News
Maryland turns to private insurers to help fund shift to new hospital rate-setting framework
4+ hour, 24+ min ago (1013+ words) State officials last week voted to tap private health insurance plans to make up for an expected loss in funding and rate-setting control as Maryland transitions to a new federal framework for Medicare payments to state hospitals. The changes approved…...
Amid rising health care costs, Maryland officials to boost ‘Easy Enrollment’
1+ week, 6+ day ago (13+ words) Amid rising health care costs, Maryland officials to boost "Easy Enrollment'Baltimore Sun...
$400 massages with taxpayer money: DHS confirms wrongdoing, stays silent on consequences
1+ mon, 1+ day ago (19+ words) The Maryland Department of Human Services confirmed procurement rules were violated when an employee billed taxpayers $400 for massages....
Health insurance premiums three times higher than wages over last 25 years
1+ mon, 1+ week ago (47+ words) People feel the pain of higher prices when they go to the grocery store or pay their monthly household bills.The higher costs of health insurance for the 160 million Americans on an employer-sponsored plan are out of sight, out of…...
The Senate voted down dueling health proposals. Here’s what’s at stake for Americans
1+ mon, 1+ week ago (831+ words) But the Senate rejected both, and hopes of solving the problem this year are running dry. Affordable Care Act subsidies will end in three weeks, more than doubling the premiums for many with health coverage through the 2010 law known as…...
Time is running out for Marylanders to avoid health care cost hikes
1+ mon, 1+ week ago (23+ words) The ACA enhanced premium tax credits will expire at the end of December, impacting roughly 190,000 Marylanders who benefit from the subsidies....
Maryland DHS worker billed taxpayers for massages, asked vendor to hide it, records indicate
1+ mon, 3+ week ago (22+ words) A Maryland Department of Human Services employee directed $400 of taxpayer money to pay for massages for themselves and colleagues, records indicate....
Protect your health, family and future — enroll in health coverage | GUEST COMMENTARY
1+ mon, 3+ week ago (578+ words) We understand that when you do not have insurance, unexpected medical costs can be overwhelming. Without coverage, bills can disrupt a family's finances overnight. With coverage, you gain protection not only in an emergency but also through preventive care that…...
Revamped ACA to empower small businesses with more insurance choices, Oz says
2+ mon, 2+ day ago (42+ words) Dr. Mehmet Oz, head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, said under the current system, federal dollars have driven up the the cost of insurance in the exchange, making health insurance plans offered in the exchange unaffordable for…...
$1.5B budget shortfall projected in Maryland: ‘Outlook is a lot worse’ than earlier estimate
2+ mon, 1+ week ago (739+ words) Maryland is facing a nearly $1.5 billion budget deficit for the next fiscal year, lawmakers learned Wednesday during a budget presentation. The grim projection is fueled by several factors, according to budget analysts who presented it to the Spending Affordability Committee,…...