Q: If health insurance is something one can buy, why not let people buy what insurance they want? A: To call it insurance is a misleading misnomer. Since sickness befalls everyone sooner or later, unlike house fires or auto accidents, we are not protecting ourselves against an event which usually affects other people. The term …
Health
costs, coverage, gmos, mental health and substance abuse treatment, policy, public health
Report on annual hearing of the Department of HealthCare Finance and Policy
Complex system requires complex changes Consumer involvement needed, perhaps through tiered plans Standardization and transparency in price and quality reporting needed Coordinated care, medical homes, bundled payments—all mean rewarding value and outcomes rather than services IT is critical A slow transition is needed In June, the Department of Healthcare Finance and Policy …
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Final Budget Highlights
Highlights of the final budget include good local aid results, strong municipal health reform, limited spending with no new taxes, moderate reforms of the public counsel system and relatively good funding for a number of high priority human services.
Analysis of Attorney General’s Report on Healthcare Cost Trends
Analysis of the Attorney General’s report: Examination of Health Care Cost Trends and Cost Drivers Pursuant to G.L. c. 118G, § 61?2(b) Report for Annual Public Hearing June 22, 2011 Wide disparities in healthcare payments exist that are not due to variations in quality Simply changing to global payments does not reduce costs More …
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Report On Hearing Regarding Governor Patrick’s Healthcare Cost Control Bill
Hearing was the first of several Bill would change healthcare payments and organizations Everyone “pro” cost control, but some details at issue Providers concerned with over-regulation, lack of flexibility Others want public-option, public wellness provisions Committee concerned with cost estimates and funding The joint committee on healthcare finance held its first hearing regarding …
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Blue Cross Blue Shield Severance Payout
The $8.6 Million payout to the ousted Blue Cross CEO ( Cleve Killingsworth) doesn’t give me much confidence in this near-monopoly “Non-Profit” company or its Board of Directors. (Directors are paid over $50,000 per year each, for one meeting a month). That’s a lot of co-pays at $20 each ! Note that Killingsworth will …