Tag: health insurance programs

Children’s Health Insurance Program funding may be in jeopardy

S.Vagus
Children’s Health Insurance Program kids

Congress has to act on reauthorizing funding for CHIP Congress may need to act quickly if it wants to save the national Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). The program’s funding scheme is set to expire soon and this could leave children throughout the United States without access to health insurance coverage. The program’s current funding will run dry next year, but relatively little has been done to address this issue. The burden of keeping CHIP alive is not for Congress alone, of course. States must begin working with insurers and…

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Massachusetts lawmakers look to change the state’s health care system with a global payment plan

Massachusetts lawmakers are struggling to rein in on rising health care costs, but a solution may be on its way as the state reaches the conclusion of a three-year long study. The study concerns the state of Massachusetts’ health care system and how insurance companies, hospitals and doctors interact with one another. The state is not the first to consider sweeping changes to its health care system, but it may be the first in enacting such changes. Legislators are currently working toward a plan they call “global payments.” The basic…

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New study shows the value of Medicaid in the lives of those covered by the program

The results of a yearlong study of the effects of Medicaid on patient’s lives have been released. The federal health care program has been receiving more attention from legislators recently, both in the effort to discover more ways to cut funding to the program and revamp its existing regulations. The study conducted by the National Bureau of Economic Research may put a halt to some of the plans proposed by politicians regarding the stability of the program. It may also shed light on how beneficial the program is to patients.…

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Excellus of New York files for rate increases, cites soaring health care costs

Excellus Blue Cross Blue Shield of New York has approached state insurance regulators for approval to raise its health insurance rates. The proposal is planned to take effect next year and will impose a 19.5% increase on some of the policies in the state. The company says that the increase is necessary in order to keep up with soaring medical costs. This is the same reasoning that prevails amongst the majority of the nation’s health insurers, but the notion has yet to gain traction amongst lawmakers, who have been tasked…

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