| Rising stress of health care
A self-employed travel consultant with an information technology background, Drewey opted to do without health insurance, even though he has Type 1 diabetes. Drewey, 45, of Mount Vernon, N.Y., said his business isn't far enough along for him to afford a plan. Apart from the diabetes, Drewey said, his health is good. He manages his condition well with insulin, which he pays for out of pocket, $75 for a two-week supply. Things went well until February, when a celebration he attended sent his blood sugar out of balance. He spent four days at White Plains Hospital Center. The bill: $10,000. Drewey is trying to arrange a payment plan with the hospital that will spread the cost over several years. He said he doesn't understand how, in a country like the United States with all its resources, a person can find it so difficult to get affordable health care.
Hot Off Mills Buy, Farallon Makes Play for Another REIT
Affordable Residential Communities (NYSE: ARC) confirmed it is in talks with Farallon Capital Management LLC about the sale of its manufactured housing business for $1.84 billion. Farallon, a private firm based in San Francisco that recently teamed up with Simon Property Group to buy The Mills Corp., already owns 10% of ARC's shares. It has proposed a buy-out offer of between $9 and $9.40 per share for the firm's manufactured housing line of business, which represents most of the Englewood, CO, REIT's operating assets. The bid comes in at a discount to what the stock traded for last week. Thursday's closing price was $12.04 per share. News of the offer pushed ARC's stock up to $12.35 per share on Monday. The deal does not include ARC's recently acquired NLASCO insurance operations. The two companies are in an exclusive negotiating period through April 16, 2007.
Ignagni to Discuss Low-Income and Minority Beneficiaries ...
As Congress debates budget and health care issues, the participation of low-income, minority beneficiaries in Medicare Advantage is sparking debate. Join Karen Ignagni, President and CEO of America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), at a teleconference on Tuesday, April 10 at 10:00 a.m. to discuss this important issue. AHIP recently released an analysis of the Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (MCBS), which found Medicare health plans are a vital choice among low- income and minority beneficiaries because of the lower out-of-pocket costs and additional benefits these plans provide. The complete study can be found at http://www.ahipresearch.org/. WHAT: Teleconference on low-income and minority beneficiaries' participation in Medicare Advantage WHEN: Tuesday, April 10, 10:00 a.m. WHO: Karen Ignagni, President and CEO, AHIP CALL-IN: (866) 259-6033 CONTACT: Robert Zirkelbach, 202-778-8493 or rzirkelbach@ahip.org America's Health Insurance Plans -- Providing Health Benefits to More Than 200 Million Americans.
Deborah Oliver: Let's take control of Dirigo
As a small-business owner and entrepreneur, I am writing to urge the Maine legislature to pass LD 431 — An Act to Enable the Dirigo Health Program to be Self-Administered, sponsored by Rep. Jill Conover of Oakland. I appeared in November at the Bureau of Insurance public hearing in Gardiner regarding the outrageous rate increase Anthem was then requesting for the Dirigo product. I left that hearing mystified by Anthem's reluctance to answer questions. I am convinced from what I heard and saw that Anthem is no friend to the Dirigo plan or its subscribers. DirigoChoice is thriving as a viable, affordable health insurance plan for Mainers. Before I quit a full-time job in Maine to start my own business, I carefully investigated health insurance options for my husband and me. Policies available to us as nongroup subscribers were exorbitant; premiums for policies approximating the coverage offered by my then-employer were well over $1,000 a month.
Source: Access Plans USA, Inc.
IRVING, Texas, April 2, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Access Plans USA, Inc. (Nasdaq:AUSA) (formerly Precis, Inc. (Nasdaq:PCIS)), a nationwide distributor of health insurance and non-insurance health care programs that provide access to affordable health care for the growing number of uninsured and/or underinsured in the United States, reported its financial results for the fourth quarter and full year ended December 31, 2006. .
Global 360 to Participate in Future of BPM Panel Discussion
DALLAS, April 9 /PRNewswire/ -- Global 360, Inc., a leading provider of business process management (BPM) intelligence and optimization solutions, today announced Steve McDonald will participate in a panel discussion detailing the future of Business Process Management Suites at BrainStorm Chicago on April 10, 2007. What: "What's Next for BPM?" Panel Discussion Moderated by Bruce Silver When: Tuesday, April 10, 2007 11:45 - 12:45 p.m. CDT Who: Steve McDonald Director of Product Marketing, Global 360, Inc. Where: BrainStorm Chicago The Drake Hotel Chicago, Illinois 60611 Session Details: Managing the complete process lifecycle. Modeling to workflow to integration. Business rules. BAM. The first generation of BPM suites focused on these operations. What comes next? A panel of leading BPMS vendors looks at what the next generation will bring, from team collaboration to dynamic process optimization to industry solution frameworks to better linkage with the emerging SOA infrastructure.
Measure intended to insure more Texas children
AUSTIN More children of the working poor would have access to low-cost health insurance under a plan tentatively approved today in the Texas House. Final approve could come tomorrow, then the bill would move to the Senate. The measure would dismantle several changes made by the 2003 Legislature, when Texas faced a budget shortfall and cut spending on the Children's Health Insurance Program. The bill by Representative Sylvester Turner of Houston would let parents re-enroll in CHIP every year -- instead of every six months. The measure also would eliminate the 90-day waiting period unless the child had recently been covered in another insurance plan. Backers say allowing for 12-month eligibility periods would save the state money by treating them before they end up in costly emergency rooms and county hospitals.
HealthMarkets Announces Newest Advisory Panel Members
NORTH RICHLAND HILLS, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 2, 2007--HealthMarkets announced today the appointment of two new members to the Company's Regulatory Advisory Panel. Joining the panel are Susan Stead, a former Ohio Department of Insurance Assistant Director who has served in key roles at the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, and former Texas Insurance Commissioner Jose Montemayor. Stead will serve as the panel's chairwoman. HealthMarkets is a leading provider of affordable health and life insurance to the self-employed, individuals and small businesses through its subsidiaries, The MEGA Life and Health Insurance Company, Mid-West National Life Insurance Company of Tennessee and The Chesapeake Life Insurance Company. Stead and Montemayor join current advisory panel members Tommy Thompson, former Secretary of the U.S.
Workers pay dearly for health insurance, or do without
A self-employed travel consultant with an information technology background, Drewey opted to do without health insurance, even though he has Type 1 diabetes. Drewey, 45, of Mount Vernon, N.Y., said his business isn't far enough along for him to afford a plan.
Apart from the diabetes, Drewey said, his health is good. He manages his condition well with insulin, which he pays for out of pocket, $75 for a two-week supply. Things went well until February, when a celebration he attended sent his blood sugar out of balance.
He spent four days at White Plains Hospital Center. The bill: $10,000. Drewey is trying to arrange a payment plan with the hospital that will spread the cost over several years.
He said he doesn't understand how, in a country like the United States with all its resources, a person can find it so difficult to get affordable health care.
Proposal Could Spark Insurance Rate Increases
Raleigh — A bill under consideration by the state Senate could lead to higher insurance rates for North Carolina residents, Insurance Commissioner Jim Long said Friday. Senate Bill 901 would allow a judge to decide appeals of insurance rate cases. Long, who is elected as a consumer advocate, traditionally has had the final say on requests by insurance companies to raise rates on their auto and homeowner's policies. Insurers usually ask for much higher rates than they get, and when they appeal the rates enforced by the state Department of Insurance in court, Long almost always wins. "We want the companies to have adequate resources to pay the claims, but we don't want them to overcharge," Long said. He boasts that North Carolina has the fifth-lowest auto insurance rates and the 20th-lowest homeowner's rates in the country.
Car tourists advised to get 'both motor and travel insurance'
As a result, holidaymakers could be well advised to be particularly truthful when purchasing travel insurance, not only should they be the victim of a breakdown but if they have a medical emergency while abroad. Tourists will be glad to know that Go Travel Insurance offers a range of travel insurance policies designed to cover various pre-existing medical conditions, disabilities or special needs.© Adfero Ltd .
Medical Identity Theft On The Rise
Andrew Brooke's family knew something was screwy when they got a collection notice for unpaid bills for treatment of his work-related back injury, which included large prescriptions of the controlled painkiller Oxycontin. "I'm looking at this bill, and I'm looking at my 3-week-old baby that can't even hold his head up, and it's just a sense of outrage," said Andrew's father, John Brooke, of Bothell, Wash., a suburb of Seattle. .
Vonage: Down but not out
Last Friday, a U.S. District Court in Alexandria, Va., issued an injunction against Vonage that limits its ability to offer service to new customers unless Vonage changes the way new customers' calls are connected to the PSTN. However, the judge stayed the injunction for six days to allow Vonage time to appeal. The bad news for Vonage keeps coming. Here's a chronology of events: .
Governor Rendell Says PHMC Will Promote Expansion of Children's Health
HARRISBURG, Pa., Mar 29, 2007 (U.S. Newswire via COMTEX) --Governor Edward G. Rendell today announced that the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) is partnering with the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC) to raise awareness of the newly-expanded CHIP program. Under the partnership, PHMC will offer special admission to children at Pennsylvania Trail of History(R) sites on Saturday, April 14, 2007. The sites will admit two children free with the purchase of one adult admission. CHIP enrollment information will be available at all sites. "April is the first full month for families to enroll their children in CHIP under expanded income guidelines known as Cover All Kids," said Governor Rendell. "We know that thousands of families have been waiting for this coverage, and we want all families to know that it is available." Governor Rendell said the CHIP program is celebrating its 13th month of unprecedented enrollment with 154,996 children now accessing comprehensive health-care coverage.
MADD and Nationwide(R) Kick Off Prom With Music by Bow Wow at Sam ...
HOUSTON, April 5 /PRNewswire/ -- Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) and Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company (Nationwide) kicked off prom season in Houston with a special celebrity performance by R&B music artist Bow Wow at Sam Houston High School (SHHS). MADD's THINK.Prom program, which is nationally sponsored by Nationwide, asks students to pledge to be alcohol and drug free during prom. Statistics show that traffic deaths among teens during typical prom weekends are higher than any other time of year. The SHHS junior/senior prom is April 27. "We are proud to work with Nationwide to provide the THINK.Prom program because the choices students make today impact their lives tomorrow," said Glynn Birch, MADD National President. "We are asking teens to leave alcohol out of prom, never ride with someone who's been drinking and to buckle up.
State insurance laws keep costs too high for young adults
During six months of meetings, the governor's Blue Ribbon Commission on Health Care Costs and Access learned that 51 percent of Washington's 593,000 uninsured are young adults, ages 19-34. They're also the fastest-growing segment of the uninsured. What's preventing those young adults from buying health insurance? Simply put -- it's too expensive. Although they're a healthy population, young adults do understand the value of health insurance. The problem is, when weighed against the cost of buying health insurance in this state, they opt to take the risk of going without. The costs are a result of Washington's heavily regulated insurance laws. Insurance carriers have told us time and time again that they could design and market more affordable health insurance plans for people in this age bracket if they were given flexibility with our state laws -- the same flexibility they already have in Connecticut, Colorado, California, Texas, Illinois, Georgia, Nevada and New Hampshire.
Health insurer loses challenge to state plan
The state Office of Group Benefits can begin its annual health insurance enrollment now that a state judge on Monday refused to stop the process over a disputed change in the plan. Group Benefits Chief Executive Officer Tommy Teague said after the Monday hearing that the enrollment process will begin today. The enrollment process has been on hold since April 2, when FARA Benefits Services Inc. objected to the way Teague decided to amend the benefits plan by eliminating the managed-care option. FARA offers that option, which expires June 30. State District Judge Timothy Kelley ruled Monday that Teague was in "technical" violation of state law because he did not notify Group Benefits’ advisory board before making a final decision on amending the benefits plan.
How you can help The Center
As most of you have probably heard, The Center for Serving Persons with Mental Retardation is in a battle with the city over their land - which is worth $26 million - on West Dallas. The Center has friends on City Council and has created a Save the Center website, which includes a number of ways citizens can help The Center fight to stay at their location of 44 years. Incidentally, the city intends to help The Center relocate and use the money from the sale of the land for grants to nonprofits that serve people with disabilities and mental health issues, but The Center would most likely end up paying higher rent, which their $11 million yearly budget might not allow for. Mayor White has expressed "desire a reasonable agreement" and is "willing to work with them in considering any location, including the current one." Read his full op-ed here.
Hempfield fact-finder's report
REPORT and- AND RECOMMENDATIONS HEMPFIELD AREA EDUCATION ASSOCIATION, PSEA/NEA, "Association." Case No. ACT 88-07-5-W Before Robert C. Gifford, Esq. Fact Finder Appearances: For the Employer: George L. DeCaro, Human Resources Director For the Association: Gilbert Gall, PSEA UniServ Representative Eric Elliot, PSEA Research Joe Scheuermann, Local President Pursuant to Act 88 of 1992 ["Act 88"] and the Public Employe Relations Aci ["PERA"], I was appointed by the Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board ["PLRB" or "Board"] on February 20, 2007, as the Fact Finder in the impasse between the Hempfield Area School District [the "Employer" or "District"] and the Hempfield Area Education Association [the "Association"], a unit comprised of approximately four hundred eighty (480) professional employees located within Intermediate Unit 7 ["I.U.
State: Insurance practices harm minorities
A Florida Office of Insurance Regulation (OIR) report contends the insurance industry's use of occupation and education for the underwriting and rating of auto insurance policies unintentionally harms minorities and low-income individuals in determining auto insurance premiums and insurance eligibility. While the practice is legal, it creates unintended effects that the government may find unacceptable, Florida Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty said. In 2003, the Legislature passed a law severely limiting the use of credit scoring in insurance underwriting. .
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