Insurance Costs

You failed to mention the CEO of Blue Cross Blue Shield, which is even sweeter than some of the hospital's CEO's where we, the subscribers, are paying for their lavish life styles while many of the seniors who are paying such outrageous premiums for this supplemental coverage, can hardly pay these premiums. We pay for their vacations while many seniors stay home because their limited incomes are being used for insurance, making many seniors insurance poor. Many seniors can attest to the continuing higher cost of their supplemental coverage when in fact they hardly pay nothing.

The fight over the federal minimum wage is coming to Baltimore. The head of the U.S. Department of Labor plans to swing into town Tuesday to talk to low-wage workers about how they make — or don't make — ends meet. Seth D. Harris, the agency's acting secretary, has crisscrossed the country for such events since President Barack Obama proposed in February that the minimum be raised from $7.25 an hour to $9. "The president during the State of the Union said that it's an outrage that in the richest country on earth that people are working full time and still living in poverty," Harris said in a telephone interview Monday.

Glen Burnie Bancorp Thursday reported a fourth-quarter loss, largely due to higher federal insurance premiums and setting aside more money for loan losses. The bank holding company lost $210,000, or 8 cents per share, for the fourth quarter, compared with a profit of $1.38 million, or 47 cents per share, a year earlier. The company said in the fourth quarter of last year it increased the amount set aside for loan losses by about $1.05 million. It also saw a $308,000 increase in its federal insurance premiums, part of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.

What kind of a novel, communistic idea is it to allow sick people with pre-existing conditions to have health insurance ("Care First proposes 25 percent rate jump," April 25)? Previously, sick people and people with pre-existing conditions were not even allowed to buy coverage, which kept costs down and profits up. Health care in the U.S. costs at least double what it costs in any other country in the world. There are several reasons for this, but one of them is not that the U.S. has better care.

As tax revenues slow and health costs soar, Harford County Executive James M. Harkins has taken a number of steps, including instituting a hiring freeze, to help balance a $306 million operating budget. "These are challenging fiscal times," Harkins told members of the Harford legislative delegation Friday. He said medical insurance costs "have risen dramatically," by about 30 percent, or $3.7 million, for the fiscal year starting in July. Property taxes are about $800,000 below projections, primarily because of a decrease in the property taxes received on public utilities.

If you don't have a wellness program yet at work, one likely will come your way soon. And if you do, count on your employer aggressively making sure you participate. Employers generally are still cutting benefits and shifting more health care costs onto you. But they are throwing more money into wellness programs, hoping you'll adopt a healthier lifestyle and that insurance costs will go down over time. "We have tried everything else. There is nothing left," says Sara Taylor with benefits consultant Hewitt Associates.

PHILADELPHIA - In an era of scattering families, Anthony Clay took a different route. He remained on home turf through college, medical school and residency to become a cardiologist in Philadelphia. He gets to treat families he has known since boyhood. He likes knowing where his patients live, work and shop. All nine of his siblings still live here. He never thought he would leave. But these days, Clay is engaging his patients in the most difficult of conversations, and not about their medical conditions.

Blaming the cost to implement health care reform, the state's largest health insurer has proposed eye-popping rate increases to state regulators for individuals and small businesses. CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield wants to raise rates an average of 25 percent on those who buy coverage individually. Chet Burrell, the insurer's CEO, said the increase was needed to cover the cost of more sick people who will be joining the insurance rolls under health care reform. People with pre-existing conditions were denied coverage prior to health care reform, keeping insurance costs down.

The fight over the federal minimum wage is coming to Baltimore. The head of the U.S. Department of Labor plans to swing into town Tuesday to talk to low-wage workers about how they make — or don't make — ends meet. Seth D. Harris, the agency's acting secretary, has crisscrossed the country for such events since President Barack Obama proposed in February that the minimum be raised from $7.25 an hour to $9. "The president during the State of the Union said that it's an outrage that in the richest country on earth that people are working full time and still living in poverty," Harris said in a telephone interview Monday.

Carroll Commissioner Julia W. Gouge is attending a conference in Asheville, N.C., to learn more about how governments can work together to save on insurance costs.Mrs. Gouge chairs the board of Maryland's Local Government Insurance Trust (LGIT), which provides pool insurance for counties and municipalities. She will be away today through Sunday.The conference is sponsored by the National League of Cities and will focus on risk information.Carroll County has saved about $35,000 a year on insurance costs since joining the trust, she said.

Blaming the cost to implement health care reform, the state's largest health insurer has proposed eye-popping rate increases to state regulators for individuals and small businesses. CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield wants to raise rates an average of 25 percent on those who buy coverage individually. Chet Burrell, the insurer's CEO, said the increase was needed to cover the cost of more sick people who will be joining the insurance rolls under health care reform. People with pre-existing conditions were denied coverage prior to health care reform, keeping insurance costs down.

Baltimore officials hope to draw more money from city-owned garages downtown, raising rates at garages on Caroline, Baltimore and West streets while adding a new monthly overnight plan at the St. Paul Street garage. The city's Board of Estimates is set to vote Wednesday on the proposal, which officials say is necessary to maintain the parking facilities. The Parking Authority of Baltimore City, which recommended the increases, said the new, cheaper option on St. Paul Street will make parking more affordable for people who live nearby.

After reading the GOP is returning once again to their outrageous voucher system for senior medical care plan ("Medicare next target of GOP," March 3), and reading Steven Brill's article about exploitive hospital charges published in Time magazine and listening while it was further discussed on the Diane Rehm Show last week, I feel certain of the answer to outrageous medical cost and poor health care outcomes. We should, as Mr. Brill suggests, open Medicare coverage to those under 65 willing to pay for the coverage at a cost somewhat below equivalent insurance costs.

The op-ed by Drs. Joshua M. Sharfstein and Laura Herrera and Charles Milligan ("Caring about costs, too," Sept. 27) offers a compelling set of recommendations to improve the quality of health care while reducing costs. Unfortunately, they neglected to describe the best single evidence-based practice - eliminating private health insurance. Private health insurance adds only costs, but no value, to the delivery of health services. A Cambridge Medical Care Foundation study found that 31 percent of health care spending in the U.S. - equal to more than $600 billion annually - pays for administration, marketing, and the profits of private insurance.

You failed to mention the CEO of Blue Cross Blue Shield, which is even sweeter than some of the hospital's CEO's where we, the subscribers, are paying for their lavish life styles while many of the seniors who are paying such outrageous premiums for this supplemental coverage, can hardly pay these premiums. We pay for their vacations while many seniors stay home because their limited incomes are being used for insurance, making many seniors insurance poor. Many seniors can attest to the continuing higher cost of their supplemental coverage when in fact they hardly pay nothing.

Glen Burnie Bancorp Thursday reported a fourth-quarter loss, largely due to higher federal insurance premiums and setting aside more money for loan losses. The bank holding company lost $210,000, or 8 cents per share, for the fourth quarter, compared with a profit of $1.38 million, or 47 cents per share, a year earlier. The company said in the fourth quarter of last year it increased the amount set aside for loan losses by about $1.05 million. It also saw a $308,000 increase in its federal insurance premiums, part of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.

APART from Washington, which discourages smoking while helping tobacco growers sell their product, America has reached a sane and honorable truce between smokers and non-smokers. However, a new wave of attacks on smokers has been launched and smokers are using laws to dig foxholes. The attacks come from employers trying to save money on high health insurance costs.Companies could cut insurance costs by promising that their employees won't ski, sky-dive or scuba dive. They could force workers to move out of high crime areas, but what about cholesterol -- should fat get someone fired?

Howard County schools Superintendent Sydney L. Cousin unveiled Thursday night a proposed $664.781 million operating budget for fiscal year 2011 - an increase of $8 million over the previous year's - despite a troubled economic climate. The amount is expected to increase after negotiations establish new contracts for four of the unions representing teachers, administrators and other staff in the school system. Although there is no exact date that the school system and unions have to finalize their agreements, the process is expected to be completed by the end of February, according to school system spokeswoman Patti Caplan.