Woonsocket Radio News Room

 

Senator Pearson reintroduces primary care rate review

 

STATE HOUSE — Sen. Ryan W. Pearson (D-Dist. 19, Cumberland, Lincoln) today reintroduced legislation requiring the Office of Health Insurance Commissioner to conduct a full review of Medicaid rates for primary care services. 

A key element of the 2024 Senate healthcare package, senators continue to prioritize primary care as critical to the overall quality and cost management of our healthcare system. 

The legislation would require the health insurance commissioner to make recommendations regarding Rhode Island Medicaid rates for primary care services by Sept. 1, 2026 in the same manner as previously completed for social and human services programs. The assembly has prioritized these Medicaid rate recommendations in the budget process over the last several legislative sessions. 

Top co-sponsors include health committee leaders Senators Pamela J. Lauria (D-Dist. 32, Barrington, Bristol, East Providence), Bridget Valverde (D-Dist. 35, East Greenwich, North Kingstown, South Kingstown), Linda L. Ujifusa (D-Dist. 11, Portsmouth, Bristol) and Alana DiMario (D-Dist. 36, North Kingstown, Narragansett, New Shoreham). 

“Most thought leaders agree, the largest barrier to attracting and keeping enough primary care providers in Rhode Island is the lower rates insurance pays for these services particularly compared to our neighbors. Making these rates more competitive will go a long way to making sure every Rhode Islander has access to a primary care provider,” said Senator Lauria.

“Investments in Medicaid over the last several budget cycles have been a top priority. It is imperative we continue the investments now prioritizing primary care. Not only critical to ensure access to primary care services, investments in Medicaid directly improve the financial condition of Rhode Island healthcare networks and control individual and business health care premiums,” said Senator Pearson.                               

President Trump is touting the "great meeting" he had with New York Mayor elect Zohran Mamdani at the White House. It was all smiles as the two spoke to reporters from the Oval Office, with Trump saying he feels very confident Mamdani will do a effective job. He added that the better Mamdani does, the happier he is because he loves New York. Both men brushed off questions about trading insults when Mamdani was running for office.        President Trump says he wants a group of Democrats to be punished, but not put to death. Trump was asked by Fox News' Brian Kilmeade about his post saying a group of Democrats should be tried for "seditious behavior, punishable by death" for a video they made, telling military members to ignore orders issued by Trump if they're illegal. Trump said those Democrats did a "horrible" thing.        The Coast Guard is clarifying its policy regarding hate symbols. In a policy released late Thursday, the Coast Guard said, "divisive or hate symbols and flags are prohibited" and added that includes nooses, swastikas "and any symbols or flags co-opted or adopted by hate-based groups." This comes after multiple reports said the Coast Guard was moving to label such symbols as "potentially divisive." A policy that was put in place in 2019 had called the display of symbols like swastikas and nooses "a potential hate incident."        Wall Street is closing higher to end the week. Stocks rebounded from Thursday's sell-off after New York Federal Reserve President John Williams said he expects the central bank has more room to lower interest rates. Even with Friday's gains, the three major averages chalked up weekly losses of one percent or more. At the closing bell, the Dow Jones gained 493 points to 46-245.        Millions of Amazon Prime customers will get refunds as a result of the company's two-point-five-billion-dollar settlement with the Federal Trade Commission. You should get an email from Amazon asking you to claim the money through Paypal or Venmo if you're entitled to an automatic refund. Or you can choose to get a check in the mail. This applies to people who enrolled in Prime between June 2019 and June 2025, and didn't use the service more than three times in a year.        "Wicked: For Good" is already going gangbusters at the box office. The sequel to last year's smash hit earned 30-point-eight-million dollars from preview screenings. That surpasses "Superman" for the biggest pre-opening total this year. "Wicked: For Good" is expected to challenge April's "A Minecraft Movie" for the biggest opening of the year by bringing in somewhere between 150-and-180-million dollars this weekend.       

Old News Archives