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State roundup: Wash. state to pay most of state worker premiums; Budget cuts and mental health in N.Y.; Idaho fraud

Gov. Chris Gregoire told state workers for months that they'd have to pay a bigger share of health-care costs — equal to 26 percent of their health-insurance premiums — because of a looming multibillion-dollar budget shortfall. That all changed when Gregoire's office agreed this week to have workers pay 15 percent of health-care premium costs, with the state picking up the other 85 percent in the next two-year budget (Garber, 12/3).

7 Dec 2010

Today's Op-Eds: ObamaCare and FEHBP; California prisons; and workhorse Medicaid

Even Washington's stupidest scandals can be revealing, and so it is with the liberal cri de snore that Republicans ought to renounce health insurance. Democrats have inadvertently drawn up another indictment of ObamaCare (12/4).

6 Dec 2010

Nation's top insurance lawyer suggests people to take steps before changing health insurance policy

By now, Americans everywhere are receiving premium increases and new policy choices when it comes to healthcare. Subscribers' rates are increasing and companies are making decisions about what they plan to do with the rising costs heading their way, says Frank N. Darras, the nation's top insurance lawyer.

6 Dec 2010

Texas gov. Perry backs away from Medicaid dropout threat

Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program are breaking the state's budget, but opting out of the federal programs would have a devastating effect on health care delivery in Texas, according to a state report issued Friday. The report said most of the methods for fixing Medicaid spending in Texas will require acts of Congress, not the Legislature, to give the state greater flexibility in how the programs are run and a greater share of the national Medicaid financing.

6 Dec 2010

Health insurance news: Conn. rejects Anthem BC/BS rate increase, stock prices 'steady' despite reform law

The state Insurance Department refuted charges Friday by a nonprofit health-policy research group that Connecticut insurance regulators are understaffed and approve only minor changes to health-insurance rate hikes. Acting Insurance Commissioner Barbara C. Spear reacted to a report released this week by the Kaiser Family Foundation that said the state Department of Insurance 'has only one full-time actuary on staff' assigned to review rate filings for both the individual and small-group markets. ... 'Staffing levels do not have anything to do with the thoroughness of our rate review process,' Spear said." (Sturdevant, 12/13).

6 Dec 2010

HSS creates Center for Musculoskeletal Outcomes and Patient Oriented Research

Hospital for Special Surgery announced the creation of the Center for Musculoskeletal Outcomes and Patient Oriented Research to translate information collected from an extensive patient population into studies that will guide experts in preventing, diagnosing and treating musculoskeletal disorders.

4 Dec 2010

In New York, quiet Medicaid spending talks proceed while a Michigan insurer adds a range of new insurance products

Gov.-elect Andrew Cuomo and the state's health-care union are in quiet talks over Medicaid spending in an effort to avoid a bitter showdown next year over the state budget (Gershman, 12/3).

4 Dec 2010

OpEds: Positions on Fiscal Commission; Reinhardt on Medicare; Defeating diabetes

As a member of this bipartisan commission and co-author of the Conrad-Gregg Bipartisan Fiscal Task Force legislation the panel is based on, I hope this plan will be supported. ... Unfortunately, significant health-care savings are missing from the plan; this is an issue that will have to be addressed soon.

4 Dec 2010

People enrolled in CDHP plan reaches 22 million in 2010: EBRI report

The ranks of people enrolled in either a consumer-driven health plan (CDHP) or a high-deductible health plan (HDHP) reached 22 million in 2010, according to a report released today by the nonpartisan Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI). Participation in these account-based health care plans is low, but continues to grow, EBRI finds in its sixth annual Consumer Engagement in Health Care Survey.

3 Dec 2010

Obama praised for enhanced health care reform for Alzheimer's community

According to the Society of Actuaries, the leading cause of U.S. long-term care claims is Alzheimer's, the brain disease that renders over 5 million Americans unable to handle all the acts of daily living unaided. Who cares? Evidently President Obama does, having written a pro-active column in the Fall, 2010, issue of care ADvantage, published by the Alzheimer's Foundation of America.

3 Dec 2010

More Coloradans lose Medicare Advantage plans, Missouri lawmakers push for doctor's order to buy common cold and allergy meds

The Denver Post: "Nearly 14,000 Coloradans are losing their form of Medicare Advantage plans next year and will need to choose new options, creating a hardship for 1,700 rural Medicare members who won't find similar plans left on the table. Medicare Advantage carriers such as Humana, Anthem, Secure Horizons and MVP dropped some Medicare Advantage plans in Colorado. … The dropped carriers affect 13,936 beneficiaries in Colorado, including 3,832 in the Denver metro area" (Booth, 12/2).

3 Dec 2010

Health costs: Employer-sponsored insurance premiums rise 41%

Premiums for employer-sponsored family health insurance increased an average of 41 percent across states from 2003 to 2009, more than three times faster than median incomes, and Maryland's rise was among the highest, at 50%, according to a report to be released Thursday by the Commonwealth Fund.

3 Dec 2010

Medicare beneficiaries will need significant savings to cover health insurance costs in retirement

The Hill's Healthwatch blog: "Medicare beneficiaries of retirement age will need upwards of nearly $150,000 in savings to cover health insurance premiums and out-of-pocket expenses in order to have a 50-50 chance of being financially secure in retirement, according to a new report from the nonpartisan Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI).

3 Dec 2010

In spite of health care law, patients may still pay for preventive care

Minnesota Public Radio: In principal, the new federal healthcare law "requires insurers to cover preventive care — including colonoscopies, mammograms and immunizations at no cost to the patient — no co-pays, no deductibles." The aim is to encourage people to get preventive care before they develop conditions that are more costly to treat, and while "Medicare will begin covering these tests 100 percent on January 1st ... for other plans there are myriad exceptions.

3 Dec 2010

At Senate hearing, Democrats blast 'mini-med' insurance policies

The New York Times: "More than a million Americans enrolled in [limited benefit, or mini med,] plans think they have health insurance to protect them from financial catastrophe if they become seriously ill or hurt, [Senator John D.] Rockefeller said. 'In fact, they don't,' he said. 'It's worse than nothing because of the false expectations and the false hope,' Mr. Rockefeller said" at the Senate hearing.

2 Dec 2010

States continue to confront Medicaid issues

CQ HealthBeat: "Hospitals and other providers are in line for Medicaid cuts later this year as state budget officers confront what many regard as 'their worst year yet,' Raymond Sheppach of the National Governors Association told reporters on Wednesday.

2 Dec 2010

First Edition: December 2, 2010

Today's health policy headlines include news about how the debt panel's plan would boost costs for seniors on Medicare; how parts of the GOP are making clear their positions regarding health reform "repeal and replace" strategy; and how limited health plans faced critics at a Senate hearing.

2 Dec 2010

Reigning Olympic gold medallists to compete at Bupa Great Edinburgh Cross Country

Reigning Olympic gold medallists Asbel Kiprop and Brimin Kipruto have confirmed they will compete at the Bupa Great Edinburgh Cross Country in January.

2 Dec 2010

HSS creates Center for Musculoskeletal Outcomes and Patient Oriented Research

Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) announced the creation of the Center for Musculoskeletal Outcomes and Patient Oriented Research to translate information collected from an extensive patient population into studies that will guide experts in preventing, diagnosing and treating musculoskeletal disorders.

2 Dec 2010

Employer-sponsored family health insurance premiums increase 41% from 2003 to 2009

Premiums for employer-sponsored family health insurance increased an average of 41 percent across states from 2003 to 2009, more than three times faster than median incomes, according to a new Commonwealth Fund report. Yet, insurance is buying less. The report found that deductibles per person rose 77 percent, on average. Higher premiums plus higher out-of-pocket costs are putting working families' budgets under stress across the country.

2 Dec 2010

Health Insurance News and Research

State roundup: Wash. state to pay most of state worker premiums; Budget cuts and mental health in N.Y.; Idaho fraud

Today's Op-Eds: ObamaCare and FEHBP; California prisons; and workhorse Medicaid

Nation's top insurance lawyer suggests people to take steps before changing health insurance policy

Texas gov. Perry backs away from Medicaid dropout threat

Health insurance news: Conn. rejects Anthem BC/BS rate increase, stock prices 'steady' despite reform law

HSS creates Center for Musculoskeletal Outcomes and Patient Oriented Research

In New York, quiet Medicaid spending talks proceed while a Michigan insurer adds a range of new insurance products

OpEds: Positions on Fiscal Commission; Reinhardt on Medicare; Defeating diabetes

People enrolled in CDHP plan reaches 22 million in 2010: EBRI report

Obama praised for enhanced health care reform for Alzheimer's community

More Coloradans lose Medicare Advantage plans, Missouri lawmakers push for doctor's order to buy common cold and allergy meds

Health costs: Employer-sponsored insurance premiums rise 41%

Medicare beneficiaries will need significant savings to cover health insurance costs in retirement

In spite of health care law, patients may still pay for preventive care

At Senate hearing, Democrats blast 'mini-med' insurance policies

States continue to confront Medicaid issues

First Edition: December 2, 2010

Reigning Olympic gold medallists to compete at Bupa Great Edinburgh Cross Country

HSS creates Center for Musculoskeletal Outcomes and Patient Oriented Research

Employer-sponsored family health insurance premiums increase 41% from 2003 to 2009

Bringing real-time analytics to downstream bioprocess monitoring

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

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