Massachusetts seeks to cut increase in small business health care costs

Today's state news covers access to care issues in Florida and California, a new proposal to review premiums charged to small business, and the potential flaws of Ohio's nursing home payment plan.

The Boston Globe: "Governor Deval Patrick is expected to announce a plan today that would give state insurance regulators the authority to review health insurance premiums that are charged to small businesses, an approach meant to stem the growing health care costs" (Viser, 10/20).

The Associated Press/The Boston Globe: "A nurse assistant who is in a vegetative state after being attacked at a Pasadena, (Calif.) hospital has been unfairly denied care by workers compensation and her health insurance, her attorney alleges" (Mohajer, 10/20).

Orlando Sentinel: A "47-year-old Orlando resident lost her job as a home caregiver scheduler last week and as a result, lost her health insurance." The story details the "double whammy" faced by people in this situation, especially those with chronic diseases and notes that about 297,600 people in Florida "lost health insurance coverage in 2009 due to a rise in unemployment, according to a report released today by the health consumer organization Families USA" (Quintero, 10/20). 

The Cleveland Plain Dealer: "A change made to the state budget just hours before it was passed in July has left niche nursing homes that provide costly support services facing financial trouble. ... Patients who need extras like specially fitted wheelchairs, oxygen and frequent trips for dialysis are beginning to feel deprived, according to complaints to state regulators that are trickling in" (Marshall, 10/19).