Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!news.media.mit.edu!americast.com!usa-post Newsgroups: usa-today.insur From: usa-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: usa-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: insur Thu, Apr 2 1992 Date: Thu, 2 Apr 92 05:44:59 EST Message-ID: 04-02 0000 DECISIONLINE: Insurance USA TODAY Update April 2, 1992 Source: USA TODAY:Gannett National Information Network DEMOCRATS UNVEIL BENEFITS PLAN: House Democrats Wednesday unveiled a $10 billion measure that extends benefits again for the long-term unemployed and allows more jobless people to qualify for them. It would give people who've used up their coverage an extra 13 or 20 weeks of coverage. Benefits from two similar measures enacted since November will expire by July. CHILES SIGNS HEALTH ACCESS BILL: A health-care bill designed to assure Floridians access to basic and preventive health care was signed into law last week by Gov. Lawton Chiles. The Florida Health Care Reform Act would mandate health care access to unemployed, poor or low-income working residents by December 1994. BILL NEEDS GOVERNMENT APPROVAL: Implementation of Florida's health-care plan signed by Gov. Lawton Chiles depends on the federal government because it requires the waiver of at least eight federal regulations governing health-care funding. Proponents of the plan say it would greatly expand eligibility for Medicaid participation, as well as encourage enrollment of Medicaid recipients into managed-care programs. HOUSE PANEL TO BACK MINERS: Rep. Nick J. Rahall, D-W.Va., opened a second front on behalf of retired coal miners Wednesday when he convinced the Democratic majority on the House Interior Committee to agree to a plan to save miners' health benefits. His proposal and others to help the coal industry will be considered next week by the full committee as it debates its portion of new energy legislation. (For more, see special Miners package below.) MINNESOTA TO VOTE ON HEALTH PLAN: Minnesota legislative leaders have reached tentative agreement on a $200 million-a-year plan to extend basic health insurance to the state's uninsured residents. The state's sweeping Health Right Plan is expected to be fully in place by January 1994. A vote in the Legislature is expected next week. TEXAS REGULATION OPPOSED: A Texas State Board of Insurance-proposed regulation concerning insurer reporting of expenses paid for expert witnesses fees in workers compensation cases was opposed by the Alliance of American Insurers during a recent hearing. The board voted unanimously not to include that reporting category in the information that will be required in this month's data call. JEFFERSON-PILOT LOSES CASE: Chief Judge Richard C. Erwin of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina Tuesday ruled against Jefferson-Pilot Corp. in a proxy fraud case brought by Louise Price Parsons against JP and its officers and directors. The court said JP's 1990 proxy statement was false and misleading regarding millions of dollars of stock to be granted to JP officers and directors. ILLINOIS PLAN TO PROFILE DOCTORS: Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois is developing computerized physician profiles to measure the price and performance of virtually every doctor in the state. Officials say they'll ask doctors whose practice patterns fall outside the normal range of their peers to explain their behavior. HEALTH SPENDING BOOSTS DEFICIT: This year's federal budget deficit will be a record $362 billion, driven by the enormous and rapidly growing federal spending on health care. The Congressional Budget Office's forecast shows that the cost of Medicare will soar from $128 billion this year to $301 billion in the year 2000. Medicaid costs will more than double, from $68 billion this year to $180 billion in 2000. SPECIAL PACKAGE ON MINERS: CONTRIBUTING COMPANIES DEFUNCT: Rep. Nick J. Rahall's proposals would extend through 2010 the current tax paid by coal companies to provide the money to reclaim abandoned mine lands and divert some of that income to a new fund created to pay for retirees' health care benefits. Existing United Mine Workers of America health care funds are running low because many companies have gone out of business or have quit paying. PLAN DIFFERS FROM BCOA PROPOSAL: Rahall's plan differs significantly from the compromise proposed by the UMWA and the Bituminous Coal Operators Association that would impose new taxes on coal production to pay for those health benefits. West Virginia's Democratic Sen. Jay Rockefeller added that compromise to the recent Senate tax bill, but it died along with the bill when President Bush vetoed it. RULING WILL COME SOON: A federal judge will soon decide whether to order companies to replenish the retirees' health fund, but a favorable ruling won't eliminate the need for his plan, said Rahall. Besides his health-care proposal, Rahall's subcommittee proposed prohibiting the issuance of any new federal coal leases to domestic companies that are importing coal from foreign countries. (End of package.) Insurance Editor: Michele Coleman. (1-919-855-3491) Making copies of USA TODAY Update (Copyright, 1992) for further distribution violates federal law. This article is copyright 1992 Gannett News Service. Redistribution to other sites is not permitted except by arrangement with American Cybercasting Corporation. For more information, send-email to usa@AmeriCast.COM