Health Insurance Costs in Virginia Rising Despite Low Levels of Healthcare Spending, Study Finds

The Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association (VHHA) is bringing awareness to a new study showing health insurance premiums and deductible costs among Virginians are rising despite the state’s overall healthcare spending remaining below national levels.

“When it comes to health care spending, Virginia is in the enviable position of having expenditure rates that remain well below national levels. The same cannot be said for health insurance costs, unfortunately,” the VHHA said in a press release. “On the contrary, the amount that individuals and families across the Commonwealth spend on annual health insurance premiums and out-of-pocket deductibles continues to rise sharply year-over-year.”

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Sky-High Inflation Is Ratcheting Up Healthcare Costs for Working Americans

The costs of health care for average Americans have been hit particularly hard by the sustained high inflation the U.S. economy has seen over the past few years, according to KFF, a nonpartisan organization focused on health policy.

Just this year, premiums on family health insurance coverage for workplace plans increased by 7%, even as Americans’ wages only grew by 5.2% and total inflation rose by 5.8%, while over the last five years, premiums have risen 22% with wages increasing 27% and inflation 21%, according to a KFF news release. Inflation has continued to remain well above the Federal Reserve’s 2% target, rising 3.7% year-over-year in September after increasing the same in August.

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Pennsylvania State Council to Control Healthcare Costs Faces $1 Million Deficit

Pennsylvania’s state council to control healthcare costs is staring down a $1 million deficit within its own budget.

The most significant costs above funding came from contracted services and salaries and benefits for council staff. The Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council is an independent agency that aims to limit cost increases through competition in the health care market.

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Connecticut Gov. Lamont Unveils Plan to Reduce Connecticut’s Healthcare Costs

Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont has unveiled a raft of proposed health care reforms he says will cut medical costs and make care more affordable. 

Lamont has filed a pair of bills that, if approved by the state Assembly, would ban the use of anti-competitive health care contracting practices, improve transparency in pricing for medical treatments, cap out-of-network insurance charges, and join a multi-state bulk purchasing program to lower prescription drug costs, among other changes.

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Legislation Proposes Mandating Price Transparency for Tennessee Healthcare Services

Legislators are proposing to make the prices for healthcare services and treatments available to patients up front. The legislation would require certain healthcare facilities and providers to post a list of all services provided with their cost. It would also mandate that any payments made in full within 30 days of services rendered be accepted if they match the listing price at the time of care. 

The bill would regulate healthcare providers under title 63, except for veterinarians and occupational and physical therapists. State Representative Jason Hodges (D-Clarksville) first filed this bill last week. Freshman State Senator Sara Kyle (D-Memphis) filed the companion bill on Monday.

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Healthy Tennessee Launches Challenge to Encourage High School Students to Educate Peers on Opioid Abuse Dangers

A new program is inviting Tennessee high school students to create action plans to educate their peers and loved ones about the dangers of opioid abuse and campaign to stay drug-free. Healthy Tennessee and Franklin Mayor Ken Moore will host a press conference at the Franklin City Hall on Wednesday (1 p.m.) to announce the launch of the Healthy Tennessee Challenge. “We’re excited for the opportunity to hear the ideas and solutions of our state’s young people, said Dr. Manny Sethi of Healthy Tennessee. “We believe these bright and energetic minds hold many of the answers to defeating the scourge of opioid addiction and we want to reward them for leading the charge.” Winners of the Healthy Tennessee Challenge will be chosen from East, Middle and West Tennessee and rewarded a $2,000 prize to implement their plan, according to a press release. Healthy Tennessee holds free health screenings, health care symposiums, and provides health care prevention tips and information on nutrition. Over the past eight years, Healthy Tennessee has worked with Fortune 500 companies, universities and community leaders to make Tennessee a healthier place to live, work and raise a family. More information is online here. Sethi spoke about Healthy Tennessee, the…

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This New Health Plan Expansion Is a Godsend for Small Businesses Like Mine

business meeting

by Kalena Bruce   Last month, the Trump administration took a concrete step to lower skyrocketing health care costs for middle-class families like mine. The Department of Labor issued a final rule expanding association health plans, which allow small businesses like my farm to band together with others to negotiate bulk rates on health care costs. Association health plans are not new, but they have been nearly regulated out of existence over the last decade by state regulations and Obamacare. For instance, Obamacare required small businesses buying coverage through association health plans to offer “essential health benefits,” which are expensive and often include unnecessary frills like obesity screening and drug rehab. This puts small business plans at a competitive disadvantage with those of their big business competitors, which don’t have to comply with essential health benefits and many other onerous Obamacare regulations. The result: The number of small businesses offering health insurance for their employees fell by about one-quarter between 2010 and 2017. For my family of three, I now pay $700 a month in premiums, not including the deductible and copays, for Spartan coverage. These cost increases eat a portion of my revenue that would otherwise be reinvested into my business. Hardest hit have…

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