Insurance (Page 2)

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In: Bernie Sanders, Home, Insurance, Labor Unions, Nurses, Politics, Uncategorized

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By Geri Katz

Single Payer Healthcare Specialist

 

Caring, compassion, and community. These are the values at the heart of registered nursing. National Nurses United, which represents some 190,000 nurses nationwide, seeks to uphold that positive vision for the health of this country by endorsing Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders for president.

Senator Sanders was the only candidate to score 100 percent on NNU’s issue questionnaire: he’s the only candidate with us on safe and quality nurse staffing, universal healthcare or Medicare for all, and a fee on Wall Street speculation or the “Robin Hood Tax.” His campaign is exceeding expectations at nearly every turn.
… Read more about: Nurses4Bernie Get Out to Caucus  »

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In: Home, Insurance, Issues

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By Rick Fuentes,  MNA  Communications Specialist

It was no surprise to hear Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders declare his support for Single Payer healthcare during last weekend’s Presidential debate.  Sanders has long been a proponent of a system that creates “Medicare for All.”  That model would cover everyone in the country through a publicly funded agency that paid for services to every provider in the country.  After all, Sanders’ home state of Vermont adopted a Single Payer system that covered almost everyone in 2011.  Green Mountain Care, as it’s called, was due to be fully implemented by 2017 (it’s since been put on hold indefinitely).
… Read more about: Single Payer Healthcare Becoming Big Part of Debate  »

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In: Insurance, Minnesota Nurses Association

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By Mathew Keller RN JD, Regulatory and Policy Nursing Specialist

Last fall, my grandmother was admitted to the hospital after a TIA that left her oriented only x1.  Or, more correctly, we thought she was admitted.  As it turns out, she was in the hospital for several days in an outpatient status, known in Medicare parlance as “observation status.”

Unfortunately, what “observation status” meant for Grandma was that she did not meet the Medicare requirement for a 3-day inpatient stay at the hospital in order to qualify for discharge to a skilled nursing facility.  Thus, despite the fact that Grandma was certainly not in any shape to discharge home; and despite the fact that she had entered the hospital from a nursing home, she was not able to go back to the nursing home.
… Read more about: The Problem with Observation Status  »

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In: Healthcare, Insurance

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By Mathew Keller, RN JD, MNA Nurse Policy Specialist

When cuts are made to public insurance programs, we all end up paying more.  Just the other day I heard the story of Mary*, a young woman who found some unusual lumps in her breast.  Having already had her preventive care exam for the year, she could not afford the high cost of following up with her physician.  When she was finally able to get her next annual exam, Mary got the heartwrenching news that she had Stage 4 breast cancer.

MinnesotaCare, a public health insurance program for the working poor, is under threat from state legislators in the House of Representatives.
… Read more about: Minnesota nurses oppose MNCare repeal  »

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In: Activism, Bargaining, Hospitals, Insurance, Labor Unions, Minnesota Nurses Association, National Nurses United, Nurses

On Monday, Dec. 23, nearly 100 nurses and community supporters gathered in sub-zero  weather determined to send  a message of solidarity to Allina corporation.  “We give first-rate care to our patients, and we don’t deserve to be treated like second-class citizens,” said nurse Linda Held.

Allina assumed ownership of Regina Medical Center in Hastings in the Fall 2013, but current contract negotiations have come up short on proposals to provide  benefits that are equal to other Allina facilities, some just a short 20-minute drive away.

MNA has negotiated equitable insurance and pension benefits for nurses at Allina facilities in other cities beyond the metro area, such as Buffalo and Cambridge.  
… Read more about: Candlelight Vigil Illuminates Hastings Nurses’ Desire for A Christmas Marvel  »

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In: Health Care Reform, Healthcare, Insurance

Minnesota’s HMOs continue to bank huge surpluses.  According to health care analyst Allan Baumgarten’s report, which was cited here by the Twin Cities Business Journal, health plans in the state collectively socked away $241 million in 2012.  That’s up from 2011 profits of $230 million.

HMOs will disagree with the word profits, as they’re non-profits, but their revenues combined mean they’re now sitting on $1.9 billion in savings.  State law require them to save money to remain solvent, but the latest figures show the state’s health plans are now banking $1.3 billion more than regulations require.

HealthPartners alone generated nearly $128 million in operating income over the past two years, which earns it the title of most profitable HMO in the state. 
… Read more about: HMOs’ piggy banks get bigger  »