A recent study has shown that the new healthcare reforms in Massachusetts have failed to decrease the pressure on providers for those in the lowest income brackets. Between the years of 2005 and 2009, the number of visits to community health centers rose by 31 percent, and public and charity hospitals also experienced a notable increase in their number of patients. Leader of the study, Leighton Ku, who is the head of the George Washington University Center for Health Policy Research, said that there are a number of things that…
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Massachusetts seeks relief from increasing health insurance costs
Several union organizations in Massachusetts are preparing to make an announcement today regarding a proposal on municipal health insurance. State legislators have been seeking a way to control the costs of insurance before they begin spiraling out of control. Governor Deval Patrick has been pushing for approval to give municipal leaders more authority to make changes to health insurance coverage. A number of municipal and school district leaders call rising insurance costs “budget busters.” They blame the costs associated with health insurance for cut backs in services and employee layoffs.…
Read MoreLight on the horizon for Massachusetts health insurance rate hikes
A year after insurers battled over premium increases with Governor Deval Patrick in Massachusetts, they are now seeking to increase rates by 10% or less. Insurers struggled with the Governor after proposing rate increase between 12% and 25%. This unsettled the community and the ensuing battle lasted for five months. In an effort to avoid another stand-off, the companies are limiting themselves to mostly single digit increases. “The dynamic has been changed for health care in this state,” says Barbara Anthony, undersecretary of consumer affairs and business regulation in Massachusetts.…
Read MoreMassachusetts helps small businesses
During Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick’s inauguration speech, he discussed that his commitment to small business and the importance of this focus. State Housing and Economic Development Secretary, Greg Bialecki, said Patrick and his staff have been conversing with small business owners in order to address their top areas of concern, especially health care. With the costs of health insurance potentially going up with the new health care laws, small business owners are very hesitant to hire new employees. According to Bialecki, it is hard to get out of a recession…
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