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Insurers propose rate hikes for plans on the individual market

News reports detail the latest on insurers' efforts in Maryland and Connecticut to gain approval for increases in 2015 premiums on the state exchanges.

10 Jun 2014

Healthcare.gov to get makeover

The Wall Street Journal reports that the federal health insurance website is slated for an overhaul that will likely result in the scrapping of major parts of it that caused problems during last fall's launch. Its tight timeline is among the issues raising new concern.

6 Jun 2014

State highlights: NYC soda fight back in court; doc training slots in N.Y.; Texas inmate dialysis costs

New York City's battle over sugary drinks is entering its endgame. But much more than soda is at stake. A plan to limit the sale of large, high-calorie beverages, championed by former Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg as a novel way to fight obesity, went before the State Court of Appeals here on Wednesday, the city's final recourse after a lower court judge struck down the proposal last year (Grynbaum, 6/4).

6 Jun 2014

Highlights: Calif. insurance commissioner battle; food stamps and Medicaid in Calif.; Mo. and experimental drug therapies

Incumbent Democrat Dave Jones held a strong lead in Tuesday's primary election voting for state insurance commissioner, but he still faces a rematch in November against Republican challenger Ted Gaines (Lifsher, 6/3).

5 Jun 2014

Some insurers plan double-digit health exchange premium increases

The filings in Arizona and Connecticut are shedding light on what insurers might do elsewhere. News outlets also report on developments in Nevada and Maryland related to health exchange costs and coverage issues.

4 Jun 2014

State highlights: Mo.'s declining Medicaid caseload; N.C. budget would cut Medicaid rolls; Calif. paid sick leave

Missouri is seeing a bigger decline in its Medicaid rolls than nearly any other state, a ranking that the Nixon administration attributes to an improving economy and critics blame on application snafus.

31 May 2014

Georgia disputes reports of big Medicaid enrollment jump

According to the state's Department of Community Health, the increase in enrollment was about 37,000, significantly lower than the nearly 99,000 estimated by a consulting group earlier this year.

29 May 2014

Nevada to use federal exchange for next open enrollment

The board of Nevada's online insurance exchange voted Tuesday to scrap its contract with Xerox, which built the exchange that has been marked by problems.

22 May 2014

State highlights: Calif. bill on keeping small biz health plans; Colo. rating area plan approved

A selection of health policy stories from California, Colorado, Connecticut, Washington state and Massachusetts.

21 May 2014

Highlights: Nurse practitioners fight for autonomy in Texas; Ohio physician assistant prescriptions; drug options in Colo.

A selection of health policy stories from Texas, Ohio, Colorado, North Carolina, Massachusetts, Alabama, Connecticut and Kansas.

20 May 2014

Republicans seek end to health law tax on medical devices

Also, two Republicans want states with failed health insurance exchanges to pay back the money the federal government gave them to start the marketplaces. Elsewhere, abortion rights groups push against a proposed ban on the procedure, and the parties debate over the prevalence of canceled health plans.

15 May 2014

State highlights: N.Y. Medicaid change and cash; Conn. mental health cops; Conn. mental health school outreach

A selection of health policy stories from New York, Connecticut and Minnesota. When Hurricane Sandy flooded two adult homes in Queens, hundreds of disabled, elderly or mentally ill residents were caught in the surge.

12 May 2014

Research roundup: Unearthing factors in hospital readmissions; dissecting the enrollment surge

Using inpatient data from an urban teaching hospital, we examined how elements of individual characteristics and neighborhood socioeconomic status influenced the likelihood of readmission ... Patients living in high-poverty neighborhoods were 24 percent more likely than others to be readmitted, after demographic characteristics and clinical conditions were adjusted for. Married patients were at significantly reduced risk of readmission, which suggests that they had more social support than unmarried patients. These and previous findings that document socioeconomic disparities in readmission raise the question of whether CMS's readmission measures and associated financial penalties should be adjusted for the effects of factors beyond hospital influence at the individual or neighborhood level, such as poverty and lack of social support (Hu, Gonsahn and Nerenz, May 2014).

12 May 2014

State highlights: Missouri Medicaid benefits; telepsychiatry in rural states; Conn. for-profit hospital bill

A selection of health policy stories from Missouri, North Carolina, Connecticut, Georgia, Minnesota, Michigan and Alaska.

9 May 2014

State highlights: SEIU, hospital strike deal in Calif.; N.Y. Medicaid audit; dental therapists

A selection of health policy stories from California, New York, Connecticut, Georgia, Indiana and North Carolina.

8 May 2014

Commonly used drug restores blood flow to oxygen-starved muscles of boys with muscular dystrophy

Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute researchers have found that a commonly prescribed drug restores blood flow to oxygen-starved muscles of boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a genetic muscle-wasting disease that rarely is seen in girls but affects one in 3,500 male babies, profoundly shortening life expectancy. It is the most common fatal disease that affects children.

8 May 2014

State highlights: Mixed reaction to new telehealth guideline; Calif. mental health grants; Conn. nurse practitioners

The Federation of State Medical Boards approved a model telehealth policy this weekend that's made some providers of these services happy and others, well, not so much, because of its emphasis on using video rather than audio technology for a first patient visit (Conn, 4/28).

30 Apr 2014

State highlights: Home care workers' pay and Medicaid budgets; Calif. mental health grants; NYU ER reopens

A new rule from the Obama administration designed to provide better pay and working conditions to 2 million home care workers is forcing many states to rethink how they look at Medicaid payments and may result in higher Medicaid costs. Starting Jan. 1, home care workers in 29 states will, for the first time, be eligible for the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour and overtime pay, under a new regulation from the U.S. Department of Labor. These workers go to homes of the elderly and the disabled to help with cooking, bathing and other daily tasks, and are paid by the clients or through Medicaid (Prah, 4/25).

26 Apr 2014

Highlights: New abortion restrictions in Mississippi; political ad calls Maryland exchange a 'failure'

Gov. Phil Bryant signed a bill on Wednesday to ban abortion starting at the midpoint of a full-term pregnancy. Supporters say the measure will protect women's health; opponents say it is unconstitutional (4/24).

25 Apr 2014

Detailing the winners: Which insurers scored the most health exchanges sign-ups

In California, it was Anthem Blue Cross, while Kaiser Permanente, Rocky Mountain Health Plans and the Colorado HealthOP appeared to fare well through that state's online insurance marketplace. Meanwhile, reports also track how the small business exchanges did in Rhode Island and Connecticut.

23 Apr 2014