Rhode Island
Neronha says Rhode Islanders not receiving affordable healthcare after Blue Cross Blue Shield price hikes | ABC6
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — Attorney General Peter Neronha said that Rhode Islanders are not receiving “affordable and accessible” after Blue Cross Blue Shield of Rhode Island released its proposed price increases for 2025.
In a brief where he represents “consumers of insurance” in the state Neronha said that the company is seeking a 14.3% increase in rates, which when combined with the “combined 21.6%” increase since 2019, is a nearly 40% increase over seven years.
The Attorney General added that the increase in rates would affect more than 17,500 individuals in the state.
“This premium increase is staggering, unfair, and certainly does not reflect enhanced accessibility,” Neronha said.
Blue Cross Blue Shield said that the proposed rates “reflect ongoing increases in the cost of healthcare,” which the insurer said are driven by prescription prices and a nationwide surge in medical service usage.
Neronha’s full statement can be read below:
Rhode Islanders deserve affordable and accessible health care, and right now they are receiving neither. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Rhode Island is statutorily required to provide reasonably priced health insurance, and yet the company is seeking an average increase of 14.3% affecting more than 17,500 individual market plan consumers. In a vacuum, this is a significant increase, but when you consider that BCBSRI has sought and received a combined 21.6% increase since 2019, we’re now looking at nearly 40% in seven years. This premium increase is staggering, unfair, and certainly does not reflect enhanced accessibility.
Our state’s health care system is broken, overburdened by the loss of primary care physicians and other primary care providers, and an aging workforce. My office hears from Rhode Islanders who struggle to find a PCP, and if they can find one, they have a hard time getting an appointment. And yet, insurance companies continue to pursue dramatic rate hikes even as the health care they insure moves further and further out of reach for many Rhode Islanders.
Health care in Rhode Island is in desperate need of systemic reform. Unless and until this changes, I will not support significant insurance rate increases.
Blue Cross Blue Shield’s full statement can be found below:
Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island has filed proposed 2025 rates with the Office of the Health Insurance Commissioner (OHIC) for small and large group customers and for the individual market.
The proposed rates reflect ongoing increases in the cost of healthcare driven by soaring prescription drugs costs and a widely reported nationwide surge in the utilization of medical services post-pandemic. In 2023, BCBSRI’s claims for medical services increased $85 million from the previous year while claims for pharmaceuticals jumped $75 million, resulting in an operating loss of $26 million. The elevated health care cost trends have continued into 2024.
BCBSRI is committed to leading access to high-quality, affordable and equitable healthcare.
(WJAR) — Rhode Island leaders will announce millions in funding for road improvements in Aquidneck Island on Monday.
Members of the Rhode Island Congressional Delegation will announce $19,250,000 in federal funding for the project.
File image of traffic in Aquidneck Island. (WJAR)
It’s meant to improve road and sidewalk conditions on the island.
This will include high-visibility crosswalks to improve pedestrian safety.
JOIN THE CONVERSATION (1)
Senator Jack Reed, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, and Congressman Gabe Amo are expected to attend.
The Rhode Island Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at June 28, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Numbers numbers from June 28 drawing
Midday: 7-7-1-0
Evening: 6-7-5-2
Check Numbers payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Wild Money numbers from June 28 drawing
04-05-07-13-32, Extra: 18
Check Wild Money payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from June 28 drawing
04-11-31-54-58, Bonus: 03
Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your prize
- Prizes less than $600 can be claimed at any Rhode Island Lottery Retailer. Prizes of $600 and above must be claimed at Lottery Headquarters, 1425 Pontiac Ave., Cranston, Rhode Island 02920.
- Mega Millions and Powerball jackpot winners can decide on cash or annuity payment within 60 days after becoming entitled to the prize. The annuitized prize shall be paid in 30 graduated annual installments.
- Winners of the Millionaire for Life top prize of $1,000,000 a year for life and second prize of $100,000 a year for life can decide to collect the prize for a minimum of 20 years or take a lump sum cash payment.
When are the Rhode Island Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 10:59 p.m. ET on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 11:00 p.m. ET on Tuesday and Friday.
- Lucky for Life: 10:30 p.m. ET daily.
- Millionaire for Life: 11:15 p.m. ET daily.
- Numbers (Midday): 1:30 p.m. ET daily.
- Numbers (Evening): 7:29 p.m. ET daily.
- Wild Money: 7:29 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Rhode Island editor. You can send feedback using this form.
SEE IT: A great white shark feeds on a dead whale off the coast of Rhode Island, as the large creature comes across a whale carcass floating in the ocean.
RHODE ISLAND – It’s not often you can get so close to such a dangerous beast like a great white shark, but that is exactly what one boater was able to do in Rhode Island.
A large 15-foot great white shark was spotted feasting on a dead whale in the ocean off the coast of Rhode Island.
STAY SHARK SMART: WHAT TO KNOW WHEN YOU HEAD INTO THE WATER
Despite a reputation for inhabiting waters in Australia and South Africa, great white sharks can be found in temperate waters around the world, as their habitat preferences can change as they age, according to National Geographic.
Mexico, Great White Shark (Carcharodon Carcharias); Guadalupe Island.
(Dave Fleetham/Design Pics Editorial/Universal Images Group / Getty Images)
Video footage shared by Ian Shilosky shows many birds hovering around the whale carcass, trying to get a nibble without getting too close to the 15-foot beast.
SEE IT: SPERM WHALE CAUGHT ON CAMERA IN RARE ENCOUNTER OFF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA COAST
The shark shows off its brutal strength, ripping large chunks from the whale with its 2 to 3-inch razor-sharp teeth, before diving underwater to consume its meal.
“White shark sightings are few and far between until a whale dies and then they seem to appear out of nowhere as this one did,” the Atlantic Shark Institute said on social media.
Great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias), attacking tuna bait. Neptune islands, South Australia. (Photo by Auscape/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
(Auscape/Universal Images Group / Getty Images)
The great white shark grows slowly, with males maturing at around 26 years and females at around 33, according to NOAA.
These creatures range in age from 30 to over 70 years old, and they can weigh up to 4,500 pounds.
DEEP-SEA DISCOVERY UNCOVERS ONE OF THE LARGEST KNOWN WHALE GRAVEYARDS ON THE FLOOR OF THE INDIAN OCEAN
Great White Shark breaching at Seal Island, False Bay, South Africa
( Chris Brunskill Ltd/Corbis / Getty Images)
Adult great whites usually swim along shorelines where there is a known food source, such as seals or sea lions.
12-YEAR-OLD AMERICAN BOY ATTACKED BY SHARK WHILE VACATIONING IN THE BAHAMAS
As the largest predatory fish in the world, great white sharks tend to eat a variety of fish, rays, squid, seabirds, sea turtles, dolphins and more.
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