Reimbursement
An early February bill introduced in the House by Reps. Allyson Schwartz (D-Penn.) and Joe Heck, MD, (R-Nev.) has once again raised hopes that the sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula payment model for Medicare can finally be repealed.
The highest level of healthcare consolidation since the turn of the millennium occurred during 2012 and it is expected to continue - if not accelerate - going forward, a new report from Chicago-based Fitch Ratings contends.
The introduction of health insurance exchanges is generating interest among health plan members who purchase insurance directly, as well as those who have high deductibles and/or lower levels of overall satisfaction, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2013 Member Health Plan Study released today.
The cHealth Blog is coming up on its 3rd anniversary and during that time I've taken my share of pot shots at organized medicine. Most implementations of connected health are in some way disruptive to the status quo, so I can't help but point out those opportunities and barriers.
In the grand finale of the 2013 HIMSS Annual Conference and Exhibition in New Orleans, Karl Rove and James Carville took the stage for a most theatrical debate on sequestration, party politics, immigration and, of course, healthcare reform.
Key decisions for Minnesota's health insurance exchange now have to be settled by a legislative conference committee, after House and Senate bills established different financing, board membership and regulatory provisions.
When the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services proposed, in mid-February, an additional 2.3 percent cut to the rates it pays private insurers for running Medicare Advantage plans in 2014, the reaction from America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) was swift, comprehensive and sustained.
A report issued this week by the Government Accountability Office reports that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services overpaid the Medicare Advantage program run by private health insurers by between $3.2 billion and $5.1 billion for the years 2010-2012.
While many companies across the country are seeing positive results and cost savings through their workplace wellness programs, a new study from Health Affairs suggests that the savings employers may strive for with these programs may more likely come from cost shifting to the most vulnerable employees rather than employees' improved health.
Concerns over young buyer "sticker shock" and adverse selection associated with new 3:1 age rating rules have been largely overblown, according to an Urban Institute study finding that premium subsidies will offset increases for many young insurance consumers.