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Travelers launches MedFirst to address new combination of risks in medical technology industry

The evolution of software and electronics for medical devices and the transferring of electronic personal identity records is creating a new combination of risks in the medical technology industry. To address these risks, Travelers announces MedFirstSM - a combination of three liability coverages packaged in a single insurance policy: products/completed operations liability, errors & omissions and information security liability.

13 Aug 2010

Obama Administration should adopt new regulations to insulate Americans from rate increases: Consumer Watchdog

Consumer Watchdog called on the Obama Administration to adopt new regulations requiring broad financial disclosures by health insurance companies to help insulate Americans from double-digit rate increases. Insurers should provide details of shadowy multibillion-dollar transfers to out-of-state affiliates and parent companies when they are required to justify "unreasonable" rate increases under the health reform law, said the group.

13 Aug 2010

Arizona lawmakers challenge health overhaul

A group of Arizona lawmakers has become the latest to challenge the federal health law as they "joined a conservative watchdog group Thursday in filing a 78-page lawsuit" challenging the law's mandate on Americans to carry health insurance and its Independent Payment Advisory Board in Medicare, Fox News reports.

13 Aug 2010

Five tips for seniors researching MA or Medigap plan options

Health Plan One, a general agent in the online health insurance market, seeks to guide seniors to choose carefully when selecting their Medicare Advantage or Medicare supplement plan. Seniors will have only one opportunity to make changes to their Medicare plans during the Annual Enrollment Period this November 15 through December 31.

13 Aug 2010

THN President applauds FTC, State enforcement officials for crackdown on insurance scammers

Betty Heiman, Founder and President of Transparent Health Network, praised the announcement made today that the FTC and State enforcement officials will crackdown on scammers who target uninsured, unemployed and uninsurable individuals by peddling fraudulent medical discount plans. These plans, according to government officials, are marketed as health insurance but possess few or none of the features either of insurance or of actual plans.

13 Aug 2010

ISW calls upon states to consider community-based programs as treatment for sex offenders

A recent analysis conducted by the Associated Press revealed that the 20 states with civil commitment laws will spend nearly $500 million in 2010 to incarcerate only 5,000 offenders. According to experts at the Boston-based Institute for Sexual Wellness (ISW), states concerned with how to pay for these programs over the long term should investigate community-based programs. Not only are such programs available at a fraction of the cost of civil commitment, but they are demonstrating high success in preventing recidivism.

13 Aug 2010

Insurers' actions mirror credit card companies' interest rate increases ahead of new consumer rights

Consumer Watchdog and the Center for Media and Democracy today asked the Obama administration to investigate how the major for-profit health insurance companies are reducing their proportion of spending on health care in advance of health reform, even as premiums spike upward. In a letter to Health and Human Services chief Kathleen Sebelius, the groups compared insurers' actions to those of credit card companies, which spiked annual interest rates last year in advance of new federal regulations that would curb corporate abuses.

13 Aug 2010

Mass. docs will soon track patients who abuse prescription drugs; Wis. Catholic Church employees now eligible for birth control

The Boston Globe: "With a few computer keystrokes, Massachusetts physicians will soon be able to identify patients who travel from clinic to clinic in pursuit of potent prescription drugs that feed lethal addictions. State health regulators yesterday unanimously approved the new detection system designed to stop 'doctor shopping' by addicted patients who try to dupe doctors into prescribing narcotics. The practice, specialists said, has fueled a surge in drug-related deaths in Massachusetts" (Smith, 8/12).

13 Aug 2010

Insurers, small businesses and ER care all affected by overhaul

News outlets consider the impact of health reform on insurers — who are seeking flexibility on mandates — as well as changes to premiums, small businesses and emergency room care.

13 Aug 2010

FTC works to crack down on health care 'discount' plans

Reuters: "The Federal Trade Commission said on Wednesday it is working with 24 states to crack down on sellers of medical discount plans that market them as health insurance that covers doctors, hospitals and other services." The prevalence of such plans has increased since March, when Congress passed its health overhaul.

13 Aug 2010

First Edition: August 12, 2010

Some of today's headlines highlight how the new health reform law is playing beyond Washington, D.C.'s beltway.

12 Aug 2010

CHA supports FTC's efforts to eliminate fraudulent marketing of discount health care programs

CHA supports the FTC's efforts to eliminate fraudulent and misleading marketing of discount health care programs. Discount health care programs provide millions of members with access to substantial savings on health care products and services. It's important that consumers have continued access to legitimate discount programs which make health care more affordable while also being protected against fraudulent outfits that misrepresent these programs.

12 Aug 2010

ER visit rates increase at twice growth rate of population

A new study in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that emergency visit rates have increased at twice the rate of growth of the U.S. population from 1997 to 2007; Medicaid patients accounted for a large proportion of the increase, often coming with more severe illnesses and complications.

12 Aug 2010

Some Mass. residents fight individual mandate for health insurance, N.J. delays implementation of law requiring outpatient mental-health treatment

A former hospital executive has accused Naples-based Health Management Associates of offering money, free rent and private jet trips to entice doctors to refer Medicare patients to the company's hospitals. ... In a whistleblower lawsuit unsealed Aug. 2 by a federal judge, former hospital CEO J. Michael Mastej also accused his former employer of filing fraudulent claims on services HMA's facilities provided the ill-gotten Medicare patients.

12 Aug 2010

Report: Top insurance execs pulled in nearly $200 million in compensation last year

The Los Angeles Times: "The top executives at the nation's five largest for-profit health insurance companies pulled in nearly $200 million in compensation last year — while their businesses prepared to hit ratepayers with double-digit premium increases, according to a new analysis conducted by healthcare activists. The leaders of Cigna Corp., Humana Inc., UnitedHealth Group and WellPoint Inc. each in effect received raises in 2009, the report concluded, based on an analysis of company reports filed with the Security and Exchange Commission.

12 Aug 2010

States consider how best to spend extra Medicaid funds

In light of the $26 billion aid package passed by Congress Tuesday, states are considering their next steps.

12 Aug 2010

AHF led sustained advocacy campaign leads to BMS's offer of discounts in AIDS drug pricing

Following ongoing advocacy campaigns spearheaded by AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) that targeted several of the largest AIDS drug companies over their pricing and rebate policies for the nation's AIDS Drug Assistance Programs (ADAPs), the federally funded, state run programs that supply lifesaving AIDS drugs to low-income Americans in need, that the last remaining major AIDS drug company, Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS) today announced an agreement that will provide additional cost savings to cash-strapped ADAPs nationwide.

12 Aug 2010

Emergency departments not crowded with non-urgent patients: Report

A new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention once again debunks the myth that emergency departments are crowded with non-urgent patients, a finding noted by the American College of Emergency Physicians.

11 Aug 2010

Rates of ED visits increase among adults with Medicaid: Study

From 1997 to 2007, the rates of visits to emergency departments in the U.S. increased significantly, particularly among adults with Medicaid, according to a study in the August 11 issue of JAMA.

11 Aug 2010

MAXIMUS Long-term Care Solutions to help states address growing numbers of people with disabilities

MAXIMUS, Inc., a leading provider of government services worldwide, announced today that it has launched its Long-term Care Solutions to help states address the growing numbers of elderly individuals and people with disabilities, while benefiting from the increased flexibility and funding offered under the Affordable Care Act.

11 Aug 2010

Health Insurance News and Research

Travelers launches MedFirst to address new combination of risks in medical technology industry

Obama Administration should adopt new regulations to insulate Americans from rate increases: Consumer Watchdog

Arizona lawmakers challenge health overhaul

Five tips for seniors researching MA or Medigap plan options

THN President applauds FTC, State enforcement officials for crackdown on insurance scammers

ISW calls upon states to consider community-based programs as treatment for sex offenders

Insurers' actions mirror credit card companies' interest rate increases ahead of new consumer rights

Mass. docs will soon track patients who abuse prescription drugs; Wis. Catholic Church employees now eligible for birth control

Insurers, small businesses and ER care all affected by overhaul

FTC works to crack down on health care 'discount' plans

First Edition: August 12, 2010

CHA supports FTC's efforts to eliminate fraudulent marketing of discount health care programs

ER visit rates increase at twice growth rate of population

Some Mass. residents fight individual mandate for health insurance, N.J. delays implementation of law requiring outpatient mental-health treatment

Report: Top insurance execs pulled in nearly $200 million in compensation last year

States consider how best to spend extra Medicaid funds

AHF led sustained advocacy campaign leads to BMS's offer of discounts in AIDS drug pricing

Emergency departments not crowded with non-urgent patients: Report

Rates of ED visits increase among adults with Medicaid: Study

MAXIMUS Long-term Care Solutions to help states address growing numbers of people with disabilities

Event guide: 4th Extra-Hepatic Lipid-Based Nanoparticles Delivery Summit eBook

Bringing real-time analytics to downstream bioprocess monitoring

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

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