News From Around the Web
> Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Mexico's request to raise health insurance premiums by an average 51.6 percent has been rejected, reports the Albuquerque Journal. The official did, however, approve Presbyterian Health Plan's 3 percent to 6 percent rate increase, as well as New Mexico Health Connections' 4 percent to 17 percent request. Article
> A restraining order has prevented Aetna from denying life-saving cancer treatment to a patient. In defense of his client, Bobby Allen Bean, Robert C. Hilliard says that Aetna has been accepting Bean's premiums for all these years, and now that it's the insurer's time to pay for treatment, they're making excuses. Announcement
> Good news coming from the state of California: The number of individuals who've reported difficulty finding a doctor has declined, while premiums statewide are to increase only 4 percent next year, reports the New York Times. Article
Health Provider News
> Uninsured patients increasingly turn to the emergency department for dental healthcare needs, but expanding Medicaid's dental coverage won't reduce ED traffic. Article
> A year after six Wisconsin health systems partnered on an initiative to share best practices and improve care quality, the program has added two members and reaped the benefits of diverse experts and strengths. Article
And Finally… Would you like a hand grenade with that? Article