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  • Co-operative Research Group Seminar
    The Co-operative Research Group at the University of Sydney has organised a seminar on 26 August 2010 with Professor Francesco Capalbo and Professor Frank Clarke. Professor Capalbo (Second University of Naples) will address The Co-operative Experience in Italy. Professor Clarke (University of Sydney) will address Co-operative case study: Death of a co-operative.
    For more information email
    Details of the Co-operative Group activities are listed on the website
  • Ownership and Australia's newest political party
    The Parents, Families and Carers Party has released a Family and Small Business and Economic Ownership Policy for the Federal election in Australia to be held on 21 August 2010. It is the only party that has developed a policy based on ownership.
  • South West Slopes Country Credit Union
    ABACUS Australian Mutuals has announced that South West Slopes Credit Union has won the distinction of being the first Australian Credit Licensee under new laws regulating consumer credit.South West Slopes Credit Union is a community credit union operating in south western NSW, including the towns of Young, Cootamundra, West Wyalong, Harden, Boorowa and Temora.
    Read more...
  • Competitive Banking in Australia
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    According to ABACUS Australian Mutuals research out today revealing that three in four Australians believe the big four banks have too much market power should trigger action to promote a more competitive banking market.The Australia Institute research paper Money and power says one in five people, or three million Australians, believe that a bank with bigger profits is safer and that younger people are much more likely to believe that a bank with big profits is safer.
    Read more...
  • Australian IYC Steering Committee
    The first Australian IYC Steering Committee meeting will be held in Sydney on Monday 30 August 2010. The Chairman of the Steering Committee is Trent Bartlett.  The Steering Committee is being resourced by Social Business Australia.  The IYC aims at raising awareness on the socio-economic impact of co-operatives, and for promoting the autonomous formation and growth of co-operatives. For more on the International Year of Co-operatives Steering Committee visit the web site of the International Co-operative Alliance.
  • Housing Co-operative History
    The SouthEast Housing Co-operative Ltd in Dandenong, Victoria,will be celebrating its 25th anniversary in October 2010. As part of the celebrations a booklet will be published on the co-operative.  The booklet will outline the experience of rental housing co-operatives since 1985 qand the external and internal challenges over the years. While SouthEast Housing Co-operative Ltd was formed in 2000, the co-operatives that merged at the time were originally formed in 1985.
  • Mutuality and Taxable income
    The Australian Taxation Office has published a guide on Mutuality and taxable income. The guide is for non-profit clubs, societies and associations that are taxable.  It can be downloaded as a pdf from the ATO web site.

Health Insurance Co-operatives in the USA

Last Updated on Friday, 21 August 2009 07:29 Written by David Griffiths Wednesday, 19 August 2009 11:58

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Five health insurance co-operatives already exist in the USA - Group Health Cooperative of Washington, HealthPartners, Group Health Cooperative of Eau Claire, First Plan and Group Health Cooperative of Southern Wisconsin. They have a collective membership of over two million people.

?This information was provided by the National Cooperative Business Association (NCBA) in a 5 August 2009 letter to the Honorable John D. Rockefeller, United States Senate, Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation.

The existing consumer-owned health care co-operatives in Washington, Minnesota and Wisconsin are based on the prepaid Health Maintenance Organisation (HMO) model of providing health care.

In addition, since the 1970's, in response to rising health insurance costs, employers have been forming groups to purchase health insurance. Many purchasing groups are co-operatives. More than 25 states in the USA have legislation that promote state or employer-sponsored purchasing co-operatives.

According to the NCBA, health insurance purchasing co-operatives, worker co-operatives providing health care services and hospital supply purchasing co-operatives have increased over the past decade. University of Wisconsin data from 192 health care co-operatives concludes that collectively these co-operatives account for US$1 billion assets and more than US$3 billion in revenue.