Rhode Island

Neronha says Rhode Islanders not receiving affordable healthcare after Blue Cross Blue Shield price hikes | ABC6

Published

2 years ago

August 3, 2024

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.

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Rhode Island

How did La Salle win another state title? Having an ace up its sleeve.

Published

8 hours ago

June 7, 2026

Press Room

How did La Salle win another state title? Having an ace up its sleeve.

PROVIDENCE – The result was so obvious, everyone should have seen it coming.

That’s because Hailey Vigneau doesn’t lose big games.

The La Salle softball team might have been hammered by Chariho during their regular season matchups, but none of that mattered in the postseason. The state’s seen plenty of big-time pitchers, but none that have won like Vigneau. Saturday’s championship game against Chariho only added to her legacy, as she took care of things in the circle, Nikki Pallotta led the offense and the 5-2 win gave the Rams their fourth straight state title.

“We just know how hard we work,” Vigneau said. “We know we have each other. We know how supportive of each other we are. We just know that our team, in the end, will come out on top.”

Softball pitchers are supposed to strike fear with fastballs and sit batters down faster than they can get up to plate. You won’t find many teams that say they’re afraid of Vigneau, but you also won’t find any teams that have beaten her in a game that matters most.

The La Salle senior – who will pitch at Marist next spring – didn’t look bothered by the magnitude of the game she was pitching. If Chariho beat the Rams – which it had done twice this season – that meant an if-game where momentum would be on the Chargers side.

It seemed like a possibility, provided you ignored the fact that Vigneau has never lost a playoff game and wasn’t about to start in her senior season.

Vigneau made one mistake pitch that Adriana Jeannenot hit to outer space, a two-run blast that tied the game in the top of the fourth inning. She took the ball from the umpire, then retired the next batter to end the inning and get her offense on the field.

“I just have to focus on the next one. I can’t dwell on it,” said Vigneau, who gave up four hits and walked two while striking out eight. “Now I can reflect on it, fix what I know I messed up on.

“I didn’t even look. I didn’t turn my head.”

The bats went out and supported their ace. Pallotta had the go-ahead hit, a two-run double that scored Izzy Dong and Samantha Sell. While Pallotta and the Rams struggled to hit Jeannenot in clutch moments in the regular season, it was clear they figured something out.

“Their pitcher is really good and she shut us down in the first game,” said Pallotta, who went 3-for-4 with two RBI and three runs Saturday. “In the second game we started to pick up some hits, we started to learn a lot.

“We were lucky enough to play them twice, we got a lot of data off of that and so when we came into RIC … we had a lot of information and we used it.”

Armed with a 5-2 lead, Vigneau took care of things. The home run was a distant memory and when Alaina Valuk led off the fifth with a single, Vigneau barely noticed. She was in control and remained calm, right up until the final out was recorded, ending her career with a fourth straight title celebration.

“I just pitch one pitch at a time, no matter what the situation is in the game,” Vigneau said. “I can’t focus too much on the big win ahead, just one pitch at a time.”

Chariho was emotional after the loss and why wouldn’t it be? The Chargers entered the season with so much promise, finally got over the hump of beating La Salle and then did it twice in this spring.

But the two playoff losses – Saturday as well as the winners’ bracket final – showed that Chariho still has some work to do to in order to get that title the program wants. The loss will only help inspire the Chargers to keep chasing it next season.

“We had a phenomenal season. I’ve never been more proud of this team,” Jeannenot said. “… It definitely pushes us to go for even bigger things. This year our main thing was to beat La Salle, now I feel like we can have even bigger goals and we can have more success.”

This was supposed to be the year La Salle lost. The Rams graduated all that offensive talent, there’s no way they can overpower teams anymore.

Turns out La Salle didn’t need to. It had a secret weapon who shouldn’t have been so secret and closes her career as the most clutch pitcher Rhode Island has ever seen.

“Without her we probably wouldn’t be here at all,” Pallotta said. “She’s been the ace for the last four years and she always comes up when we need her and she shuts them down.”

“I just enjoyed my time with the girls. Whatever happens, happens, but we just work hard and have fun,” Vigneau said. “I couldn’t have imagined this whatsoever.”

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Rhode Island

Police investigating suspicious death in Cumberland

Published

18 hours ago

June 6, 2026

Press Room

Police investigating suspicious death in Cumberland

CUMBERLAND, R.I. (WPRI) – Police in Cumberland are investigating what officials are classifying at this time as a suspicious death.

Investigators have been on the scene at 46 E Barrow St. all day, with detectives in and out of the home.

The Rhode Island State Police sent their mobile crime lab to the scene. The entire house is taped off.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as we work to gather more information.

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Rhode Island

Here’s your Rhode Island high school sports schedule for Super Saturday

Published

1 day ago

June 6, 2026

Press Room

Here’s your Rhode Island high school sports schedule for Super Saturday

Super Saturday has arrived.

Today is the busiest day of the 2026 RIIL spring sports schedule, with championships being play at Rhode Island College and Brown University. Baseball, softball, lacrosse, volleyball and track and field athletes will all be chasing gold.

It’s a lot of keep track of, so here’s a handy schedule of the day’s events to keep your head from spinning.