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Majority of opinion leaders strongly support creation of federal health insurance exchange

More than eight of 10 leaders in health and health care policy believe states should be allowed to implement key provisions of the Affordable Care Act early with full federal support, ahead of the timeline outlined in the law.

24 May 2011

Lawmakers jockey for position in Medicare debate

Political and policy-oriented Medicare skirmishes continue on Capitol Hill as members hear from their constituents on the question of the program's future, and some lawmakers say it's time for "an adult conversation." Also, the Senate is likely to vote this week on the House-passed GOP budget.

24 May 2011

Skagit Valley Hospital joins Premier healthcare alliance and saves more than $1M annually

Skagit Valley Hospital of Mount Vernon, Wash., saved more than $1 million by joining the Premier healthcare alliance.

24 May 2011

Is ACO the healthcare Holy Grail?

Providing a seamless, integrated system of care across a range of healthcare settings, accountable care organizations (ACOs) are increasingly being touted as the cure for a failing health system. But challenges remain.

23 May 2011

Viewpoints: IPAB debate; Medicare flap continues; WSJ on VT single payer

While I applaud Ryan for getting the conversation started, I cannot support his specific plan — and therefore will vote "no" on his budget. Why can't I go along with the Ryan Medicare plan?

23 May 2011

Kansas, Iowa pursue health law waivers

Meanwhile, The Hill reports that most of the denials resuting from early waiver requests went to unions. And, in other health reform implementation news, Politico Pro reports on what it describes as an "ACO dilemma."

23 May 2011

State Roundup: States' economic success often beyond their control

State leaders love to make promises about healing a sick economy. Often, though, economic success depends on factors far beyond their influence. ... When It comes to Medicaid, the restrictions largely emanate from the federal budget.

23 May 2011

First Edition: May 23, 2011

Today's headlines include reports about a new poll that shows Americans don't believe Medicare has to be cut in order to balance the budget.

23 May 2011

Protesters favoring health reform disrupt Aetna meeting

Protesters briefly interrupted Aetna CEO Mark Bertolini Friday morning during his remarks at the health insurer's annual meeting. The Hartford, Conn., company was holding the meeting at Le Meridien, a Philadelphia hotel, when several people entered the room and started chanting about the health care overhaul, spokesman Fred Laberge said. The meeting resumed a few minutes later. Aetna Inc. said in an email that the disruption was "inappropriate, uncivil and unsafe," but that people are entitled to their opinions.

23 May 2011

Huntsman's stance on Utah health mandate questioned

During a campaign stop Friday, former Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. presented Utah's health reform as a model for what other states could do. And, Huntsman pointed out, Utah did not mandate that people buy health insurance, unlike the Massachusetts model now a thorn for Mitt Romney. His assertion, however, was called into question by a story in the Huffington Post, under the headline "Huntsman vs. Huntsman," which quoted Utah health policy players who said Huntsman had wanted a mandate but didn't get it.

23 May 2011

From September insurers will need to justify annual premium increases of 10% plus

According to the new Obama administration rule taking effect in September, state regulators cannot reject rate increases deemed unreasonable, but it requires insurers to explain the reasons for such hikes to the public.

22 May 2011

Roundup: Kan. exchange blueprint coming soon; 'Most favored nation' ban passes in Conn.; Anti-fraud repeal in Calif.

In a few months, the Kansas Insurance Department is expected to release a blueprint for how a health insurance exchange might work. "We still have a lot of work to do but, so far, the process has been going really, really well," said Linda Sheppard, head of the insurance department's accident and health accident and health division.

21 May 2011

Health reform implementation recommends ways to maintain access to affordable insurance: Report

Modifications to current policies could help ensure that health insurance coverage and subsidies provided under the Affordable Care Act remain stable even through major life changes, according to a new Commonwealth Fund report released today.

21 May 2011

N.J. seeks waiver to trim Medicaid rolls; Texas trims Medicaid budget

New Jersey is trying to deal with bulging Medicaid costs by trimming new eligibility for the government health-care program to the bare bones. The Christie administration wants to cut the state's relatively generous program way back as part of a "waiver" it is seeking from the Obama administration.

21 May 2011

Conservative groups urge states, insurers to seek health law waivers

Two groups on the right are urging states and insurers to seek waivers from the Democrats' health care law including exemptions from so-called "mini-med" plans and medical-loss ratio requirements. HHS is also refusing to release the names of rejected waiver applicants.

21 May 2011