The Connector Board yesterday moved forward with plans to introduce "competition" into the bidding process for insurers selling to those buying coverage within Commonwealth Care (CommCare). CommCare: more than 160,000 residents - … [Read more...]
SJC rules on health care access: Step One: Health Insurance two step
Today the SJC ruled in Provencal, or the slip opinion link that if your employer offers health insurance, and pays at least 33% of it, even if you cannot afford that insurance and would have been eligible by income for a subsidized policy … [Read more...]
Murray’s Prescription for Health Care: Lower Expectations
While that part of her plan is plain old silliness the problem arises with this: Murray's bill will begin "allowing patients to choose nurse practitioners as primary care providers," So what do we really need doctors for anyway? If a nurse … [Read more...]
Connector to hike the hell out of premiums and co-pays — 14%!!
Commonwealth Care, the subsidized insurance offered by the state, is likely to get a hell of a lot more expensive this year -- premiums up by 14%, co-pays way up. The ACT!! coalition is leading the action on this -- get your digs in to the … [Read more...]
Why the personal mandate is in trouble. ($$$)
At TAPPED, Len Nichols makes the case for the personal mandate:So, individual mandates (with subsidies) make markets more efficient and more fair. Then why do some unions and their progressive allies oppose them so strongly? Good question. … [Read more...]
Connector still goofy to artists
BostonNOW notes that the new health care law uses artists' gross income as their eligibility for subsidized Commonwealth Care, not their net (i.e. minus expenses for supplies and whatnot). Someone named "Eric from the Connector's staff" … [Read more...]
Health Care: Connector swings and misses
No, no, no, this is not going to work:At today's meeting, the Policy Committee members and the public who attended learned that the average premium for MCC [Minimum Creditable Coverage, the "cheap" option] plans submitted by the State's … [Read more...]
Connector Authority, it’s up to Patrick
The Connector Board had another policy meeting yesterday. After the meeting they posted their Policy Committee Recommendations. They did detail recommendation for the high end of coverage called the Premier Plan. Seems … [Read more...]