Insurance exchange 'navigators,' new payment models claim roles in health law implementation

The Washington Post reports on the challenges involved in fielding a team of health exchange navigators to help people work through their choices and the process. Meanwhile, MedPage Today reports on comments made by Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius regarding the "obligation" providers have to try new payment models.

The Washington Post: For Insurance Exchanges, States Need 'Navigators' -- And Hiring Them Is A Huge Task
Signing up an estimated 30 million uninsured Americans for coverage under the health care law is shaping up to be, if not a bureaucratic nightmare, at the very least a daunting task. While some people will find registering for health insurance as easy as booking a flight online, vast numbers who are confused by the myriad choices will need to sit down with someone who can walk them through the process (Aizenman, 2/4).

Medpage Today: Sebelius Urges Docs To Adopt New Pay Models
Health care providers have an obligation to try new payment models that can help lower the growth rate of health spending, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said Monday. "Far too many health care providers are still content to sit back and let others blaze the trail to a 21st century health care system," Sebelius said at the AcademyHealth National Health Policy Conference here. "My plea to all of you today ... is to help us speed up the rate of change." In the last few years, health care spending has grown at historically slow rates, she pointed out. Meanwhile, efforts to reduce health care-acquired infections, hospital readmissions, and elective early deliveries have shown success. But the change in care delivery and payment models isn't happening fast enough, Sebelius said (Pittman, 2/4).