By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS NY TIMES A state lawmaker proposed yesterday that New York create a $59 billion health insurance program that would cover everyone in the state and would probably be paid for through a tax increase. The plan, from Assemblyman Richard N. Gottfried, would generally replace the private health plans that now provide […]

Pediatrician won’t accept insurance; plans to offer exams for monthly fee MARY LANE GALLAGHER THE BELLINGHAM HERALD When Dr. Daniel Kowals set up his pediatric practice in downtown Bellingham, he threw the traditional medical payment structure out the window. Kowals won’t bill insurance companies for his patients’ appointments. Instead he’ll charge patients at the time […]

Http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com hicago dermatologist Candace Thrash isn’t a techie, but she does have her own interactive Web site for patients, something just half the nation’s physicians can say. On it, you can schedule or cancel an appointment, refill a prescription and print those tedious patient-history forms, which can be filled out at your leisure in Starbucks. […]

The Associated Press http://www.postgazette.com Harrisburg, PA — A spokesman says Gov. Ed Rendell won’t extend state aid to help doctors pay medical malpractice insurance bills unless lawmakers take action on his proposal to expand state health insurance for adults. The House and Senate are working on legislation that reduces the amount of money doctors must […]

By Robyn Monaghan Special to the Herald News http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com When Dr. Jeffrey J. Williams started practicing obstetrics and gynecology at Provena Saint Joseph Medical Center’s New Lenox office in August, there was no full-time ob-gyn in the town swelling with growing families. “There’s a ton of young families out here,” said Williams, 34, a recent […]

http://www.telegram.com Bill targets high insurance premiums for physicians With financial projections for Massachusetts’ fledgling health insurance rising sharply — and communities and businesses across the state groaning under the burden of ever-growing premiums — efforts on Beacon Hill to keep a lid on health care costs have taken on a new urgency. Timely action on […]

Doctors Co. Awarded Antitrust Clearance to Buy Insurer SCPIE Holdings for $281 Million Doctors Co., a physician-owned provider of medical-malpractice insurance, has received antitrust clearance to acquire SCPIE Holdings Inc. for about $281 million. The Federal Trade Commission said Thursday that it granted early termination on Wednesday of the waiting period required under the Hart-Scott-Rodino […]

Triangle Business Journal – by Chris Coletta http://www.bizjournals.com Medical Mutual Insurance Co., the state’s largest malpractice insurer, will pay the state $75,000 to settle allegations that it broke state law by investing in real estate partnerships meant to compensate top executives. The Raleigh company did not admit to any wrongdoing in the settlement and says […]

By Bruce Japsen | Tribune staff reporter Chicago Tribune An end to a rift that began almost four years ago between Advocate Health Care and managed-care giant UnitedHealth Group over payment rates will result in new pay-for-performance measures for Advocate doctors under a new contract announced last week by the insurer and the Chicago area’s […]