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Towns Continue To Join MIIA Health Insurance Pool
SEPTEMBER 2001 - Plan Now Includes 20% Of Towns - Now in its ninth year of operation, the state's largest municipal health insurance pool, the Massachusetts Interlocal Insurance Association (MIIA) Health Benefits Trust, includes twenty percent of the municipalities in the Commonwealth. In addition to the 67 towns in the insurance pool, there are 21 water and regional school districts and similar governmental units participating as well.
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Local Retirees Question Physician Bills
JULY 2001 - Can My Doctor Charge Me Or Not? - Members, insured under a municipal health insurance plan, may have received a bill from their doctor and questioned why. “What I usually hear from the members is: ‘I never got a bill before and thought I never would,’” reports Insurance Coordinator Cheryl Stillman.This is typical because these members believed, and rightfully so, that there are state laws that ban physicians from charging them for the balance owed on a bill over the allowable rate. If a doctor bills $150 for a service and the allowable rate, set by Blue Cross/Blue Shield or Medicare, is $100, then the doctor cannot bill a patient, insured by BC/BS or a Medicare supplement plan, for the $50 balance over the allowable rate.
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Ban On Balance Billing Saves State Millions
JULY 2001 - GIC Uses Law To Set Market Rates - Nearly five years after the Association successfully battled the Mass Hospital Association and Medical Society to institute a ban on balance billing under the state’s insurance plans, the Group Insurance Commission has utilized the law (Chapter 80, Acts of 1996) to save nearly $85 million over the past three years.Chapter 80 was originally passed to prevent doctors, hospitals and other medical providers within Massachusetts from charging members, insured under the state plan, for the balance left unpaid by the GIC. Expanding on this prohibition, Chapter 80 has allowed the GIC to institute a Market Based Reimbursement System (MBRS) for paying medical providers.
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Despite Strong Interest Dental Plan Is Delayed
JULY 2001 - Crafting Affordable Coverage Proves Challenging - Members, who had hoped to have retiree dental benefits made available to them this year, will have to wait a little longer. The ambitious effort by the state Group Insurance Commission and the Association to craft a dental plan, to be implemented this July, has been delayed until July 1, 2002.It has been determined that, in order to develop an affordable dental plan, that can be purchased by a large number of retirees, more time will be needed. On the other hand, efforts are underway to offer discounted vision care to retirees beginning later this year.
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Dental Survey: Initial Results Show Strong Interest
MAY 2001 - For the past several months, the Association has been working closely with the state Group Insurance Commission and the consultant Boston Benefit Partners to develop a retiree dental/vision plan. A key component to this work is a survey of retirees, which is nearing completion.
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