Becker News and Research

RSS

Parsing the mixed messages regarding health plan costs

The Huffington Post breaks down the good and bad news surrounding what people may pay next year for coverage in the wake of the health law. Meanwhile, Modern Healthcare takes a look at how the Obama administration decision to let people keep health coverage that didn't comply with the overhaul's standards is impacting premium rates.

23 Aug 2014

Rocky rollout of ACA benefits for Oregon's developmentally disabled

Many developmentally disabled Oregonians qualify for more money to cover services at home under the Affordable Care Act, but families say there aren't enough providers to go around. Meanwhile, consumer advocacy groups in North Carolina look for people who qualify for Obamacare and don't know it. And Connecticut reports a 55 percent increase in the size of its individual insurance market.

19 Aug 2014

After rejection of increases, Conn. premiums set to decrease

Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield's individual-market customers will, on average, see a slight decrease in their premiums next year under new rates approved by the Connecticut Insurance Department. Anthem, the state's largest insurer, initially requested approval to raise rates by an average of 12.5 percent. But the insurance department rejected the proposal and asked the company to resubmit its plan using different calculations. The result: An average premium decrease of 0.1 percent for Anthem customers (Becker, 8/15).

19 Aug 2014

New VA Secretary orders independent audit of scheduling practices

Robert McDonald promised to fix problems at the Department of Veterans Affairs that kept veterans from getting care.

12 Aug 2014

State highlights: Abortion restrictions prompt Senate fights; Vt.'s single payer March; Kan. uninsured numbers up

The 2014 campaign hasn't had the equivalent of Todd Akin's infamous rape comments driving the abortion debate. Instead, Democrats and Republicans are using a slew of new state abortion restrictions as weapons in the tight battle for control of the Senate.

8 Aug 2014

Florida 2015 individual insurance rates not as bad as feared: White House

Obama administration officials challenged reports that individual plans will go up an average of 13.2 percent next year. In addition, there are updates on Connecticut and Washington insurance cost and coverage issues.

7 Aug 2014

Some states boost transparency of insurance rate review amid criticism

Connecticut regulators deny an insurer's proposed rate increase but criticize the state's public hearing process. Meanwhile, Illinois officials give the public online access to rate filings and Florida advocates blame state lawmaker's suspension of rate review for the big premium increases in that state.

7 Aug 2014

Eating baked or broiled fish once a week is good for the brain

Eating baked or broiled fish once a week is good for the brain, regardless of how much omega-3 fatty acid it contains, according to researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

5 Aug 2014

State highlights: Time of turmoil for Georgia hospitals; Oregon Medicaid takes aim at expensive heptatitis C drug

A selection of health policy stories from Gerogia, Wisconsin, Texas, Oregon, Florida, Michigan, Massachusetts, Connecticut and North Carolina.

4 Aug 2014

State highlights: New York state faces $1.3B Medicaid payback problem while Mayor De Blasio advances plan to reduce city employees' health costs

When Mayor Bill de Blasio announced his first labor agreements with New York City unions this spring, he was sharply criticized for granting long-awaited wage increases in exchange for promises of unspecified though sizable savings on health care expenses (Greenhouse and Stewart, 7/29).

31 Jul 2014

Report: The forecast for Medicare trust fund is flush 'til 2030

The Medicare trustees added four years to the solvency of the trust fund as Medicare's financial circumstances experienced a slight improvement due in part to the continued slowdown in health care spending and, some say, elements of the health law.

30 Jul 2014

Virginia Mason earns Marine Stewardship Council certification

Virginia Mason announced today it is the first hospital in the United States to earn Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification for its commitment to serving seafood grown and harvested by certified, environmentally sustainable methods.

29 Jul 2014

State highlights: Va. Lt. Gov.'s politics and pediatrics juggle; Md. hospital error reporting; ruling on Fla. 'Docs V. Glocks' law

A selection of health policy news from Virginia, Maryland, Florida, New York, Wisconsin, Washington state, New Jersey and Kansas.

29 Jul 2014

Trustees: Medicare now projected to remain solvent until 2030

The new projections give Medicare an additional four years of solvency compared to last year's report by the trustees for Medicare and Social Security.

29 Jul 2014

Medical malpractice attorney establishes Birth Injury Scholarship

The tragedy of a medical error resulting in a birth injury extends long past the insurance settlement. Victims and their families deal with the disability or the death of an infant for a lifetime.

26 Jul 2014

Highlights: Texas abortion rates falls dramatically; start-up problems for Virginia's psychiatric reforms

A four-month-old psychiatric-bed registry that is supposed to provide up-to-the-minute information for Virginians who need emergency mental health treatment is being updated as seldom as once a day, state officials told a panel of lawmakers this week (Shin, 7/22).

25 Jul 2014

Dueling rulings on health law subsidies leave states in lurch

States are pondering their places in the health law's federal- or state-based health insurance exchanges after a pair of contradictory appeals court rulings Tuesday threw up in the air if states that use the federal exchange can offer subsidies to their residents to help afford coverage.

24 Jul 2014

CBO: Slowed federal health spending yields savings

Federal spending on health care has slowed sharply, partly as a result of the federal health care law, reports the Congressional Budget Office.

17 Jul 2014

Glitch in Connecticut exchange resulted in thousands of problems

Access Health CT is reaching out to 5,784 customers who were either inaccurately enrolled in Medicaid, or who received inaccurate bills because their insurers received incorrect information from the exchange, officials say. Meanwhile, developments related to Minnesota's and Colorado's exchanges are also covered.

15 Jul 2014

Some doctors refuse to see Obamacare enrollees

Subscribers are running into closed doors from some doctors listed in their plans' networks, reports The Miami Herald. Meanwhile, Connecticut advocates express concern about how a proposed overhaul of the state's health care system could change Medicaid, and in Washington state, providers scramble to keep up with demand.

15 Jul 2014