By Steve Crane | Editor-in-chief
“This could mean thousands of dollars in additional annual expenses, and it could really impact their retirement savings as a whole…. For Maryland seniors, long-term care insurance represents decades of investment that was intended to protect their life savings, serve their independence and reduce the burden on family caregivers. Some of these folks have been paying premiums for 15, 20 or even 30 years.” - Nancy Carr, of AARP Maryland, on steep rate increase requests for long-term care insurance filed with the state by four insurance companies.
Welcome back to Monday. You would be entitled to have a case of the Mondays if you were the holder of a long-term health insurance policy, or an immigrant family with kids who need a visit to the doctor.
Four insurance companies have asked state regulators for approval of rate increases on their long-term care policies that could double or even triple premiums over the next few years, as people are living longer and claiming more from the policies. Company officials say the increases are needed to preserve coverage for those enrolled, but state officials seemed skeptical, as keep Danielle J. Brown reports.
Fewer children of immigrant families are showing up for regular healthcare, apparently afraid of getting caught up in an immigration crackdown, according to a national survey of doctors by the American Academy of Pediatrics. The same appears to be true for enrollment in Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program and food stamps, the survey found. Nada Hassanein has that story.
Those headlines and more, plus commentary and the news of the past week, are below to ease you back into the working week. Enjoy!
Maryland Insurance Commissioner Marie Grant sits on a panel to discuss insurance with Maryland legislators earlier this summer. (Photo by Danielle J. Brown/Maryland Matters)
By Danielle J. Brown
Thousands of Maryland seniors paying for long-term health care could see their annual premiums double, or triple, over the next several years if state officials approve the steep increases requested by four Maryland insurance companies last week.
On Thursday, representatives from the insurance companies told state officials that premium rate increases were needed due to greater than anticipated utilization of benefits and lower mortality among participants.
Some 12,600 Maryland seniors could see higher annual costs over the next few years with proposed premium increases between the four companies ranging from an 39% to 242% depending on policy and company. If approved, most increases would occur over several years, with an annual increase jumping no higher than 15% a year.
But company officials said the increases are needed to preserve the care. People are living longer and claiming more than anticipated, they said, and action now will allow for “more predictable premium adjustments, preserving access to meaningful mitigation options and reducing the risk that unaddressed actuarial deficiencies will … result in the need for more significant increases in the future.”
Four in 10 pediatricians surveyed by the American Academy of Pediatrics report immigrant families retreating from healthcare for their kids amid President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown. (Photo courtesy of Treasure Coast Community Health Center)
By Nada Hassanein
Four in 10 pediatricians reported kids in immigrant families are avoiding coming in for healthcare out of concerns around immigration status, according to a new survey published Tuesday.
More than 1,600 pediatricians responded between April and June to the survey by American Academy of Pediatrics researchers. Pediatricians were asked whether over the past year, their patients or the families they care for avoided seeking medical care for their child due to concerns around the immigration status of a household member. They were also asked the same about sending kids to school and about applying for safety net programs such as Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program or food stamps.
On average, pediatricians reported that about a quarter of their patients are in immigrant families. Forty percent of pediatricians reported those families avoided seeking medical care for their child out of concern for the patient or family’s immigration status. Thirty-one percent of the surveyed physicians reported immigrant families avoided applying for government programs. Just over a fifth reported that families had avoided sending their child to school.
IN OTHER NEWS
A shift in housing policy: The Trump administration wants localities to prioritize "treatment-first" policies, such as sober living, cooperation with law enforcement and more temporary housing, a reversal from a decade-long "housing first" approach.
Montgomery police chief steps down: Montgomery County Police Chief Marc Yamada resigned after a report by the county’s Office of the Inspector General detailing multiple accounts of misconduct by someone identified only as a police executive.
Bad numbers for ospreys: Osprey breeding continues to falter around the Chesapeake Bay, a new survey has found, with the meager hatching and survival of chicks this year well below what is needed to maintain the population.
TODAY'S COMMENTARY
Gov. Wes Moore has given mixed signals on the Federal Scholarship Tax Credit, but the state has to opt in if it wants to take advantage, and it should, writes Jorge Elorza, who says that doing otherwise is just leaving money on the table that could help schoolkids.
MATTERS YOU MAY HAVE MISSED
Civil rights icons reflect: Civil rights icon Andrew Young was welcomed as a "legend" at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation conference, for his work passing the Voting Rights Act and Civil Rights Act -- landmark legislation increasingly under attack.
Data center dance: Reining in data centers is the rare issued backed by Democrats, the GOP and voters, and the House recently passed a bill to do just that. But critics say there's much more to be done, and President Donald Trump remains a vocal center supporter.
Confident on Question 3: Gov. Wes Moore said he believes Marylanders will “overwhelmingly" support Question 3 this fall, the proposed constitutional question on the ballot this fall that would change the way congressional districts are drawn.
A view from outer space: There have been fewer than 20 Black astronauts in NASA history, but two of them were at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation conference Friday, touting space exploration and urging Black youth to think about careers in space.
MOST-READ STORIES OF THE WEEK
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