We all need a change of scenery sometimes, but that doesn’t necessarily mean our schedules allow us to indulge in our wanderlust for very long. Fortunately, we’ve got so many unique Airbnbs that we never have to travel far to satisfy that need to get away, even if just for a night or two. Whether you want to float in a crystal-clear pool to cool off or prefer spending balmy evenings sitting on the front porch, this waterfront Airbnb in Rhode Island promises a picture-perfect getaway.

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You’ll have access to several streaming services, including Netflix and Hulu.

View more photos and book your stay at this waterfront home in Tiverton on its official Airbnb page.

Would you stay at this waterfront Airbnb in Rhode Island? Or have you? Let us know in the comments! If you feel like dining out during your stay, dig into a scrumptious meal at Family Ties Restaurant, a family-friendly restaurant in Tiverton, Rhode Island.

Pack your hiking shoes, too, so if you feel like exploring outdoors, you can set off on one of the best hiking trails in Rhode Island.

With A Kid-Friendly Menu, This Incredible Restaurant In Rhode Island Is Perfect For Families

Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha repeated his calls to fix the state’s ailing health care system in a memo opposed to proposed health insurance premium hikes. The memo also contained thoughts on the subpar funding and financials of Rhode Island’s hospitals, which Neronha also discussed at length during a Health Care Summit at the Rhode Island State House on May 28, 2024, seen here. (Alexander Castro/Rhode Island Current)

Deny, deny, deny: That’s what Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha is asking the state’s health insurance commissioner to do with the premium hikes requested by a half dozen Rhode Island insurance companies for 2025.

Neronha’s office shared on Tuesday a letter to Cory King, who leads the state’s Office of the Health Insurance Commissioner (OHIC). In his letter, Neronha asks the commissioner to reject health insurers’ requested increases that “range from an arguably modest 2.5% to an astronomical 22.7%.”

Earlier this month, Neronha issued a memo opposing proposed 2025 rates by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Rhode Island, the only individual market insurer who submitted an increase more than 10% higher. Neronha’s latest critique is a blanket rejection of proposed increases for small- and large-group plans from six insurance companies.

Neronha being at odds with health insurers is nothing new — he recommended against requested rate hikes last year, too. King’s office approved most requested rates, albeit with a few percentage points shaved off, which still led to a savings of approximately $24 million. The commissioner is expected to release his office’s decision on this year’s proposed rates later this month.

The Office of Attorney General uses actuaries to analyze proposed rate increases and determine their feasibility. The health insurance commissioner also analyzes the rates, solicits public feedback and ultimately approves or denies the requested increases.

Neronha, whose job duties include consumer protection, wrote in his latest memo that actuarial recommendations might only scratch the surface of a deeper problem. 

“It is not the role of the Attorney General to simply advise whether the actuarial projections provided by an insurer can support requested rate increases; rather, it is incumbent upon the Attorney General to also determine whether such increases are warranted given the health care and economic landscape against which they are sought,” Neronha wrote. “[T]o put it bluntly, we have a system that is broken.”

Neronha pointed out in his memo that “despite significant collective” investment in the health care system, U.S. residents don’t get much bang for their buck, with life expectancy six years lower than in similar countries and subpar health outcomes for people of color. 

Another systemic problem, specific to Rhode Island: The health insurance commissioner only had jurisdiction over about 15% of Rhode Islanders, thanks to what Neronha calls “the fractured nature of our regulatory scheme.” King’s office reviews rates for only certain kinds of insurance. Self-insured employers who offer insurance via the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) are exempt because federal law dictates those arrangements. 

Still, Neronha added in a footnote that some health insurers have started to use this office’s tips on methodology, such as changing the data sources used for calculating manual rates, tweaking risk adjustment calculations or calculating small group rates based on comparable data from Massachusetts rather than Pennsylvania.  

“Yet, even when robust actuarial methods are followed, rate increases continue,” Neronha wrote. 

In response to Neronha’s latest critique, Blue Cross reiterated its previous statement: Rising prescription drug costs and higher utilization of medical services in the post-pandemic age ultimately led Blue Cross to an operating loss of $26 million in 2023, wrote spokesperson Jeremy Duncan in an email Thursday.

Spokespeople for both Neighborhood Health Plan and UnitedHealthcare had no comment on Neronha’s memo. The latter had the priciest request overall, with a proposed 22.7% hike on small group market rates. 

Neronha’s office did not respond to multiple requests for copies of its actuaries’ reports and recommendations.  

Any proposed rate increase over 10% requires review by the attorney general’s office, which is why Neronha targeted Blue Cross in his earlier comments and left alone Neighborhood, with its 5.6% increase. But the most expensive proposals — and the largest number of people whose premiums would be affected — are found in the proposed increases for small- and large-group plans offered by employers. 

Al Charbonneau, executive director of Rhode Island Business Group on Health (RIBGH), wrote in an emailed statement that the group “agrees with the Attorney General that our healthcare system, both in Rhode Island and across the country, is indeed broken…and we support the Attorney General’s call for more substantial changes.”

The rate increases should be rejected, Charbonneau wrote, as they contribute to an “unsustainable” and expensive situation for Rhode Island consumers. A recent brief from the group found that nearly 28% of median household income can now be attributed to Rhode Island’s commercial family premiums. 

“Our analysis shows that the delivery system is the major cause of increasing premiums, although all involved in the provision of services and insurance need to contribute more to affordability,” Charbonneau wrote. “RIBGH supports the idea of paying more to primary care physicians and nursing personnel but also calls for a thorough understanding of where the money was spent if it was not used to support nurses, for example.”

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PROVIDENCE — Rhode Islanders now have two main options when they die: traditional burial or cremation. But on the Rhode Island Report podcast, state Representative Michelle E. McGaw, a Portsmouth Democrat, detailed a third option: natural organic reduction of dead bodies, or human composting.

“I see this as a greener alternative,” McGaw said, explaining that traditional burial involves toxic chemicals and takes up increasingly scare open space, while cremation involves fossil fuels and produces significant carbon emissions. “For somebody who’s lived their life trying to foster the planet and the Earth around them,” she said, “this provides them with a different option.”

How does it work?

“The body, after death, is put into a large vessel and you add nutrients,” McGaw said. “So you might add some woodchips or some straw and some microbes, and it’s placed into the vessel. It’s sealed up and over time it decomposes similar to what would happen in the Earth, but it just happens at a faster rate.”

You end up with about a cubic yard of soil, she said.

In June, the House voted 51 to 21 for McGaw’s bill to legalize human composting in Rhode Island. The bill drew vehement opposition, enthusiastic support, and more than a few questions from perplexed legislators. While it passed in the House, the legislation never came to a vote in the Senate.

During the House debate, Representative Charlene M. Lima, a Cranston Democrat, opposed the bill, saying, “You will be sending a clear philosophical and religious message to your constituents on the value you place on human remains. You will be telling everyone that you, in this House view human remains as nothing more than any other form of refuge that we discard daily.”

On the podcast, McGaw said her response is that the state contains a diversity of religious beliefs. “And so while I respect her concerns and her religious values, I also understand that not everyone in Rhode Island shares the values that she has,” she said. “I also see this as a way to ultimately respect a person’s wishes when they pass.”

The bill drew support from legislators such as Representative Camille F.J. Vella-Wilkinson, a Warwick Democrat.

“We are not talking about turning people into ‘Soylent Green,’” Vella-Wilkinson said on the House floor. “We’re talking about people having a choice. This says to Rhode Island that your legislators really are willing to think outside of the box. “

McGaw said, “In a lot of my conversations with my colleagues, they were very receptive to the idea of just allowing their constituents to have an alternative.”

If the bill had become law, Rhode Island would have been the ninth state to allow human composting, she said. She plans to introduce the legislation again next year.

“I think we need to listen to our constituents and be responsive to the types of choices they’re looking for,” McGaw said. “We’re going to start seeing this across the country.”

She said some funeral homes have suggested she broaden the proposal to include alkaline hydrolysis, which she described as a water cremation process. Legislation introduced in Massachusetts has included both human composting and alkaline hydrolysis.

McGaw said she isn’t just introducing the legislation — she’s hoping to use the process herself.

“My husband and I have discussed this,” she said. “We are both avid fans and would love for this to be available to us when we pass.”

To get the latest episode each week, follow Rhode Island Report podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and other podcasting platforms, or listen in the player above.

Edward Fitzpatrick can be reached at edward.fitzpatrick@globe.com. Follow him @FitzProv.