healthcare coverage

Massachusetts' Commonwealth Health Insurance Connector--the state-run organization charged with implementing the state's healthcare reform plan--is asking insurers to lower their proposed monthly premiums in order to make basic healthcare coverage truly affordable for lower-income adults. Last week the Connector outlined the requirements for coverage. They found that this coverage would cost a minimum of $380 a month, which critics say is much more than many people can afford. "Clearly, …

New York City hospitals and the SEIU United Healthcare Workers East have reached an agreement on a new contract designed to save the SEIU's troubled healthcare benefits fund, despite the fact that the current contract doesn't expire for another 15 months. The fund is facing a $700 million deficit over the next five years due to rising healthcare costs. The contract covers to 65,000 employees at 61 hospitals and 20 nursing homes. As part of the agreement, the hospitals will delay a …

Healthcare was on the minds of politicians this week. California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger revealed his …

All eyes were on California Monday as Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) revealed the state's universal coverage plan. Given that the proposal requires the cooperation of so many interest groups--doctors, hospitals, insurance companies, …

A Commonwealth Fund poll has found that most Americans are extremely concerned about the state of the healthcare industry and feel that fixing it should be a priority over the next five years. Increasing healthcare coverage was identified as 'absolutely essential' or 'very important' by 88 percent of respondents. Controlling healthcare costs, shoring up Medicare and encouraging health IT also ranked as primary concerns. Report

> Tennessee is reopening a TennCare program that gives healthcare coverage to indigent state residents with high medical bills. Report

> $11.5 million from the CDC is being granted to three organizations to enhance CDC's BioSense biosurveillance program and improve disease detection. Report

> With the help of technology …

According to the LA Times, some California insurance companies are refusing to sell individual coverage to people based solely on their jobs. "Entire categories of workers--including roofers, pro athletes, dockworkers, migrant workers and firefighters--are turned down for insurance even if they are in good health and can afford coverage, according to the confidential underwriting guidelines of four health plans," reports the Times. Though the practice is legal under …

Massachusetts' mandatory healthcare coverage campaign--which offers a combination of subsidized and low-cost insurance plans, expanded Medicaid coverage and incentives for businesses to cover workers--has gained national attention. But despite the fact that uninsured Massachusetts residents will be required to purchase health insurance by July 1st of this year, the Boston Globe reports that many uninsured state residents are completely unaware of the new rules. "We are …

According to a new report, healthcare premiums are rising twice as fast as wage inflation. The cost of healthcare coverage rose 7.7 percent last year, which is less of an increase than seen in previous years, but still cause for concern. Article

 
As more employers drop healthcare coverage for their employees, people are turning to individual insurance plans to protect themselves from high medical bills. But a new study finds that most people can't afford--let alone enroll--in individual healthcare plans. Article