Rhode Island Press Coverage
- August 17, 2010 | from The Providence Journal Blue Cross decides to withdraw from RIteCare program Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island is pulling out of RIteCare after 16 years as a health-plan provider for the state-run Medicaid program.
- August 15, 2010 | from The Providence Journal Latino market in Providence gets a healthier food makeover Providence Healthy Corner Store Initiative, a movement to increase consumption of nutritious foods in poorer neighborhoods by making healthy foods more available and more visible in the convenience stores and small markets that many residents rely upon.
- August 12, 2010 | from The Providence Journal RI Blue Cross opens plan for the sick, uninsured PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Uninsured Rhode Islanders who have chronic illnesses may now apply for health-care coverage under a new program financed through the federal health-care overhaul.
- July 19, 2010 | from Providence Business News R.I. high-risk pool health insurance plan starts Oct. 1, with sign-up starting Aug. 15 Rhode Island's high-risk pool health insurance plan, subsidized by a federal fund created as part of health care reform, is expected to start enrolling members on Aug. 15 for coverage to begin Oct. 1, Health Insurance Commissioner Christopher F. Koller said last week.
- June 01, 2010 | from The Providence Journal Kids Count says prevention is lacking in R.I. A recent report from Rhode Island Kids Count indicates that in Rhode Island there are still millions of dollars spent on psychiatric hospitalizations but little access to preventive programs.
- May 19, 2010 | from The Providence Journal RI General Assembly takes testimony on proposed sugary drink tax The RI General Assembly held a hearing Tuesday on a bill that would levy a 5-cent tax on soft drinks, 10 cents on each drink larger than 20 ounces.
- May 18, 2010 | from The Providence Journal Hearing set on bill to impose tax on sugar-added soft drinks in RI One week after a White House task force suggested that raising taxes on sugary drinks might help combat childhood obesity, Rhode Island's House Finance Committee will hold a hearing on a bill that would levy a new tax on soda.
- April 22, 2010 | from The Providence Journal R.I. House panel may trim ‘safety net’ programs Anxious to find budget savings anywhere it can, a key legislative panel Wednesday afternoon refocused its attention on Rhode Island's social safety net, a network of state-subsidized programs that serve tens of thousands of children, adults with disabilities and elderly residents.
- April 16, 2010 | from The Johnston Sunrise Kids Count seeing impact of recession on children Kids are starting to feel the impact of the recession.That is the conclusion Elizabeth Burke Bryant, executive director of Rhode Island Kids Count, offers after looking through the volume of information generated in the 2010 Rhode Island Kids Count Factbook.
- March 26, 2010 | from The Providence Journal Bill would require R.I. insurers to cover autism treatment State Rep. Peter G. Palumbo, D-Cranston, has introduced legislation that would require health insurers to cover a variety of treatments for autism prescribed by a physician or psychologist
- March 22, 2010 | from The Providence Journal 140,000 in R.I. have no health insurance, the highest level ever The number of people in Rhode Island without health insurance has reached its highest level ever -- 16 percent of the population or 140,000 people this month, according to a new study.
- February 25, 2010 | from The Providence Journal Could R.I. reform health care on its own? Rhode Island can make changes in the health-care system that would help patients and reduce costs.
- February 08, 2010 | from NBC 10 News Hospital gives kids a reason to smile The seventh annual national Give Kids a Smile Day was celebrated at Rhode Island Hospital Friday. Hundreds of underserved and underinsured children throughout Rhode Island received dental care at the day-long event.
- February 02, 2010 | from The Providence Journal Medicaid enrollment, costs on rise in Rhode Island The state's Medicaid rolls grew by more than 1,000 people a month during the second half of 2009, shooting upward as more Rhode Islanders turned to the state for help after losing their jobs and their health insurance.
- December 08, 2009 | from The Providence Journal Stimulus money to expand Early Head Start services An under-financed federal program designed to help low-income families - infants, toddlers, new mothers and pregnant women - will expand in Rhode Island over the next two years because of an infusion of more than $1.6 million in federal stimulus money.
- October 27, 2009 | from The Providence Journal Group works on health bill in R.I. Even as Congress battles over how to overhaul the nation’s health-care system, a little-known Rhode Island coalition is moving ahead with its own home-grown reform plan for this state.
- September 11, 2009 | from The Providence Journal Dr. Elizabeth B. Lange, head of R.I. chapter American Academy of Pediatrics: ‘I was cheering’ Lange welcomed President Obama’s speech and the prospect of change. “As a physician, I was cheering,” she said. “Everything he said was right on target.”
- September 11, 2009 | from The Provdience Journal Number of uninsured R.I. children holds steady The number of uninsured children in Rhode Island remained steady, despite rising foreclosures and one of the nation's highest unemployment rates.
- September 03, 2009 | from The Providence Journal Langevin gets warm response from health-care advocates Rep. James R. Langevin attended an event organized by the Service Employees International Union with groups working to counter opposition to health care reform.
- August 17, 2009 | from The Providence Journal Langevin, Whitehouse plan health-care “town hall” events Congressman James R. Langevin and Senator Sheldon Whitehouse have scheduled public forums on health care reform in the coming weeks.
- July 29, 2009 | from Providence Business News Children’s lot in R.I. improves in 2008 Rhode Island ranked 15th in the nation in overall children’s well-being in a nationwide report released by Kids Count today.
- July 28, 2009 | from The Providence Journal Sheldon Whitehouse: Why a public option matters in health reform Our public plan, called the Community Health Insurance Option, will be a truly comprehensive benefit package.
- July 06, 2009 | from RI.gov AG Lynch & Children’s Health Forum say statewide lead safety program on target to remediate 600 low-income units by 2012 Saying that the remediation phase of the statewide lead safety program under the auspices of the Healthy Kids Collaborative (HKC) is firmly in place, Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch was today joined by community leaders vested in the fight to alleviate childhood lead poisoning to provide a progress report on the program.
- June 25, 2009 | from Medical News Today Rhode Island Dept. Of Health Applauds New Tobacco Law, USA The Rhode Island Department of Health (HEALTH) recognizes and applauds the significant public health achievement of The Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act being signed into law. This new law gives the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) the authority to regulate tobacco products.
- June 10, 2009 | from The Providence Journal Senate confirms Alexander as state’s chief of health and human services The state’s acting chief of health and human services, Gary Alexander, won Senate confirmation to the job on Tuesday.
- May 16, 2009 | from The Providence Journal State to get funds for immunizations U.S. Sen. Jack Reed on Friday announced that Rhode Island would receive $800,000 in federal stimulus money to boost immunizations.
- April 06, 2009 | from The Providence Journal Holes getting bigger in Rhode Island’s safety net for children As the state grapples with its biggest financial crisis in a generation, the safety net for Rhode Island’s poor children is badly frayed, even as the number of children living in poverty increases.
- March 30, 2009 | from The Woonsocket Call Legislators, advocates rally for ‘Cover the Uninsured Week’ Marking national “Cover the Uninsured Week,” a group of liberal legislators and allied organizations stood in the cold rain outside the Statehouse Thursday to support efforts to expand RIte Care and other programs that provide health coverage for children and low income families.
- March 30, 2009 | from The Woonsocket Call RIte care ‘generics only’ rule prompts opposition The “generics only” rule for RIte Care was passed last June as part of the state budget in an effort to save money and defray a deficit.
- March 13, 2009 | from The Providence Business News Coderre bill would create ‘All Kids Health Insurance Program’ State Rep. Elaine A. Coderre, D-Pawtucket, has introduced a bill that would extend a program called RIte Track, a payer-of-last-resort system for children up to age 19, and establish a new “All Kids Health Insurance Program” to bring another 1,000 to 2,000 children into RIte Care.
- February 07, 2009 | from Providence Business News Health plan cuts kids’ hospital stays As RIte Care faces another wave of expected cuts due to the state budget crisis, a study of how the program has worked to reduce children’s mental-health hospitalizations shows what many see as a promising sign.
- February 05, 2009 | from Providence Business News S-CHIP expansion keeps 12,500 R.I. kids covered The State Children’s Health Insurance Program (S-CHIP) legislation signed last week by President Barack Obama will increase Rhode Island’s available allotment in federal aid from $13.2 million to $69.5 million, allowing the state to preserve coverage for 12,500 children on RIte Care and to expand CHIP coverage further, U.S. Sen. Jack Reed said.
- February 02, 2009 | from NCSL State Health Notes Rhode Island Lawmakers Adopt Strict Oversight of the Nation's First Global Medicaid Waiver On January 16, one of the most audacious state Medicaid experiments ever went into effect. Rhode Island accepted an aggregate cap on federal Medicaid funds in exchange for broad authority to change eligibility standards and benefits.
- January 21, 2009 | from The New York Times Rhode Island to Test Medicaid Spending Cap Rhode Island will be the first state to cap overall spending on Medicaid in an experiment starting early this year, a result of a controversial deal between Gov. Donald L. Carcieri and the Bush administration.
- January 16, 2009 | from The Providence Journal State Medicaid waiver going through Rhode Island will become the first state in the nation granted unprecedented federal authority to overhaul health insurance programs for its neediest residents.
- January 15, 2009 | from The Providence Journal Path cleared for Medicaid waiver plan House Speaker William J. Murphy said yesterday that his chamber will not vote to block a controversial overhaul of the Medicaid system, a decision that gives the Carcieri administration power to begin reshaping Rhode Island's health insurance program for the elderly, poor and disabled as soon as Monday.
- January 11, 2009 | from The Providence Journal Patients, dentists fear loss of Medicaid coverage State lawmakers are considering an agreement with the federal government to cap Medicaid spending over the next five years. In return, the federal government would lift some of the regulations that now govern Medicaid coverage. Dental coverage for adults — which is “optional” under the current Medicaid program — stands as an easy target.
- January 09, 2009 | from The Providence Jounral Large crowd expected for Medicaid waiver hearing State House hearings begin at 10 a.m. today on an agreement that would release the state from long-standing federal mandates for government-financed health care for 180,000 elderly, poor and disabled Rhode Islanders.
- December 09, 2008 | from The Providence Journal State, Medicaid accord seen near Rhode Island could have a landmark deal in place with federal Medicaid officials by the end of the week.
- September 15, 2008 | from The New York Times - Editorial Gambling With Medicaid Gov. Donald Carcieri, a Republican, is hoping to close his state’s looming budget deficits and curb rising Medicaid costs, two problems that are bedeviling many states. But prudent leaders would be wise to watch what happens — and especially what happens to Rhode Island’s poorest residents — before following this path.
- September 10, 2008 | from The Washington Independent State Shortfall Met With Medicaid Cuts A Rhode Island proposal to tackle state budget shortfalls by limiting Medicaid funding threatens to leave the state’s most vulnerable populations without access to health services, according to some Democrats and low-income health-care advocates.
- August 28, 2008 | from The Providence Journal Sustainable Medicaid reform for R.I. Rhode Island is taking the lead in Medicaid reform. Any risk that represents is less of a risk than keeping the status quo. The Rhode Island Global Consumer Choice Compact Waiver will ensure the long-term viability of Medicaid, create program integrity and financial stability, protect the individuals it serves and create a stronger, more responsive system.
- August 22, 2008 | from BNA's Health Care Daily Lawmakers Call for More Public Input On Waivers, Cite Concerns With R.I. Proposal The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services must increase the level of transparency it employs when reviewing proposed changes to states' Medicaid programs or else harmful policies could be implemented, Senate Finance Committee leaders said Aug. 21, citing a recent application from Rhode Island as a prime example of their concerns.
