Humana sees strong future in Medicare; AHIP seeks more cost containment measures

Several news outlets report on recent statements from health industry officials.

The Louisville Courier Journal: "While private Medicare Advantage plans face funding pressure from Washington, Medicare 'is actually a very good place to be,' the chief executive of Louisville-based Humana said. 'The federal government "can be relied upon to pay their bills," Michael McCallister said at the Bernstein Strategic Decisions investor conference. 'Medicare is going to be a very big business in the future'"(6/5).

The Cleveland Plain Dealer: The head of Cleveland's University Hospitals, Thomas Zenty, spoke to a local group Friday about "health care reform's impact on nonprofit hospitals as well as on the country's health care system and population as a whole. ... Health care reform also requires hospitals to think differently about how they deliver care, he said. One pilot project is called 'Accountable Care Organizations,' which Zenty described as a way of integrating inpatient and outpatient care. University Hospitals has joined 18 other national health systems to plan for and create an Accountable Care Organization. Zenty said UH is well-positioned to do so because it already includes a combination of private practice and employed physicians, while some systems have only the latter." (Theiss, 6/5)
　
Business Insurance: "The health insurance industry is committed to making health care reform work despite its objections to the federal law," Mike Tuffin, executive vice president of America's Health Insurance Plans said in a speech to the Council of Insurance Agents & Brokers last week. Tuffin said "AHIP also hopes the midterm elections change the complexion of Congress and shift the Obama administration's stance to be more aligned with that of the health insurance industry. 'Whether we like it or not, the bill was passed. Now we must be reliable and effective implementation partners. We need to stay engaged. The single-payer and public-option supporters have not given up,' he warned. ... An area that AHIP pledges to persuade regulators to address is cost containment, which its members and employer customers feel was inadequately addressed in the health care reform law" (Wojcik, 6/6).