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Health law having effect on managed-care firms, medical suppliers

Managed-care firms may be positioned for a rebound on the stock market, The Wall Street Journal reports. "Over the past two years, the Standard & Poor's 500 managed-care index has fallen about 19%, weighed down by the health overhaul bill, weak economy and specific industry issues.

29 May 2010

First Edition: May 28, 2010

Today's health policy headlines focus on efforts by federal officials to get more insurance plans to move early on coverage for young adults as well as congressional Democrats' struggle to pass legislation to extend the COBRA benefit subsidy and to prevent a scheduled cut in Medicare payments to physicians.

28 May 2010

Americans' confidence in their ability to access and pay for healthcare increased: Thomson Reuters index

Americans' confidence in their ability to access and pay for healthcare bounced back in April after dipping in February and March, according to a new consumer sentiment index from Thomson Reuters.

28 May 2010

KHN column -- The decline of employer-sponsored coverage under health reform: Good, bad or ugly?

In his latest Kaiser Health News column, Austin Frakt writes: "One of the latest criticisms of the new health overhaul law is that it will encourage employers to stop offering health insurance. In fact, it will" (5/27).

28 May 2010

States act on hospital readmissions, brace for insurance rate hikes and advance health legislation

"[M]ore than 200 area hospital administrators, doctors, nurses, and others met with national experts at the Union League in Center City to learn about strategies to reduce hospital readmissions in the five-county Philadelphia area. One approach is to use nurses to proactively treat the highest-risk patients — older people with multiple chronic illnesses — who cost the most money."

28 May 2010

States examine costs of health law's Medicaid expansion detailed in new report

Reuters examines how Medicaid expansion might affect various states, with new findings from the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured: "Under conservative estimates, Maine's Medicaid spending will decrease 1.5 percent and Colorado's will slip 0.5 percent, according to the study.

28 May 2010

Some young adults must wait for new law's insurance coverage option to kick in

The new health law's requirement that young adults be able to remain on their parents' health plans until they turn 26, is raising some questions from hopeful parents: "when exactly the new benefit begins, who exactly is eligible and who decides." But the answer to all those is: "It depends. ... the decision about when to start the new benefit is being made by lots of different players in the health system.

28 May 2010

Feds will pay the bulk of Medicaid expansion costs under overhaul, study finds

"As states complain about the burden of expanding health care to millions of poor Americans under the new federal health-care law, a study released Wednesday suggests their claims may be overstated. The issue is the cost of expanding Medicaid ... and the report from the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured says states are likely to reap huge benefits for relatively little cost, and may even end up in the black."

28 May 2010

Democrats scale back 'doc fix,' COBRA subsidy in jobs bill

Without congressional action this week on a tax "extenders" and jobs bill, a number of benefits, including a subsidy for COBRA health insurance benefits for newly laid-off workers, will expire.

28 May 2010

Impact of Affordable Care Act on Medicare recipients discussed in Web chat

Marilyn Tavenner, acting administrator and chief operating officer of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and Caya Lewis, chief of staff at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will take part in a Web chat Wednesday, May 26, to discuss how America's Medicare recipients will benefit from the Affordable Care Act and discuss how it will reduce costs and give people more control over their health insurance.

27 May 2010

First Edition: May 27, 2010

Today's health policy headlines focus on a new study about the federal government's funding level for the high-risk pools set up in the new health law as well as congressional Democrats' ongoing struggle to pass legislation to extend the COBRA benefit subsidy and to prevent a scheduled cut in Medicare payments to physicians.

27 May 2010

Benefits of new health insurance reform law for Medicare recipients discussed in news conference

Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, Barbara Kennelly of the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, and Dr. Ben Williamowsky of Silver Spring, Md., a Medicare recipient, held a news conference today to discuss benefits of and misconceptions about the Affordable Care Act and Medicare.

27 May 2010

State round up: Texas approves higher co-pays for retirees, California's next elected insurance commissioner to play critical health care role

The Illinois "House voted 71-44 to borrow up to $4 billion to cover next year's payments to the five state-funded pension systems." Lawmakers also rejected a proposal to have "retired state employees paying premiums for their health-care coverage. Rep. Karen May, D-Highland Park, said the state could save $100 million a year by having retirees pay premiums, noting that 92 percent of them pay nothing now."

27 May 2010

Democrats struggle to line up votes on bill containing 'doc fix,' COBRA subsidy extension

A jobs and benefits bill that would extend subsidies to help laid-off workers keep their health insurance and would avert payment cuts to Medicare doctors is still pending in Congress.

27 May 2010

Feds will pay much of Medicaid expansion costs for states, study finds

The Washington Post: "The federal government will bear virtually the entire cost of expanding Medicaid under the new health-care law, according to a comprehensive new study by the Kaiser Family Foundation that directly rebuts the loud protests of governors warning about its impact on their strapped state budgets.

27 May 2010

Employers: Health insurance coverage to remain, but costs may rise

Business Insurance reports that, in the wake of health reform, 88 percent of employers "responding to a Towers Watson & Co. survey said they definitely or likely will continue providing coverage to employees. Just 3% said they are likely to drop coverage and instead pay the annual $2,000-per-full-time-employee penalty that starts in 2014.

27 May 2010

First Edition: May 26, 2010

Today's headlines detail the latest developments regarding legislation moving through Congress that would prevent scheduled cuts in Medicare physician payment and extend health insurance subsidies for unemployed people.

26 May 2010

Nearly 74% of employers continue to provide subsidized health care coverage for active employees: Survey

Although U.S. employers view controlling health care costs as their highest health care reform priority, few believe that the recently enacted Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will stem the tide of rising costs, according to a May 2010 survey by Towers Watson, a global professional services company.

26 May 2010

Liberty National Life Insurance to open new distribution offices in Voluntary Benefits Worksite and Senior Markets

Liberty National Life Insurance Company, a subsidiary of Torchmark Corporation, today announced a major strategic initiative to open 50 new company-sponsored distribution offices nationwide in the Voluntary Benefits Worksite and Senior Markets.

26 May 2010

House eyes Wednesday vote on measure that includes COBRA subsidy extension and doc 'pay fix'

Congressional Democrats are scurrying today to advance a $192 billion catch-all legislative package that includes "safety-net benefits for the unemployed, physician reimbursements, tax breaks for businesses and other provisions."

26 May 2010

Health Insurance News and Research

Health law having effect on managed-care firms, medical suppliers

First Edition: May 28, 2010

Americans' confidence in their ability to access and pay for healthcare increased: Thomson Reuters index

KHN column -- The decline of employer-sponsored coverage under health reform: Good, bad or ugly?

States act on hospital readmissions, brace for insurance rate hikes and advance health legislation

States examine costs of health law's Medicaid expansion detailed in new report

Some young adults must wait for new law's insurance coverage option to kick in

Feds will pay the bulk of Medicaid expansion costs under overhaul, study finds

Democrats scale back 'doc fix,' COBRA subsidy in jobs bill

Impact of Affordable Care Act on Medicare recipients discussed in Web chat

First Edition: May 27, 2010

Benefits of new health insurance reform law for Medicare recipients discussed in news conference

State round up: Texas approves higher co-pays for retirees, California's next elected insurance commissioner to play critical health care role

Democrats struggle to line up votes on bill containing 'doc fix,' COBRA subsidy extension

Feds will pay much of Medicaid expansion costs for states, study finds

Employers: Health insurance coverage to remain, but costs may rise

First Edition: May 26, 2010

Nearly 74% of employers continue to provide subsidized health care coverage for active employees: Survey

Liberty National Life Insurance to open new distribution offices in Voluntary Benefits Worksite and Senior Markets

House eyes Wednesday vote on measure that includes COBRA subsidy extension and doc 'pay fix'

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