Policy and Legislation
At a time when several newly-elected governors are railing against health reform's governmental intrusion, new Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin is taking a different path - a proposal released this week to create a single-payer health plan for his state.
The U.S. healthcare sector continued its expansion in early 2011, with employment increasing in January by approximately 10,600 jobs.
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has announced a $750 million investment in disease prevention and public health initiatives.
A couple of my colleagues called to ask why I was so negative in my view of ACOs. I pointed out I don't question the principles on which ACOs are to be established; that is the application of managed care incentives into a fee-for-service environment. What I can't accept is the hope that the impact will be soon enough or large enough to avoid the impending healthcare meltdown.
A new poll shows 48 percent of employers aren't waiting for a repeal of healthcare reform - but they are looking for guidance on specific provisions of the law before making decisions on benefit plans.
Microsoft will offer new turnkey technology to help states roll out their statewide health insurance exchanges by 2014. This will include exchanges, enrollment and eligibility technology, health-enabled business intelligence/analytics and case coordination.
Answering critics of the Community Living Assistance Services and Support Act (CLASS), Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has affirmed the administration's commitment to ensure the program is self-sustaining and won't rely on taxpayer dollars.
The Senate has passed legislation that would repeal a provision of the Affordable Care Act that requires small businesses, including physicians, to file an IRS form 1099 for each vendor purchase of $600 or more.
In a recent post I suggested that President Barack Obama should abandon the individual mandate contained in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. My theory is that the uncertainty surrounding the constitutionality of imposing a fine on Americans who fail to obtain health care coverage starting in 2014 is both a political and public policy risk that is simply not worth taking - especially since the penalty for failing to be insured is unlikely to achieve its public policy purpose.
In the era of healthcare reform when accountable care organizations, global payments, and partial capitation are the buzzwords filling board rooms, healthcare executives are wondering what to do next.