(5.1) Sorry to be late on this one. Ocean State Action has called for a rally in the State House rotunda, Gender rating is the industry practice of health insurers charging women higher premiums than men. This is outright gender discrimination, and RI must outlaw this practice now! Urge the General Assembly to pass H-7512/S-2208. …
Kudos to Rhode Island Health Insurance Commissioner Christopher F. Koller; it would appear that he has heard the desperate chorus of voices from the direct payer cohort. Not only has Koller issued an order lowering the effective overall average* rate for the Direct Pay plan by 1.1 percent, but according to the Providence Business News, …
The Commish Comes Through For Direct Payers — Denies Blue Cross Rate Hike Read More »
[Address Correction: The hearings are being held at the RIPUC at 89 Jefferson Boulevard, Warwick. The address below is that of the OHIC. Apologies for this error and the inconvenience it may have caused. BC] The Rhode Island Office of the Health Insurance Commissioner (OHIC) has scheduled a public hearing regarding a petition by Blue …
Attention Direct Payers — Blue Cross Rate Hike Hearings Tuesday Read More »
Happy New Year direct payers, some of you can look forward to double-digit rate hikes in 2012. Once again Blue Cross Blue Shield direct payers (who have no other choice in Rhode Island) are being asked to supplement the benefits afforded to the groups with bargaining power and clout. According to an article on A-2 …
Blue Cross Blue Shield To Put The Squeeze On Direct Payers Read More »
(10.19) Rhode Island Community Forums, presented by The Rhode Island Foundation and Rhode Island Public Radio, is hosting a panel discussion on the state’s plans to create a new healthcare insurance exchange on Wednesday, October 19 from 5:30pm to 7:30pm at the Crowne Plaza, Warwick. Rhode Island Public Radio’s Health Reporter Megan Hall will moderate …
Demystifying The RI Healthcare Insurance Exchange Read More »
I’ll give you a second to catch your breath. According to The Providence Journal, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Rhode Island CEO James Purcell will ask the state to approve premium rate increases* in May, citing rising costs and increased use. But that new office building downtown? Nope, that was a cost-saving measure. Purcell said …
HealthAccessRI (which David Segal wrote about here) is the nation’s first primary care subscription program, homegrown right here in Rhode Island. Essentially, it’s a network of primary care doctors offering affordable primary care to patients who lack health insurance or have high-deductible insurance. And HealthAccessRI is launching a campaign to grow to a total of …
Attention Congress and President Obama — do not fall for this. Drug makers have offered to spend $80 billion over 10 years to help older Americans afford medicines and to lower the cost of a proposed overhaul of the health care system, officials said Saturday. In a statement, President Obama said an agreement reached between …
Attention individual payers — starting on April 1st many of you will have more disposable income. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Rhode Island is requesting an increase in premium rates for the Direct Pay Class (natch) and many of you will be forced to drop out completely. In a way, this means more money in …
And, oh yeah, your health insurance plan is on life support. For further proof that our for-profit insurance-based health care system is coming apart at the seams check out ABC6 News. They are running a segment on the ramifications of the Blue Cross Blue Shield/Care New England contract negotiations discussed here earlier. And how about …
Here’s news all policy makers should take to heart: Firm evidence that even small co-pays substantially decrease the likelihood that women will have regular mamograms. With the corollary that more people will get sick and die, and that long-term costs will rise. And it’s pretty easy to envision a whole slew of analogues, relative to …