Health Reform News and Research

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Is another health law delay on the horizon?

The Hill reports that the Obama administration is preparing to announce as early as this week a directive that would allow insurers to continue offering plans that do not meet the overhaul's minimum coverage requirements.

5 Mar 2014

Health reform gives people with history of jail time access to continuous health care

Under the Affordable Care Act, an estimated 4 million people who have spent time in jail will have better access to health coverage for conditions that might-if left untreated-result in higher health care costs and an increased risk of recidivism.

4 Mar 2014

Clinton papers offer window into failed health reform effort

Some of the 4,000 pages of previously confidential Clinton administration documents, released Friday by the National Archives, chronicle Hillary Clinton's efforts to overhaul the health system.

4 Mar 2014

Experts recommend several steps to improve care for prisoners

The very premise of prison invites members of society to think of the people there as walled-off and removed. But more than 95 percent of prisoners will return to the community, often carrying significant health burdens and associated costs with them. In an article in the March issue of the journal Health Affairs, several experts who participated in a scientific workshop convened by the National Research Council and the Institute of Medicine recommend several steps and ideas consistent with health reform to improve care for prisoners while they are incarcerated and after they return to society.

4 Mar 2014

March marks the final month of the health law's open enrollment period -- and the rush is on!

News outlets report that the White House -- facing high political stakes -- is attempting to increase the enrollment numbers with a targeted push aimed at African Americans, Latinos, young people and residents of cities with the highest uninsured rates.

4 Mar 2014

Insurers gather new customers' health information -- a critical step in calculating prices for next year's plans offered on exchanges

Meanwhile, Reuters reports that chronically ill consumers who obtain coverage from the online insurance marketplaces may still face high drug costs despite the health law's ban on discriminatory insurance practices. Also, news outlets report on Time magazine's cover story that details how the Obama administration almost shutdown healthcare.gov during its early, fitful days.

3 Mar 2014

Research roundup: Medicaid peer support; doctor Jokes; ACA's asset rules for coverage

Since 2009, the eight states (Alabama, Illinois, Louisiana, Massachusetts, New York, Utah, Virginia, and Wisconsin) participating in the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Maximizing Enrollment program have worked to streamline and simplify enrollment systems, policies, and processes for children and those eligible for coverage in 2014. ... States [focused] on five key areas: 1) applications, 2) eligibility determinations, 3) renewals and transfers, 4) notices, and 5) business processes.

3 Mar 2014

Record $4.3 billion in health care fraud recovered

Federal efforts to combat health care fraud recovered a record $4.3 billion in fiscal 2013 and have recouped more than $8 for every $1 spent on enforcement over the past three years, according to an annual report released Wednesday.

27 Feb 2014

Study: Medical homes haven't saved money or substantially improved care

A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found a pilot project that organizes care for patients in order to improve care quality and reduce costs improved neither substantially.

27 Feb 2014

After five days, covered California website restarts; Md. fires builder of troubled exchange

Also in the news, the latest developments regarding the online insurance marketplaces in Connecticut, Oregon, Minnesota and California.

26 Feb 2014

Viewpoints: False arguments on deadbeats; fighting cancer without insurance; bridging Louisiana's health funding gap

A small war has erupted over the recent Congressional Budget Office report on the employment effects of the Affordable Care Act. Last week, the CBO itself felt compelled to offer a lengthy and detailed rebuttal to the spin that millions of Americans will "lose their jobs" as a result of Obamacare.

25 Feb 2014

Appeals Court rules against Notre Dame in contraception lawsuit

In a blow to religious colleges and universities across the country, the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago denied Notre Dame's request for an injunction to the ObamaCare birth control mandate that requires the school to provide coverage for contraception.

25 Feb 2014

Federal court rules against Notre Dame in contraception case

The university with strong ties to the Catholic Church must now provide birth control coverage to students and employees as mandated in the health law.

25 Feb 2014

Health law deadlines, and even statistics, still in flux

News outlets report on the changes that have been made to the health law and whether these tweaks may be adding new layers of complications. Meanwhile, stories also center on enrollment efforts and the current tally of enrollment numbers.

25 Feb 2014

First Edition: February 24, 2014

Today's headlines include continuing coverage of Medicare Advantage payment rates, as well as a range of stories about the health law's Medicaid expansion and online insurance marketplaces.

24 Feb 2014

Research roundup: Palliative care and ACOs; employers and Supreme Court case on contraception

In preparation for the new ACO environment, leaders recognized the contribution palliative care can make to health care "value," especially in the care of our sickest (and most expensive) patients ...

24 Feb 2014

Public sector reduces part-time shifts to avoid health law

Despite the administration's delays of the employer mandate, cities, counties and public schools have limited part-timers' work hours so they don't have to offer health insurance, reports The New York Times. Other media outlets report on targeted enrollment pitches to taxicab drivers, restaurant workers and artists, and on the GOP's probe of an Accenture contract for work on healthcare.gov.

24 Feb 2014

In Maryland, support is solid for health overhaul, state's exchange

A new poll finds 55 percent of state residents back the federal health law, even as Maryland plans to spend $2 million to address a problem with the online insurance marketplace. In related news, the deadline is approaching for states to spend federal grants they received to set up exchanges.

20 Feb 2014

First Edition: February 20, 2014

Today's headlines include reports about Medicaid expansion challenges in Virginia and Arkansas.

20 Feb 2014

Viewpoints: 'Sham Surgery' for research; bigger hospitals may not bring better care

In a landmark study of a new cardiovascular device unveiled last month, patients received anesthetics, had a large-bore catheter inserted through a cut into one of their major arteries, and had dye injected into their bloodstream.

20 Feb 2014

Health Reform News and Research

Is another health law delay on the horizon?

Health reform gives people with history of jail time access to continuous health care

Clinton papers offer window into failed health reform effort

Experts recommend several steps to improve care for prisoners

March marks the final month of the health law's open enrollment period -- and the rush is on!

Insurers gather new customers' health information -- a critical step in calculating prices for next year's plans offered on exchanges

Research roundup: Medicaid peer support; doctor Jokes; ACA's asset rules for coverage

Record $4.3 billion in health care fraud recovered

Study: Medical homes haven't saved money or substantially improved care

After five days, covered California website restarts; Md. fires builder of troubled exchange

Viewpoints: False arguments on deadbeats; fighting cancer without insurance; bridging Louisiana's health funding gap

Appeals Court rules against Notre Dame in contraception lawsuit

Federal court rules against Notre Dame in contraception case

Health law deadlines, and even statistics, still in flux

First Edition: February 24, 2014

Research roundup: Palliative care and ACOs; employers and Supreme Court case on contraception

Public sector reduces part-time shifts to avoid health law

In Maryland, support is solid for health overhaul, state's exchange

First Edition: February 20, 2014

Viewpoints: 'Sham Surgery' for research; bigger hospitals may not bring better care

Revolutionizing Life Science: An Interview with SCIEX on ASMS, the SCIEX 7500+ System, and AI-Driven Quantitation

From Discovery Biology to ELRIG Chair

Breathing New Life into Diagnostics: Plasmion's SICRIT Technology

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