News
Dumped by insurance plans, millions of seniors scramble for health coverage
1+ day, 9+ hour ago (1503+ words) At 70, landscape artist Anthony J. Petchkis lives with a host of health problems. There was the heart attack that sent him on an ambulance ride from his home in the mountains of New Hampshire to Portland, Maine, for an arterial stent....
Enrollment in Connector health plans rises by 1.6 percent
2+ mon, 20+ hour ago (1168+ words) Enrollment in Connector health plans rises by 1.6 percent'The Boston Globe Enrollment in Connector health plans rises by 1.6 percent Just over 97,000 Bay Staters enrolled in unsubsidized plans accessed through the Massachusetts Health Connector for 2026 coverage, according to numbers posted following the…...
Healey to eliminate insurer prior authorizations for some drugs and services
2+ mon, 2+ week ago (833+ words) Massachusetts health insurers will face new restrictions around the much-maligned practice of prior authorizations, eliminating the red tape around how patients access some drugs and services, Governor Maura Healey said Wednesday. At a State House news conference, Healey said she…...
Vermont's nursing homes lose 900 beds in 20 years
2+ mon, 3+ week ago (1543+ words) With the second-oldest population in the country, Vermont needs its nursing homes. Yet, while Vermonters rapidly age, the state's long-term care capacity has dwindled, losing 900 beds in the last two decades. To keep the struggling system afloat, the state has…...
Blue Cross, UMass Memorial reach contract deal, averting crisis for nearly 200,000 patients - The Boston Globe
4+ mon, 2+ week ago (785+ words) UMass Memorial Health and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts have reached an agreement on a new contract, preserving health care access for nearly 200,000 people. Though the sides declined to specify any details of their new three-year agreement, the deal…...
The Medicare Advantage ecosystem is changing, and patients are caught in the middle - The Boston Globe
5+ mon, 1+ week ago (951+ words) Tens of thousands of senior Massachusetts residents may find that Medicare Advantage plans are charging higher premiums, shrinking provider networks, covering fewer drugs, and offering fewer perks as Medicare's open enrollment period gets underway. The popular plans managed by private…...
More than 12,000 patients affected by more changes to Blue Cross Medicare Advantage product - The Boston Globe
5+ mon, 3+ week ago (510+ words) Another 12,600 elderly and disabled patients will experience disruptions in their health care, as primary care doctors connected to Beth Israel Lahey Health lose their in-network status because of changes in a Medicare Advantage plan. The change follows a similar development…...
MGB leaving some Medicare Advantage primary care networks, affecting 19,000 patients - The Boston Globe
5+ mon, 3+ week ago (914+ words) Many Mass General Brigham primary care doctors will no longer be in-network for Medicare Advantage plans offered by two of the state's biggest health insurers, affecting nearly 19,000 patients and further straining the state's primary care system. Medicare Advantage members with…...
Brown University Health to absorb major physician group - The Boston Globe
5+ mon, 4+ week ago (404+ words) PROVIDENCE " The Rhode Island attorney general announced Tuesday he will suspend a year-long antitrust probe, clearing the way for Brown University Health to take over one of the state's largest physician groups, in a deal that will put more than…...
‘We want this to be able to continue’: Successful home hospital programs could be victims of D.C. gridlock - The Boston Globe
6+ mon, 4+ day ago (811+ words) Paula Ward's phone rang at 2:08 a.m., waking her up on the couch in her apartment in South Boston. It was her nurse. Ward's oxygen levels had dropped, the nurse said, explaining the early morning call. She asked Ward to clamp a…...