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MNsure review finds many exchange functions do not work properly

Minnesota's troubled online insurance marketplace faces major challenges after officials found this week that nearly two-thirds of functions on the site didn't work properly.

20 Jun 2014

Health law causing confusion for consumers, health professionals

News outlets take a look at health law implementation challenges, including the difficulties that consumers are having in getting their coverage after enrolling and that the doctors' offices face when they attempt to confirm patients' new health plans.

20 Jun 2014

Experts urge business to track worker health

A new group is urging businesses to improve the health of employees -- and says the move could save up to $30 billion a year in health care costs.

20 Jun 2014

First Edition: June 19, 2014

Today's headlines include reports about how the 2015 insurance premium rates are shaping up across the country and details of consumers' experiences in trying to get their new coverage.

19 Jun 2014

Viewpoints: Working for benefits; fears for a pill to prevent HIV; possible Medicaid strategy for Virginia

[Economist Robert] Moffitt noted in an email that "the work incentives in the government safety net have greatly increased over the last 20 years: less welfare payments if you don't work, and much greater government payments if you do."

19 Jun 2014

State highlights: Illinois Medicaid digital shift delayed; N.C. hospitals fight cuts; heroin in New England

Alexian Brothers Health System is suspending its effort to launch a new Medicaid program, blaming the difficulty of connecting physicians using different electronic records systems. The Arlington Heights, Ill.-based health system was spearheading a so-called accountable care entity (ACE) to coordinate the care of about 46,000 patients on Medicaid, the state-federal health insurance program for the poor and disabled. The ACEs are a form of managed care, one of Gov. Pat Quinn's initiatives to focus on preventative treatment to keep patients healthy and reduce health care costs (Schorsch, 6/17).

19 Jun 2014

Expanding coverage to under-26-year-olds made them healthier, saved money

Researchers found that one of the keystone provisions of the health law had a significant impact. Expanding the number of young adults with health insurance appears to have improved their health and saved them money, ...

19 Jun 2014

Study demonstrates cost-effectiveness of Ottawa Model for Smoking Cessation

In a recent study published in Tobacco Control, researchers at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute have demonstrated the cost-effectiveness of the Ottawa Model for Smoking Cessation (OMSC), an intervention that includes in-hospital counseling, pharmacotherapy and post-hospital follow-up, compared to usual care among smokers hospitalized with acute myocardial infarction, unstable angina, heart failure, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

19 Jun 2014

Insurers continue to eye state health exchanges

In a pair of stories, the Associated Press reports on how insurers in New Hampshire and Kentucky that did not participate in the health law's online insurance marketplaces during the first enrollment period are now indicating their interest for the next open season. In addition, news outlets in Oregon and Minnesota report on developments related to state exchanges.

19 Jun 2014

HHS report details premium subsidy use and cost

Nearly 9 of 10 people who bought coverage on the health law marketplaces got government assistance to pay for the premium, and the average out-of-pocket premium cost was $69.

19 Jun 2014

Centene's Kansas subsidiary receives NCQA Health Plan Accreditation

Centene Corporation has announced that its wholly owned Kansas subsidiary, Sunflower Health Plan, has received Accreditation from the National Committee for Quality Assurance.

18 Jun 2014

New poll finds that majority of Massachusetts residents support state's health insurance legislation

A new poll by The Boston Globe and Harvard School of Public Health finds, eight years into the state's universal health insurance legislation enacted in 2006, 63% of Massachusetts residents support the law and 18% oppose it, while 7% are not sure, and 12% have not heard or read about the law.

18 Jun 2014