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Mixed Messages On Direction Of Health Care Spending

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Mixed Messages On Direction Of Health Care Spending

By JORDAN RAU, KHN— Two new studies assert that the country’s unusual slowdown in health care spending growth rates may be due more to structural changes in the health care system than to the lagging economy, and could continue even after business picks up. National health care spending grew by 3.9% a year between 2009 […]

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Health Care Insurance Marketplace Call Centers Creating 9K Jobs

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Health Care Insurance Marketplace Call Centers Creating 9K Jobs

By PHIL GALEWITZ, KHN— The federal health care law derided as a “job-killer” by critics will create an estimated 9,000 jobs in 14 states this summer to handle consumer inquiries about new online insurance marketplaces. The jobs are through Vangent, a General Dynamics subsidiary, which was awarded a $530 million one-year contract by the federal government to […]

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EPI Analysis: Time To Raise The U.S. Minimum Wage

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EPI Analysis: Time To Raise The U.S. Minimum Wage

Economic Policy Institute Analysis: Time To Raise The U.S. Minimum Wage Analyzing the recent federal minimum wage proposals: $10.10, $9.00, and $9.80– Raising the minimum wage to $10.10 would give working families and the economy a much-needed boost An in-depth analysis of the impact raising the federal minimum to $10.10 would have, detailing the demographic breakdown of […]

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Vangent Gets $28 Million Call Center Contract For Health Insurance Marketplace

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Vangent Gets $28 Million Call Center Contract For Health Insurance Marketplace

By PHIL GALEWITZ, KHN—The federal government has awarded a $28.2 million contract to a General Dynamics subsidiary to run a call center to handle consumer questions about the new online health insurance marketplaces that are slated to begin selling insurance policies Oct. 1, 2013. The call center will be responsible for all inquiries related to the insurance marketplaces […]

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Average Starting Salary For New College Grads Up 5.3%

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Average Starting Salary For New College Grads Up 5.3%

The average starting salary for new college graduates earning bachelor’s degrees has increased 5.3% from last year, according to a new report by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE). NACE’s April 2013 Salary Survey — the first look at starting salaries for the Class of 2013 — found that the average starting salary […]

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Consumer Groups: Patients May Face Big Out-Of-Pocket Health Care Costs

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Consumer Groups: Patients May Face Big Out-Of-Pocket Health Care Costs

 By JULIE APPLEBY, KHN Staff Writer— Some consumers may continue to face out-of-pocket health care expenses of $12,500 or more next year – double the amount allowed by the health law – because the Obama administration won’t enforce that provision for some plans for another year. “This is a very important consumer protection that is being […]

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HHS Seeks $1.5B For Federal Health Insurance Exchanges

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HHS Seeks $1.5B For Federal Health Insurance Exchanges

By MARY AGNES CAREY, KHN Staff Writer— The Obama administration, rebuffed earlier this year by Republicans, is trying once again to convince Congress to provide more funding for the health law’s health insurance exchanges, which are set to begin enrollment this fall. According to figures released in the fiscal 2014 budget request Wednesday, the administration estimates that the federal […]

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Financial Co-Operatives: Safe Bet In A Banking Crisis

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Financial Co-Operatives: Safe Bet In A Banking Crisis

ILO News– Financial co-operatives out-performed traditional investor-owned banks during the global financial crisis on almost every rating level, according to a new International Labour Organization  study. The study, titled Resilience in a downturn: The power of financial co-operatives, says customer-owned banks were much more stable and more efficient than the big traditional banks. “Financial co-operative” is […]

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Party On Class Of 2013: Real World Offers Dim Job Prospects, Low Wages

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Party On Class Of 2013: Real World Offers Dim Job Prospects, Low Wages

Bummer job prospects and deflating wages await most of the graduating class of 2013, a new report finds. The Great Recession and its aftermath have decimated job prospects and earnings for young workers, a new Economic Policy Institute  (EPI) report shows. In The Class of 2013: Young Graduates Still Face Dim Job Prospects, EPI researchers Heidi […]

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Insurers Battle For Federal Employees Health Care Coverage

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Insurers Battle For Federal Employees Health Care Coverage

By PHIL GALEWITZ, KHN Staff Writer— Two of the nation’s leading forces in health insurance — UnitedHealthcare and the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association – faced off Thursday before Congress in a battle for control of the $47 billion program that covers 8 million federal employees, retirees and their families. UnitedHealthcare wants to change a […]

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