Results tagged “healthinsurance”

The government of Massachusetts has provided us with a website with which to look up Our Health Care Options. Problem is, in Massachusetts, you don't really have any--unless you have a job or are wealthy. Mandatory health insurance is really not the same as health care for everyone. If you're not covered by your employer or able to afford your own insurance, you're stuck with the state, likely paying at least $150 a month of money you don't have. Insurance inanities aside, the new site is actually a pretty useful tool (although we haven't been able to get results for any health care providers yet), providing ratings and cost information and comparisons for hospitals and doctors around Massachusetts. Secretary of Health and Human Services Dr. JudyAnn Bigby says, "our hope is that the website will empower consumers to spend health care dollars more efficiently and motivate providers to improve quality and decrease their costs." It's a helpful step, but it's far from a magic wand to heal our health care system.

The Globe reports on Massachusetts joining the medical revolution with the opening of a CVS in-store clinic in Medway. Nurse practitioners are on hand at these clinics to give vaccinations and treat "minor acute illnesses." As people rush to get flu shots this fall, the clinics will also be able to help. It's $59 a visit, which is more than a copay but less than a real doctor bill, and you don't have to make an appointment or wait for hours. The clinics are open 8am to 8pm weekdays and 10am to 4pm on weekends. After Medway, they're set to open in Bridgewater, Danvers, Taunton, and Tewksbury. Guess Bostonians will be going the regular medical route for a while. The clinics are licensed by the Department of Public Health.

The adult smoking rate among adults in Massachusetts decreased 8% in 2007 from its 2006 rate. 16.4% of Mass. adults smoked in 2007, compared to 27.8% in 1986. Studies suggest that health concerns and mandatory health insurance (including state-funded help with quitting) were the largest factors in effecting the decrease. Smoking rates also decreased among teens, from 20.5% in 2006 to 17.7% in 2007. Congrats to those who've succeeded in quitting.

--Only five percent of the commonwealth's taxpayers went uninsured after the new law requiring health insurance went into effect. [WBZ]

There are lot of things to dislike about the waiting room at your doctor's office—germy fellow patients, antiquated reading material, a complete lack of shampoo and energy drinks for sale. CVS will be able to rectify at least the last issue after regulations approved yesterday by the state's Public Health Council will allow the corporation to place small medical centers within its stores.