Tag: "Massachusetts"

Massachusetts Update

Couple fined: Must pay Massachusetts $1,000 fine because IBM’s health insurance is not generous enough.

Premiums double: for former health care speechwriter for Edwards, Obama and Clinton:

For the first time in my life, I am without health insurance and it is a terrible feeling… In D.C., I had a policy with a national company, an HMO, and surprisingly I was very happy with it. I had a fantastic primary care doctor at Georgetown University Hospital. As a self-employed writer, my premium was $225 a month, plus $10 for a dental discount. In Massachusetts, the cost for a similar plan is around $550, give or take a few dollars. 

Doctor search for a Boston cab driver:

I get my health care through MassHealth [Medicaid in Massachusetts] and I went through 20 names before I finally found a doctor who would see me. I wasn’t going through the Yellow Pages. I was going down a list that MassHealth gave me!

Oct 21, 2009 | 8 comments | by

Hits & Misses – 2009/9/10

Moderate drinking reduces risk of dementia.

Disease management will only postpone costs for most patients.

Aspirin does more harm than good in healthy people.

Sep 10, 2009 | 4 comments | by

The Downside of Transparency

Can the publication of hospital mortality rates create perverse incentives for physicians?

Public reporting of hospital death rates may be pushing Massachusetts cardiac specialists to treat some very sick heart patients less aggressively, sparking a debate among health officials and doctors over whether patients are being spared unnecessary and costly end-of-life treatment or denied procedures that might save their lives.

Apr 08, 2009 | 3 comments | by

Designing Health Insurance: Evidence from Massachusetts

The Massachusetts Connector Authority has decreed that unless one has a federally qualified high-deductible plan, health insurance policies that satisfy the Massachusetts individual mandate for health insurance coverage must have deductibles no higher than $2,000 for an individual and a limit on-out-of pocket in-network spending of $5,000. For policies with a separate prescription drug deductible, it must not exceed $250. [link]

These limits are not what people choose when they buy their own health insurance. The results from the 2007 America’s Health Insurance Plans survey of individual health insurance suggest that roughly half of those who buy their own insurance prefer higher deductibles and lower out-of-pocket limits than those chosen by the Connector Authority:

Read More » »

Mar 19, 2009 | 8 comments | by

Pioneer Institute Opens Health Reform Competition

Pioneer Institute invites submissions for the 18th annual Better Government Competition (BGC). The BGC offers up to $10,000 for ideas that improve the quality and reduce costs of government services. This year’s BGC is focused on enhancing the cost and delivery of quality health care in Massachusetts.  Runners-up get $1,000.  Entries due by April 13th.

You can find out all the details at pioneerinstitute.org or by contacting Shawni Littlehale at slittlehale@pioneerinstitute.org.

Mar 02, 2009 | 2 comments | by

Hits & Misses – 2009/2/23

Diabetics can manage their own care. Online tools can substantially improve blood sugar control.

Electronic implant calms patients suffering from obsessive thoughts. But will it work on Paul Krugman?

Schools get $2.57 for each free lunch. Real cost = 20 cents.

Leftwing critique of the Massachusetts Health Plan. The status quo would have been better.

Feb 23, 2009 | 4 comments | by

Hits & Misses – 2008/12/15

Age-adjusted, Canada spends the most on health care.

Mass. Health Plan: It's costing 85% more than originally projected.

Clinical Trials: Investors learn the results; participants rarely do.

Washington State: Nearly 1/3 of doctors have shut the door to new Medicare patients.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3drqJ1bUmEA

The Blues

Dec 15, 2008 | 3 comments | by

Hits & Misses – 2008/10/02

  • Lying for Coverage. If you lie on your application, should the insurer be able to deny you benefits? Aetna is submitting these decisions to an outside panel of experts. [link]
  • It’s a Risky Business. Virtually every career employee with the Long Island Rail Road – as many as 97 percent in one recent year – applies for and gets disability payments soon after retirement. [link]
  • Waiting in Massachusetts. The wait to see a doctor is as long as 100 days. [link] Hat tip to Grace-Marie Turner at Health Policy Matters.
  • Does Bereavement Cause the Surviving Spouse to Die Early? Yes, for widowers. Probably not for widows. [Study here but gated] Hat tip to Jason Shafrin at his blog.
  • The Wages of Sex Changers. From female to male may have a positive effect in income. From male to female causes income to go down by one-third. [Study here but gated] Hat tip to Tyler Cowen at his blog.

 httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UM0K21EOCwk

Most frequently misheard Beatles’ line:
“Jo Jo was a man who thought he was a woman…”

Oct 02, 2008 | 3 comments | by

Pay for Performance (P4P): It Doesn’t Work

In a study (unfortunately gated) published in the July/August issue of Health Affairs, Steven Pearson of Massachusetts General Hospital and coauthors evaluate the impact on quality of all P4P programs introduced into physician group contracts during 2001-2003 by the five major commercial health plans operating in Massachusetts.  Overall, P4P contracts were not associated with greater improvement in quality compared to a rising secular trend.

Sep 03, 2008 | 4 comments | by
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