A new software system for the state’s health insurance website passed its first key test this week, and a final decision on whether Massachusetts will run its own site or join the federal exchange will be made in early August, a top state official said. Maydad Cohen, special adviser to the governor, told the Massachusetts Health Connector board Thursday morning that the new software from hCentive performed every task required by federal officials, and then some, in a Washington, D.C., demonstration Monday. This success, he said in an interview afterward, leaves him increasingly but cautiously optimistic that the state will be able to employ the hCentive software when open enrollment starts Nov. 15.
Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder (R) announced Thursday that the state had reached its first-year goal of signing up 322,000 residents for the Healthy Michigan Plan eight months early. About 477,000 Michigan residents are eligible for the Health Michigan Plan, the state’s expanded Medicaid program for low-income residents. To be eligible, individuals cannot qualify for or be enrolled in Medicare or other Medicaid programs and must have income at or below 133 percent of the poverty level. Michigan also exceeded enrollment predictions for its individual marketplace, with 272,539 enrolling by March 31, according to the Detroit Free Press. The estimate was about 190,000.
A Vermont legislative committee on Thursday approved a lengthy set of provisions governing health care, despite an earlier objection from legal advocates. But work will continue to examine possible scenarios that might play out for Vermonters from the rules. The provisions on health benefits eligibility and enrollment are part of wider efforts for health care reform in the state, a major goal for Gov. Peter Shumlin and legislators. Vermont Legal Aid believed one section as written might exclude certain populations from long-term care benefits in a Medicaid-funded program called Choices for Care. It offers benefits for long-term care and is designed to assist people who require intensive assistance.
Why was the situation so dire that veterans faced months-long waits to see Veterans Affairs physicians? It's not exactly a secret that the VA faces a severe shortage of physicians. More than 800 job openings are listed on the VA website. There are many reasons why it is so hard to recruit physicians to work for the VA, including challenging patients, dwindling financial resources and uncompetitive salaries. As an immigration lawyer, I've seen the problem from a different angle. International physicians represent 26% of the doctors training in America's teaching hospitals. These doctors fill leftover teaching hospital slots not used by doctors educated in American medical schools.
There are few situations where we expect to disrobe and have our bodies touched by relative strangers. The physical exam is one of the unique characteristics of the doctor-patient encounter; a visit to a doctor doesn't seem the same without one. Yet, increasingly, there's less and less of it. Visits are shorter and doctors have to spend most of their time at the computer filling out the endless electronic medical records that have come to define the modern medical transaction. Often, it boils down to a half-hearted plop of the stethoscope on the fully clothed patient.
Amid growing scrutiny statewide, insurance giant Anthem Blue Cross faces another consumer lawsuit over its use of narrow networks in Obamacare coverage. A group of Anthem policyholders sued California's largest for-profit health insurer Tuesday in state court, accusing the company of misrepresenting the size of its physician networks and the insurance benefits provided. A similar suit seeking class-action status was filed June 20 against Anthem, a unit of WellPoint Inc., The Times has reported. Samantha Cowart of Fallbrook sued Anthem in Los Angeles County Superior Court last month, accusing the company of misleading customers.