Washington premiums to decrease slightly; New tax credit option in Connecticut;

News From Around the Web

> For Washington state, bronze and silver plan premiums will decrease slightly next year, from an average of $298 for aa 40-year-old, non-smoking adult in 2014 to $296, according to the Commonwealth Fund. On the flip side, Maryland's premiums will increase by 1 percent next year. Article

> Advocates in Tennessee continue to push for Medicaid expansion. This time, in the form of a fake funeral to represent lives they say will be lost if the program does not expand, according to the Charlotte Observer. Article

> The Health Care Tax Credit option will be available to small-business owners in Connecticut beginning this year, reports New Haven Register. The maximum credit is 50 percent of premiums paid for by small-business owners. Article

Provider News

> There are many emerging themes and movements driving healthcare innovation and evolution, which is comparable to the Age of Enlightenment with its new discoveries and ways of solving problems, Forbes contributor Dave Chase wrote in his most recent column. Article

> Hospitals and healthcare systems may want to rethink plans to acquire physician practices to increase care coordination. A new study finds that hospital ownership of physician groups in California led to a 10 to 20 percent increase in overall costs. Article

And finally … "Ark Walters" wins the internet with the comment: "Gotta make cuts somewhere." Article