Health Insurance News and Research

RSS

Rep. Ryan proposes plan to reduce entitlement spending, revise health care system

A "growing, bipartisan consensus" exists among lawmakers about the "greatest threat to our nation's long-term economic prosperity: the explosion of entitlement spending," which "Washington is not planning to address ... this week, or any time soon," effectively "shackling our future with unsustainable debt and taxes," Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), a member of the House Budget Committee, writes in a Wall Street Journal opinion piece.

21 May 2008

Report cites 15 New York State HMOs for setting consumer restrictions on prescription drugs to boost profits

Some HMOs in New York state are restricting patients' access to so-called single-source drugs, brand-name medications for specific ailments that do not have lower-cost generic versions, according to a report released on Sunday, the New York Daily News reports.

20 May 2008

Presidential candidates' health care advisers discuss role of Federal Government in providing coverage to U.S. residents

Advisers to the three major presidential candidates on Monday discussed the candidates' health care proposals and the role of government in health care during a forum hosted by Women in Government Relations, CQ HealthBeat reports.

20 May 2008

Senate leaders agree on privacy protections amendment to health care information technology bill

Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) on Wednesday announced that sponsors of a bill (HR 1693) that would promote the use of health care information technology have agreed to include an amendment Leahy proposed to help protect patient privacy, CQ HealthBeat reports. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Chair Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) and ranking member Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.) introduced the legislation last October.

19 May 2008

Two California health insurers agree to reinstate coverage for 1,200 people whose policies were rescinded after incurring high medical bills

California health insurers Kaiser Permanente and Health Net on Thursday agreed to reinstate coverage to about 1,200 individuals whose policies were improperly rescinded, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

19 May 2008

Michigan Judge rules against Blue Cross Blue Shield rate hikes, cites large surplus

A Michigan administrative law judge on Wednesday ruled that Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan would not be justified in increasing premiums by 24% to 42% for individual health insurance plans, the Detroit Free Press reports.

19 May 2008

More than 10,000 beneficiaries enrolled in Oklahoma insurance premium assistance program

Enrollment in the Oklahoma Employer/Employee Partnership for Insurance Coverage, the state's health insurance premium assistance program, has exceeded 10,000 beneficiaries for the first time in the program's three-year history, the Oklahoman reports.

19 May 2008

Group Health study debunks five myths about abuse of men

Domestic violence can happen to men, not only to women, according to Group Health research in the June American Journal of Preventive Medicine. "Domestic violence in men is under-studied and often hidden-much as it was in women 10 years ago," said study leader Robert J. Reid, MD, PhD, an associate investigator at the Group Health Center for Health Studies. "We want abused men to know they're not alone."

19 May 2008

New report details cancer prevention efforts

An annual report from the American Cancer Society highlights that long-term favorable trends have stalled for several factors that have been responsible for declining cancer death rates in the U.S.

15 May 2008

U.S. adults trust Obama more than McCain on health care

Fifty-five percent of U.S. adults trust Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.) more than presumptive Republican nominee Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) to address the issue of health care, compared with 31% who trust McCain more than Obama to address the issue, according to a recent Washington Post-ABC News poll, the Post reports.

13 May 2008

Report proposes near-universal health coverage system allowing individuals, small businesses to purchase insurance through private plans or new Medicare-like option

A national health insurance "connector" program that allows individuals and small businesses to buy public and private health coverage could provide insurance for up to 44 million uninsured U.S. residents, according to an article by the Commonwealth Fund published in the May/June issue of the journal Health Affairs, CQ HealthBeat reports.

13 May 2008

Facing the Presidential candidates; pollsters say sweeping health reform unlikely in new administration and congress

Despite the prominent role that health care reform is playing in the 2008 presidential election, leading Republican and Democratic pollsters agree that deep partisan divides among voters -- combined with a worsening economy -- may permit only incremental, rather than sweeping, changes to the health care system. The perspectives of political pollsters William McInturff and Celinda Lake are featured in a far-reaching thematic issue on health reform in the May/June 2008 issue of the journal Health Affairs.

13 May 2008

AP/Miami Herald looks at Democratic Presidential candidates' proposed health plans

The AP/Miami Herald on Sunday looked at the health plans proposed by Democratic presidential candidates Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) and Barack Obama (Ill.). While likely Republican nominee Sen. John McCain said the Democratic plans would "move closer to a nationalized health system," AP/Herald describes that characterization as "a stretch."

13 May 2008

Business Week examines college-recommended health insurance plans for students

Business Week recently looked at the health insurance market for college students. Some health plans schools recommend for students "turn out to be scanty at best and inferior to comparably priced alternatives" and can "leave families exposed to crippling medical bills they thought they'd protected against," Business Week reports.

13 May 2008

New Hampshire House passes bill to create plan to lower insurance premiums for small businesses

The New Hampshire House on Wednesday voted 259-93 to approve a bill (SB 540) that aims to lower health costs for employees of small businesses, the Manchester Union Leader reports.

11 May 2008

Next U.S. President should establish center focused on development of cures for diseases, opinion piece states

An expansion of health insurance to more U.S. residents -- with "business, patients and government sharing the cost" -- is important, but unless "we find cures, American families will continue to be plagued by costly and debilitating fatal diseases such as cancer, diabetes and Alzheimer's" disease, former Rep. Harold Ford (D-Tenn.), chair of the Democratic Leadership Council, and Al From, founder and CEO of the council, write in a Memphis Commercial Appeal opinion piece.

11 May 2008

New Hampshire House passes bill to create plan to lower insurance premiums for small businesses

The New Hampshire House on Wednesday voted 259-93 to approve a bill (SB 540) that aims to lower health costs for employees of small businesses, the Manchester Union Leader reports.

11 May 2008

Georgia Gov. Perdue signs bill establishing tax exemptions for employer-provided high-deductible policies

Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue (R) on Wednesday signed into law two measures intended to make high-deductible health insurance plans more affordable and accessible, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

11 May 2008

U.S. manufacturers spend twice as much as foreign competitors on health care, report finds

U.S. manufacturers that offer health insurance to employees spend an average of $2.38 per worker per hour on health care, substantially more than the amount spent by foreign competitors, according to a report released on Tuesday by the New America Foundation, the Los Angeles Times reports.

7 May 2008

Senate Finance Committee holds first in series of Congressional hearings on U.S. health system overhaul

The Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday hold the first of at least eight congressional hearings focusing on strategies to reform the U.S. health care system, featuring testimony by former HHS secretaries Tommy Thompson and Donna Shalala, CQ HealthBeat reports.

7 May 2008

Health Insurance News and Research

Rep. Ryan proposes plan to reduce entitlement spending, revise health care system

Report cites 15 New York State HMOs for setting consumer restrictions on prescription drugs to boost profits

Presidential candidates' health care advisers discuss role of Federal Government in providing coverage to U.S. residents

Senate leaders agree on privacy protections amendment to health care information technology bill

Two California health insurers agree to reinstate coverage for 1,200 people whose policies were rescinded after incurring high medical bills

Michigan Judge rules against Blue Cross Blue Shield rate hikes, cites large surplus

More than 10,000 beneficiaries enrolled in Oklahoma insurance premium assistance program

Group Health study debunks five myths about abuse of men

New report details cancer prevention efforts

U.S. adults trust Obama more than McCain on health care

Report proposes near-universal health coverage system allowing individuals, small businesses to purchase insurance through private plans or new Medicare-like option

Facing the Presidential candidates; pollsters say sweeping health reform unlikely in new administration and congress

AP/Miami Herald looks at Democratic Presidential candidates' proposed health plans

Business Week examines college-recommended health insurance plans for students

New Hampshire House passes bill to create plan to lower insurance premiums for small businesses

Next U.S. President should establish center focused on development of cures for diseases, opinion piece states

New Hampshire House passes bill to create plan to lower insurance premiums for small businesses

Georgia Gov. Perdue signs bill establishing tax exemptions for employer-provided high-deductible policies

U.S. manufacturers spend twice as much as foreign competitors on health care, report finds

Senate Finance Committee holds first in series of Congressional hearings on U.S. health system overhaul

Sensing a Healthier Future

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Latest News