Chester "Chet" Burrell, the new chief executive officer of CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, is setting an ambitious agenda for himself and his company. His goals include designing new health insurance packages to cover the uninsured, finding ways to reward doctors and hospitals for good and efficient care, controlling medical costs, and building a secure system of electronic medical records. CareFirst has 3.2 million members in Maryland, the District of Columbia and Northern Virginia.
Maryland health officials are hoping to team with Comptroller Peter Franchot this spring for a statewide effort to identify more children who are eligible for federally funded health insurance. Under the plan, Franchot's office would search through state income-tax records to find families with incomes that qualify them for participation in the State Children's Health Insurance Program, and then send letters notifying them that the program is available.
A federal appeals court boosted San Francisco's hopes of reviving its plan to extend health coverage to all uninsured residents. The city's program provides care at a network of hospitals and clinics for uninsured adults who are not covered by a state program for the poor or Medicare for the elderly. The annual cost is to be paid from state and local taxes, patient payments and contributions by employers who don't offer insurance.
The Connecticut Department of Social Services has released a request for proposals for a plan designed to provide health insurance for as little as $75 a month and as much as $250 for those earning higher incomes. The request moves Connecticut one step closer to offering affordable healthcare coverage to uninsured residents who don't qualify for public assistance.
The Bush administration is imposing restrictions on the ability of states to expand eligibility for Medicaid. The move is in an effort to prevent states from offering coverage to families of modest incomes who, the administration argues, may have access to private health insurance. The restrictions mirror those the administration placed on the State Children's Health Insurance Program after states tried to broaden eligibility for it as well.
Delray (FL) Medical Center and Jupiter (FL) Medical Center are spending about $10 million to nearly double the size of their emergency departments. Jupiter is spending another $4.2 million to add a "progressive care unit" for critically ill patients who do not need intensive care. The growth in population was the stimulus to expand for both towns. The first phase of Jupiter's construction has been completed, and will add anywhere from 17 to 26 beds. Delray's construction will end in February and also add anywhere from 17 to 35 beds.