Penalties for Massachusetts residents who can afford health insurance but do not purchase it in 2008 could quadruple compared with the maximum penalty in 2007, according to draft regulations released by the Department of Revenue.
Uninsured people 55 and older, particularly those with diabetes and cardiovascular disease, significantly reduce their risk of declining health after they enroll in Medicare at 65, according to research.
An Equal Employment Opportunity Commission ruling that employers can cut benefits for retirees who turn 65 and become eligible for Medicare basically codifies current practice. Analysts say most employers already coordinate their retiree benefits with Medicare, and the policy helps businesses and retirees under the age of 65, who have the most difficulty finding health insurance in the open market.
The Johns Hopkins University has received $10 million from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to lead a landmark study on trachoma, a bacterial eye disease that afflicts 84 million people around the world every year and blinds about 4 million. The award is one of the largest ever to support trachoma research.
Employee health is weighing heavily on corporate America. According to the CDC, 75 percent of our nation's healthcare costs are due to lifestyle/obesity-related diseases. Enterprising employers are investing in the health of their employees and realizing less acute care, disability and lower general healthcare costs. Indirect improvements such as better employee morale and retention rates seem to result from these programs as well.
President Bush signed legislation on that extends a popular children's health insurance program after having twice refusing attempts to expand it. The extension of the State Children's Health Insurance Program is expected to provide states with enough money to cover those enrolled through March 2009. Politically, the move was a victory for Bush, although Democrats say it will come back to hurt Republicans at the polls. Two times, Bush vetoed bills that would have broadened coverage to more children.