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Certificate of Need Provides Inadequate Oversight of Hospital Affiliations

Posted June, 27 2016 by Taylor Frazier

Hospitals have been consolidating at increased rates over the last five years. Merger and acquisition transactions grew from 66 transactions in 2010 to 112 in 2015. Earlier this month, the MergerWatch Project released the results of a national survey, which concluded that current state hospital oversight programs are inadequate to protect consumers’ access to needed […]

RWV-NY Outreach Team Helps LGBT Individuals Get the Insurance and Care They Need

Posted June, 24 2016 by Taylor Frazier

Guest blog by Caroline Davidson, LGBT Outreach Intern for Raising Women’s Voices-NY. LGBT health coverage and care have improved in recent years, but a surprising number of individuals still are unaware or unsure of how to apply for coverage. Once insured, LGBT people can have trouble finding LGBT-competent providers, and can encounter other roadblocks and […]

Action Alert: Tell Your Legislators to Keep SHIP Funding

Posted June, 23 2016 by Taylor Frazier

The Senate Appropriations Committee FY 2017 Bill seeks to eliminate funding for the State Health Insurance Assistance Programs (SHIPs). SHIPs’ mission is to empower, educate, and assist Medicare-eligible individuals, their families, and caregivers through outreach, counseling, and training to make informed Medicare-related health insurance decisions. In 2015, more than 7 million Medicare beneficiaries received help […]

HCFANY Rate Review Letters Available!

Posted June, 22 2016 by Amanda Dunker

Last month, we told you about the rate review process, which happens every year when health insurance companies submit requests for rate increase or decreases to the state Department of Financial Services (DFS). New York’s carriers were asking for some pretty big increases this year – about 18 percent on average across the individual and […]