"Health & Medical News"

Washington — Higher-than-expected costs and enrollment in Massachusetts’ health reform program are translating into higher premiums and co-payments for enrollees and a concern physicians will face pay cuts.

The Connector Authority, the board overseeing the state’s comprehensive health system reform program, unanimously agreed on March 20 to raise monthly premiums by 10% for its subsidized health plans starting July 1, the beginning of the state’s 2009 fiscal year.

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Popularity: unranked [?]

For the second straight year, medical liability insurance rates are easing nationwide, with nearly 84% of company-reported rates holding steady or dropping in 2007. That’s according to the latest Medical Liability Monitor survey, the largest of its kind to track how much insurance carriers charge physicians.

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Popularity: unranked [?]

Washington — The rising cost of health insurance continues to drive a slow but steady decline in employer-sponsored coverage and an increase in the number of uninsured people, according to the authors of an annual employer survey.

Premiums increased 6.1% on average in 2007 — the slowest rate since 1999, according to the “Survey of Employer Benefits 2007″ by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Health Research & Educational Trust. But that figure is more than twice the 2.6% rise in inflation and outstrips the 3.7% boost in workers’ earnings.

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Popularity: 3% [?]