped by 8,000 over the past two years.

Public Health Insurance Would Be Too Good and We'd Like It Too Much

A common thread is emerging in the right wing response to healthcare reform. Its opponents aren't claiming that public healthcare will be bad. Rather, they are terrified that the new system will be so good that no citizen would buy expensive private insurance--or vote for politicians who wanted to take public insurance away.

The Obama team is sending clear signals that healthcare reform is a core economic issue, and the health insurance industry is becoming increasingly anxious by the future administration's determination to bring healthcare costs under control. Some Americans are seeing their healthcare premiums rising at four times the rate of inflation, if they have insurance at all. Healthcare reform is a pocketbook issue for all of us, according to the Obama team.

In tough economic times it might be tempting to postpone healthcare reforms, but Obama is adamant that delay would be a false economy.

In the American Prospect, Joanne Kenen and Sarah Axeen support claims about the high cost of doing nothing:

A recent report by the New America Foundation's health-policy program estimates that the cost of doing nothing about health care, including poor health and shorter lifespan of the uninsured, is well above $200 billion a year and rising. That's enough to cover the uninsured and still have some left over for other public-health needs.

If healthcare costs continue to rise at their current rates, it will cost $24,000/yr to insure a family of four by 2016, an 84% increase from today. At these rates, half of American households would have to spend at least 45% percent of their income to be insured.

In the Nation, Willa Thompson describes how a bicycle crash made her appreciate the connection between healthcare and politics. Thompson was 21 years old when she suffered major injuries after a collision with a truck. Luckily, she was covered by her parents' medical insurance until she turned 22. She later realized that if she had been just a few months older when the accident happened, she wouldn't have been able to pay for her medical care.

We all agree that something needs to be done. Let's briefly review the options that have been proposed so far. Obama wants to provide healthcare for all by requiring private insurance companies to cover everyone and creating a public health insurance plan to compete with private insurers. The second part of his plan is the public option that Republican opponents are so scared of.

The Truth on Health Care Reform and Taxes

First, the health insurance reform bill being considered in the Senate does not raise taxes on families making less than $250,000 – in fact it is a substantial net tax cut for American families. The bill being considered represents a substantial net tax cut for middle income families. According to the independent Joint Committee on Taxation, the bill will provide nearly $450 billion in individual income tax cuts over the next 10 years.

Second, the excise tax levied on insurance companies for high-premium plans, the so-called "Cadillac tax," will affect only a small portion of the very highest cost health plans – a total of 3% of premiums in 2013. The vast majority of health plans fall below the thresholds set in the Senate plan and would be completely unaffected by the provision. And those that are above the threshold would only face an excise tax on the generally small portion of the plan that exceeds the threshold. As a result, based on analyses by the Joint Committee on Taxation, only about 3% of premiums will be affected by this provision in 2013. In addition, the Senate plan provides special protections to plans held by workers in high-risk professions – like police and firefighters – as well as by those over 55.

Third, for the small sub-set of plans that are affected, the primary impact of this provision will be to increase workers' wages. Getting a pay raise is not what most people would call a tax increase. Economists agree by taxing the highest cost plans this provision will lead insurance companies to be more efficient and provide quality care to consumers at lower Even a report commissioned by the insurance industry's trade association acknowledged that: "[w]e expect employers to respond to the tax by restructuring their benefits to avoid it." As a result, employers will be in a position to increase workers' take home pay.

Finally, supporters of the status quo are supporters of continuing the hidden tax of $1,000 that the millions of Americans who get insurance through their job or buy it on their own are already paying each year to cover the costs of caring for those without insurance. Even if you believe that some of the tax on insurance companies is passed along, it would be more than outweighed by the benefits middle-class families would get from not only hundreds of billions of dollars in health care tax credits but from reducing the hidden tax they currently pay for the uninsured. Supporters of the status quo would not only deny middle-class families the tax cuts proposed in the Senate legislation, they would also continue this unfair hidden tax.

Health Insurers See Income Refuse

The health insurance industry reported a refuse of 12.4% in net income, to $8.2 billion as of Sept. 30, compared to the similar period in 2008, according to a new investigation by Highline Data.

The 10 biggest companies ranked by year-end 2008 total resources accounted for $2.8 billion, or 35% of the entire industry net income during the quarter, significantly outperforming smaller players, according to Highline, a supplementary of top Business Media Inc., the parent corporation of National Underwriter.

Of all companies in the manufacturing, 335, or 38%, reported underwriting wounded in the third quarter.

Underwriting deductions, which mainly include health benefit payments, increased by 4.5% year-over-year and totaled $332 billion as of Sept. 30.

Underwriting deductions showed a 5-year compound yearly growth rate of 9.5%, outpacing total income, which showed a 5-year CAGR of 9.2%.

In general, the industry saw gains in total property, capital and surplus, and member months, all civilizing over 2008 results. Return on average equity sustained to fall, though, reaching a 6-year low of 11.1%.

“While the public perception is that health companies are recording record income, the reality they face is obviously a reduction in profit margins, attainment a four-year low of 2.4%,” supposed Laurie Dallaire, vice president of Highline, Cambridge, Mass. “Yet previous to the expected impact of pending healthcare reform legislation, the industry will persist to see miserable margins as companies strive to deal with premiums and profit costs.”

Insurance Companies Cancelling Health Insurance of Sick Patients

With President Obama’s speech to Congress last night outlining the details of his overhaul of healthcare in the United States, one interesting point popped up - the fact that Obama would guarantee that insurers could not reject people because of preexisting conditions.Health insurance companies are increasingly citing the failure to disclose preexisting conditions as a means to cancel policies and deny benefits to people in need of care. The term for this is "Post Claims Underwriting". What this means is that the insurance companies will not investigate someone for verification of entitlement to coverage until after they are sick and need the insurance. Of course, if they then determine the person is sick but not qualified they cancel the coverage and the sick consumer is left with no insurance.

Insurance companies are using the term "rescission" to refer to the cancellation of insurance coverage due to a company being misled. Rather than trying to mislead companies, omissions of preexisting conditions seem to be honest mistakes by people filing out increasingly complex forms. There have been countless stories about how people have signed up for health insurance, only to have their policies later cancelled when they need care. No one knows how often policies are cancelled because of a variety of different state laws and policies in place, however, the practice has become rampant enough to result in numerous lawsuits and new regulations put in by states throughout the country.

In the past year and a half, California has fined the five largest insurers in its state almost $19 million for cancelling the policies of individuals who became sick. One insurance company even admitted offering bonuses to employees who were able to find reasons to cancel policies. President Obama has been trying to gain support for his healthcare overhaul in part tapping into consumer dissatisfaction with the insurance industry, an industry that has never been popular among the American people. His plan for healthcare overhaul includes restricting insurance companies from screening for preexisting conditions, however, this still might not save people from having their policies cancelled. With new regulations, insurance companies might not necessarily cancel the policies of those individuals with undisclosed preexisting conditions, however, a company might institute further preauthorization requirements on services for certain patients, which might discourage such patients from renewing their policies. Lawsuits continue to be instituted against insurance companies who have cancelled policies. Rather than fight fraud, rescission has devolved into a backdoor route for insurance companies to stop paying the medical bills of people in their time of greatest need.

Banana Bread

Our wedding cake was made up of layers of chocolate and banana swirl – a Chunky Monkey cake, if you will. I am truly a sucker for the flavor of bananas which, despite being one of the most popular fruits in the world, seems to have a fairly under-appreciated flavor. When picking through the Runts, I would always eat the tiny bananas first, grab all the yellow Mojos and drink all the banana milk. I would, pardon the pun, go bananas for that taste.

Whenever grandma and I would go shopping when I was a kid, I would always try to convince her to buy the cheap, brown paper bags loaded with overripe bananas. “What would we make with them?” she’d ask. “Bread?” I’d reply, as if there were anything else you could possibly do with overripe bananas. To this day, I still like to keep overripe bananas in my freezer, to throw into a smoothie, milkshake, or to have on hand when a craving for banana bread resurfaces from my childhood.

When bananas have passed the stage welcome for snacking and cereal, they grow ideal for baking. Their flesh turns creamy as the starches break down and their flavor grows more pronounced, complex and acidic. At this stage, bananas help yield ideal components for leavening and flavoring a delicious loaf of banana bread. To further increase their flavor, and simply for convenience’s sake, I like to freeze the bananas and thaw them again when they are needed, easily slipping them out of their blackened skins and whirring them into the batter.

Since I find that baking a banana “loaf” ends up with the outside a little too dark by the time the inside sets, I like to make mine in an 8×8″ cake pan and then cut it into wedges instead of slices. Individually wrapped, they’ll keep for snacks throughout the week, and when they grow stale, become the perfect fodder for French toast.

Banana Bread

• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 3 large bananas (very ripe, frozen and then thawed)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees with the rack positioned in the middle.
2. Cream together the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.
3. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating to fully incorporate into the mixture, then beat in the bananas and vanilla.
4. Sift together the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon. Mix this in to the wet ingredients until you can see no traces of flour.
5. Using a rubber spatula, transfer the batter to a greased 8×8″ cake pan with the bottom lined with parchment paper, and bake in the center of the oven until it has set and a toothpick can be inserted into the center and come out clean, about 30-35 minutes.
6. Allow to cool slightly, then turn onto a wire rack to cool completely before storing.

Bananas share a common aromatic compound with cloves. The addition of a pinch of clove helps to heighten that banana flavor.

Scallion Zunka for JFI

Yes, the plan was to make a 'dum' dish with thecasserole but I realized my pantry was missing a couple of ingredients. Onions on the other hand? Never run out of them.

Though authentic zunka is made with onions, I used scallions (spring onions, green onions... so many names for such a dainty looking thing!) in this recipe. The garlic/ curry leaves tadka is not common either but this is how a popular restaurant near my home makes it.

PATICHA ZUNKA (Scallion Zunka)
(serves 2-3)
1 cup chana dal (split bengal gram)*
2 bunches of scallions, finely chopped
a pinch of turmeric
1/2 tsp coriander-cumin powder
sugar and salt to taste
oil
Seasoning -
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
2 garlic cloves, mashed
a sprig of curry leaves
1-2 green chillies, slit
Garnishing -
lemon juice
2 tbsp cilantro, finely chopped

Wash then soak dal in 2 cups of water for about 2-3 hours. Grind into a coarse paste with salt and a few tablespoons of water. Keep aside.

Heat oil in a non-stick pan. Add mustard seeds, garlic, curry leaves and chillies. Next add chopped scallions and saute for a minute.

Toss in the spices, a pinch of sugar and a little salt. Add dal paste. Turn heat to low, cover pan with a lid and let the dal cook (sprinkle a few drop of water if you find it's sticking to the pan). When it is dry and crumbly, squeeze a little lemon juice on top, garnish with cilantro and serve. (Zunka gets drier the longer it sits. So plan on serving immediately).

* Inspired by the 'parippu uslis' around blogosphere, I opted for chana dal instead of besan in this zunka. The resulting crumbly texture is quite delicious.

Spilling the 'Beans' - Peshawari Biryani

Yes, I am finally sharing the recipe I promised here. It's a biryani with an identity crisis! When my sister in law gave me the recipe she said it was called Peshawari Biryani in the magazine she read. Jiggs Kalra makes it with kala chana and calls it Kale Moti Biryani in Prashad. And somewhere on the web it might be even referred to, rather uncharmingly as, Veg. Biryani. A rose by any other name etc. etc...

I made this biryani with kidney beans (rajma) the first time and felt they were too 'beany' for the delicate basmati rice. So this time around I used sprouted moth beans (matki). They complement the rice in taste as well as size. This is in fact one of the best things about the recipe. You can use pretty much any legumes in your pantry without compromising on the taste. The next time I plan to go a step further and combine the beans with fenugreek instead of cilantro.

Where does the casserole come in? I finish cooking the biryani on 'dum' in the oven. But the recommended 'unlayered' serving is a visual treat for parties.

PESHAWARI BIRYANI
(recipe from my sister in law)
(serves 2-3)
Rice -
1 cup basmati rice
1 tsp ghee/ butter
1" cinnamon, 3 cloves, 3 cardamoms
fried nuts/ onions (optional)
Beans -
1/2 cup beans of your choice (garbanzo, kidney, peas, moth etc.)
1/8 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp ginger garlic paste
2 tomatoes, peeled and pureed
a handful each of cilantro and mint, washed and finely chopped
1/4 tsp good quality garam masala
salt to taste

Soak beans overnight. Drain and wash the next morning. (Sprout them in a colander if you wish to). Combine with enough water and cook on moderate heat until tender but able to hold their shape. (You can pressure cook beans as long as they don't turn to mush). Reserve cooking liquid.

Heat oil in a pan. Add turmeric powder, red chilli powder and ginger garlic paste. Saute on low heat until combined. Next add herbs and saute until fragrant. Add puree and beans. Stir and cook on medium heat until thick. Season with salt and continue stirring until beans lose most of the moisture. Sprinkle garam masala and set aside.

Wash rice in 1-2 changes of water. Drain and set aside. In a sauce pan heat ghee and drop in the whole spices. Add rice, saute for a minute. Add 2 cups of cooking liquid and bring to a boil. Cover and cook on low heat until rice is done.

For serving spoon rice onto a large platter. Make a well in the centre and place beans. Garnish with fried nuts and serve with a raita.

Cooking with a wise herb

2008 appears to be a year for unexpected gifts. It started with chocolate, then decadent mango burfi from my sister in law and most recently, sachets of dried sage (get the bad pun in the title?) from the lovely Jaden. And it's only February. Hopefully the year of the Rat will continue to bring more goodies (hint).

I have been cooking all sorts of greens lately. So much that the cashier at the store asked me if I was going to use the kale and chard for an 'arrangement' like lemons! Gosh no. Methinks kale looks better in the pot than the vase.

Cannellini beans and kale is a Tuscan classic. The smooth beans complement the woodsy kale nicely. Though I prefer mashed comfort you can keep the beans whole and serve it as a soup with a little elbow pasta thrown in. Leftovers make a great pizza/ tart topping.

CANNELLINI BEANS AND KALE
(serves 2-3)
1 15-oz. can of cannellini beans (or fava/ Great northern etc)
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
half bunch of kale, picked, washed and roughly chopped* (or broccoli rabe/ spinach etc)
1 tsp dried sage
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil + extra for drizzling
salt and freshly milled pepper to taste

Heat oil in a pan. Add minced garlic and onion. Saute till onion turns pink. Add kale and 3-4 tbsps of water. Cover and cook until leaves are tender (this takes anywhere between 7 to 10 minutes. Check periodically).

When kale is done, add beans and sage. Season to taste. Cover and cook for 3-5 minutes for flavors to blend. Remove from heat. Mash beans with a potato masher until smooth. Spoon onto a serving plate, drizzle with olive oil and cheese. Serve with crusty bread.

* Kale requires a slightly longer time to cook depending on how mature the leaves are. I remove the stalk and tough stems, roughly chop it into strips and steam it until tender.

Something's fishy - Salmon Croquettes

Though the pink fish is much loved by both the husband and I, I never really took to cooking it at home. It took just one recipe to change the status quo. A recent issue of Cooking Light had an easy and healthy recipe for salmon croquettes. What do I say about CL? Love their lo-cal take on food.

I didn't use as much mayo as listed in the recipe and omitted the flour altogether. Still the croquettes were delicious. Paired with a spinach salad they made a quick, light weekend lunch. Plus this was one time we didn't miss carbs at all!

Just remember that the mixture should be squishy. Don't keep adding flour/ crumbs until you can shape the patty well, because the croquettes firm up as they cook.

SALMON CROQUETTES
(makes 6)
2 wild salmon fillets (or a 15 oz. can)
2-3 tbsp baby dill, chopped
2 tsp lite mayo
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard (optional)
1 egg white
2-3 tbsp dry bread crumbs plus more for dredging
salt and pepper to taste
olive oil or cooking spray for frying

If you are using fillets, heat a pan and coat with spray. Place salmon skin side down and turn the heat to medium high. When you see the skin begin to peel remove pan from heat. Let cool and peel skin off.

Place salmon in a large bowl and mash with a fork. Add remaining ingredients and season to taste. Shape into patties, cover with film and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Heat a skillet and coat with oil or spray. Dredge patties in crumbs lightly and place on pan. Cook on each side until golden brown. Serve with mustard or horseradish sauce.

Dill-Mustard Sauce

This is a very traditional Swedish sauce that you'll find on every Smörgåsbord. It's usually served with gravlax, the salt-and sugarcured salmon that's very popular at Christmas, Easter and Midsummer. (And often in between, as well.) I made it for myself the first time this Christmas - I usually just buy it, but it's really simple to make yourself as well, and I wanted to give it a try. A lot of you have been asking for a recipe, so it was the perfect opportunity to try it out!

The measurements are by no means exact. Improvise as you go along. You might need more oil - or less! Season to your liking - there should be a good balance between sweet, sour and sharp!

Dill-Mustard Sauce
2 tbsp sweet and hot mustard
1 tbsp dijon-style mustard
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
black pepper, ground
white pepper, ground
salt
5-6 tbsp canola oil
100 ml finely chopped dill

Whisk both mustards with sugar, apple cider vinegar, black and white pepper and a pinch of salt. While whisking (I used the Kitchen-Aid), slowly add the oil, drop by drop. The sauce will thicken, just like a mayonnaise. Keep going until it's as thick as you like, and viscous. Add the dill, and season a bit more if you like.

Keeps in the fridge for a few days, but try to add the dill as close to serving as possible.