Policy and Legislation
With childrens dental coverage set to expand as a result of health reform , the dental industry is trying to get a sense of what the dental insurance market, and the state and federal rules impacting it, might look like in the coming years.
According to the authors of a new analysis published Wednesday in Health Affairs, there are three overlying lessons for state and federal healthcare policy makers to be learned from Massachusett's healthcare law experiences.
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced Tuesday that Medicare Advantage (MA) plans are projected to increase enrollment by 11 percent in 2013 and that average premium prices will remain unchanged. The news follows last month's announcement that Medicare Part D prescription drug plan premiums would also hold steady.
The patient-centered medical home (PCMH) is the future of healthcare in the United States says the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) - but only if PCMHs are led by doctors.
The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) has begun its second cycle of funding requests and is seeking applications. Up to $96 million for comparative effectiveness research is available.
An Office of Management and Budget (OMB) report released last week that showed sequestration would cause an $11 billion cut to Medicare and looming cuts to physician reimbursements under the sustainable growth rate formula (SGR) has physicians groups saying the cuts would eviscerate their ability to provide quality care.
Nearly 47 percent of California voters over the age of 40 surveyed say a close family member will need long-term care within the next five years, and about as many say they couldn't afford even one month of nursing home costs, according to a poll by the SCAN Foundation and the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research.
Accountable care organizations (ACOs) have shown considerable promise, demonstrating savings and reduced readmission rates, said a recent Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice study.
National health spending in July grew 4.2 percent relative to July 2011, up from the 3.9 percent growth rate experienced in June, according to the Health Sector Economic Indicators brief released recently by the Altarum Institute’s Center for Sustainable Health Spending.
Fifteen years in the making, Aurora Health Care recently signed on two of Wisconsin’s largest health plans – Aetna and Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield – to its new Aurora Accountable Care Network, which offers a price guarantee to employers and promises average savings of 10 percent based on past claims expenses.