Innovative New Employer Health Plans
Recently the Wall Street Journal ran a story on how some companies are just giving employees a health insurance allowance (rather than a particular health plan) with which they can […]
Read More →Changes in Health Benefits – Sticks and Carrots Add Punch to Consumer-Driven Health Care Plans
MSNBC recently ran a story about an Indiana hospital system that will fine employees who make poor health choices (BMI over 30 will cost $10/week; smoking, cholesterol, blood pressure, and […]
Read More →SCHIP Humor
Not only does Washington DC often seem removed from reality, but it seems to have an acronym fetish. The latest SCHIP (State’s Children’s Health Insurance Program) debate shows this. The […]
Read More →SCHIP and Maine
Despite Maine being the state with the smallest share of its population under age 18, the SCHIP expansion debate in Congress has received a lot of attention. Recently, Scott Moody […]
Read More →Getting a State-Funded Health Care in Order Is Key to Getting the Entire Fiscal House in Order
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently issued a report on fiscal pressures states will face over the next few decades. The report is helpful for those interested in responsible budgeting/spending […]
Read More →Innovations in Health Insurance for Businesses
Often I write about innovations in private health insurance that are happening in other states but not allowed here in Maine due to our oppressive and costly private insurance regulations. […]
Read More →Coverage Does Not Equal Access – Why a Medicaid Card is Often Just as Bad as Being Uninsured
Recently the WSJ reported on a 2006 study by the Center for Studying Health System Change that “almost half of all physicians polled said they had stopped accepting or were […]
Read More →Lessons from Massachusetts
Recently, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts announced that they would lower their minimum employer contribution from 50% of the employee-only premium to 33%. As you likely know, the Mass […]
Read More →I’m Going to Disney World
Although missed in all the conversation about the uninsured, many insurers are announcing innovative and affordable new products in the individual insurance market. For example, Humana just announced their new […]
Read More →Dirigo – Self-Insure = Self-Destruct (Even Sooner)
The Maine Legislature just passed a bill that will allow Dirigo Health’s insurance product, called DirigoChoice, to be self-insured by the state. Costs for this program have skyrocketed – from […]
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