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Insurers develop new products, brace for overhaul's impact

News outlets report that insurers and brokers are devising strategies to respond to the new health law.

10 Dec 2010

State roundup: Facing budget 'cliff'; Medicaid woes; Arizona transplant program; Another Florida health vote?

U.S. states are preparing for more budget cuts next year as tax revenue isn't likely to rebound enough to replace almost $38 billion in aid that will be gone as federal economic stimulus ends, according to a report. At least 31 states and Puerto Rico are forecasting deficits of $82.1 billion in the next fiscal year even as tax receipts are picking up, the National Conference of State Legislatures said today.

10 Dec 2010

New Jersey judge dismisses another health reform legal challenge

In New Jersey, a federal district court judge issued the latest dismissal in the ongoing legal challenges to health reform. Still, all eyes continue to watch for a ruling from a Virginia court sometime this month.

10 Dec 2010

Mayo Clinic Health Policy Center symposium aims for high-value health care system in the US

In a sustained effort to seek consensus-driven, patient-centered priorities that would build a high-value health care system, the Mayo Clinic Health Policy Center hosted a symposium Dec. 5-7 entitled "Achieving the Vision: Advancing High-Value Health Care," which featured patients, providers, payers and national policy experts.

9 Dec 2010

Texas leaders cut spending for Medicaid, Wyo. begins to set up state exchange

"State leaders, trying to dig out of a hole in the current two-year budget before the next one has to be whacked, ordered agencies Tuesday to further curb spending. Agency chiefs were told in a letter that they must reduce expenditures by 2.5% in the remaining nine months of the fiscal year. Managers of the state Medicaid program immediately announced they would cut another 1% from the fees paid to doctors, dentists and hospitals, along with 2% in payments to nursing homes and home health care providers. The decreases take effect Feb. 1, and they come on top of 1% cuts that kicked in just before Labor Day" (Garrett, 12/8).

9 Dec 2010

Annual survey ranks states on health, health care

An annual survey ranks state's overall health and gives snap shots of specific measures including crime, air pollution and smoking rates.

9 Dec 2010

Senators announce deal to 'fix' Medicare doctor payments - for now

Senate leaders announced a deal late Tuesday to stave off deep cuts to physicians' Medicare payments by repurposing money set aside for the health law, Politico reports. The deal, announced by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., changes ... "how much money consumers would have to repay if they receive too large a subsidy in the health insurance exchanges after 2014.

9 Dec 2010

Docs distrust hospitals; Americans divided over health law; Children's hospitals lose discounts on orphan drugs

"The successful implementation of the new health care reform law will hinge on physicians and hospitals working out trust issues with one another," according to a new PricewaterhouseCoopers survey. "The reform law requires increased collaboration and information sharing between physicians and hospitals, including through new accountable care organization arrangements, to reduce costs and increase quality."

9 Dec 2010

AJPH publishes study on importance of preventive dental treatment for pregnant women

Aetna today announced that the study, An Examination of Periodontal Treatment, Dental Care and Pregnancy Outcomes in an Insured Population, has been published online by the American Journal of Public Health.

9 Dec 2010

Private insurers, employee wellness programs seek to control costs

Modern Healthcare: "Private insurers may be better at controlling healthcare costs than Medicare, according to a Health Affairs study of two Texas cities. The study is a follow-up to a widely read 2009 New Yorker article by Atul Gawande that showed per-capita Medicare spending in McAllen, Texas, was 86% higher than in El Paso.

8 Dec 2010

First Edition: December 8, 2010

Today's health policy headlines include more detail on the deal reached to avoid a scheduled cut in physician's Medicare pay.

8 Dec 2010

California's MRMIB extends Healthy Families contract with MAXIMUS

MAXIMUS, a leading provider of government services worldwide, today announced that an extension of its Healthy Families contract was approved by the California's Managed Risk Medical Insurance Board (MRMIB) on September 15, 2010. The five-year extension will begin on January 1, 2011 and is valued at approximately $360.6 million.

8 Dec 2010

New research indicates that older women can deliver healthy babies

Career women who put babies on hold until after 40, or even 45, will be reassured by new research from Tel Aviv University. Even though there are associated risks for babies when postponing child-bearing, the neonates can overcome them, says Prof. Yariv Yogev of Tel Aviv University's Sackler School of Medicine and the Hospital for Women at Rabin Medical Center.

8 Dec 2010

CML patients treated with dasatinib associated with better treatment adherence, lower health costs: Study

Patients with chronic myeloid leukemia who were treated with nilotinib are found to be associated with better treatment adherence, less hospitalizations, and lower total health care costs than patients treated with dasatinib, according to a new study released by Analysis Group Inc., a leading provider of health care research and economic consulting.

8 Dec 2010

Employers pay more for health insurance, number of uninsured rises

PBS NewsHour: "The price businesses pay for their workers' health insurance has ballooned more than 41 percent over the past six years, according to a new study by the Commonwealth Fund. At the same time, many workers are getting less for the money -- per-person deductibles have risen 71 percent over those same years, according to the report.

8 Dec 2010

Conn. addresses insurance rates, Mass. physician groups evaluate controversial payment plan

"House and Senate leaders are eyeing passage of a second midyear spending bill before the start of the next legislative session to address more caseload-driven accounts that are running short on funds five months after Gov. Deval Patrick signed the fiscal 2011 budget. The deficiencies, which follow inaccurate enrollment estimates for MassHealth and other social service programs, threaten to eat into some the revenue surpluses the state has amassed over the first half of fiscal 2011, when tax receipts have exceeded projections" (Murphy, 12/7).

8 Dec 2010

Deal for year-long doc fix in the works

Politico: Senators reached a tentative deal Monday that would tap health law funds to avert a scheduled pay cut for physicians. The deal would take back about $19.2 billion in health law subsidies to help people buy health insurance beginning in 2014. It "would change how much money consumers would have to repay if their income status changes mid-year, pushing them out of the eligibility bracket.

7 Dec 2010

Aetna announces agreement to acquire Medicity

Aetna today announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire Medicity, a health information exchange technology company, headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah.

7 Dec 2010

Research roundup: Early retiree insurance; high deductible plans and skipped care; innovation and FDA

Health Care Use And Decision Making Among Lower-Income Families In High-Deductible Health Plans - This study examines the health care experiences of lower-income families (those with incomes that were less than 300% of the federal poverty level) with high-deductible health plans (HDHPs) compared to higher-income families.

7 Dec 2010

In Mass., health insurance program falters; Long term care costs increase

A plan to launch a comprehensive database of all federal workers' health care records is raising concerns, while in Massachusetts, state officials are disappointed that municipalities are not signing up for a new program to help cover workers' insurance needs.

7 Dec 2010