Health Insurance News and Research

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State news round-up: Insurance coverage, infection reporting, immigrant health

News outlets report on a range of state health stories including infections in New Hampshire, children's insurance in Michigan, increased insurance coverage in North Carolina, immigrant health in Texas and long-term financial planning on Florida.

16 Sep 2009

Medicare Advantage's preventive health care strategy keeps seniors out of the hospital

Seniors in Medicare Advantage spent fewer days in a hospital, were subject to fewer hospital re-admissions, and were less likely to have "potentially avoidable" admissions, for common conditions ranging from uncontrolled diabetes to dehydration, according to a new analysis of publicly available AHRQ data released today by America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP).

16 Sep 2009

Some Senate Dems voice concerns with Baucus bill

Sen. Max Baucus' pursuit of a bipartisan health care reform bill is being met with increasing skepticism from his own party.

16 Sep 2009

Public option politically charged on both sides of aisle

Alternatives to the government-run public option for health insurance are part of a long list of policy and politics considerations that officials are pondering in the run down to the final health care reform bill this week.

16 Sep 2009

Primary care shortage could worsen under reform

The shortage of primary care physicians could prove a major challenge to health reform. To make matters worse, some doctors are considering early retirement because of the high cost of practicing medicine.

16 Sep 2009

House Democrats hold 'friendly' heartings in an effort to refocus health bill debate

House Democrats tried Tuesday to reframe the debate over health care legislation. Meanwhile, a key House committee chairman says that some of the president's proposals from last week's health care speech are complicating efforts to finalize House legislation.

16 Sep 2009

Effective health care reform needed to curtail escalating employee health care costs: Business Roundtable

A new report released today by Business Roundtable, an association of chief executive officers of leading U.S. companies, finds that annual per employee health care costs will triple to nearly $29,000 over the next decade without significant marketplace reforms that reduce costs, expand coverage and improve delivery.

16 Sep 2009

Workers face higher costs for employer-sponsored insurance

Kaiser Health News reports that "employers struggling with the steady rise of health insurance costs -- which in 2009 increased 5 percent to an average of $13,375 for family coverage -- are passing on more of the expense to their workers through higher deductibles and co-payments, according to survey released today." The survey was by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Health Research & Educational Trust (Galewitz and Villegas, 9/15).

16 Sep 2009

Today's Op-Ed selections: Medicare, Medicaid and the Constitution

My patient had just been the recipient of a rare and highly valued medical commodity, a treatment that is as quantifiable in its effects as the milligrams of a medication or the number of stitches in a wound: Time (Daphne Miller, 9/15).

16 Sep 2009

Baucus works to iron out Medicaid, abortion and costs in health reform bill

Sen. Max Baucus is addressing the final questions in his Senate Finance Committee health care reform bill and plans to offer it Wednesday, opening the way for a committee vote next week and a floor vote the week after.

16 Sep 2009

Aviva Select series of Disease Management and Wellness programs launched

Avivia Health announces Avivia Select, a new series of affordable Disease Management and Wellness programs specifically designed to help companies provide important new benefits to their employees. Avivia Health is the only national provider of Disease Management and Wellness Solutions based on 60 years of evidence-based care by parent organization Kaiser Permanente.

16 Sep 2009

CMRG achieves 12% healthcare cost savings with Verisk Health’s D2Explorer

Verisk Health, Inc., a global leader in healthcare data analytics, announced today that Core Management Resource Group (CMRG), a benefit-management company for self-funded health insurance programs, successfully implemented care management interventions and individual health risk assessments using Verisk Health’s D2Explorer and achieved 12% healthcare cost savings for one of its employer group clients.

16 Sep 2009

eHealthInsurance's key questions to help women purchase health insurance plans

eHealthInsurance, the leading online source of health insurance for individuals, families and small businesses, today released a list of answers to questions frequently asked by women who call its customer care center. The customer care center includes a call center staffed with licensed insurance agents.

15 Sep 2009

Commonwealth Health Insurance Connector Authority wins 2009 Innovations award

The Ash Institute for Democratic Governance and Innovation at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University today announced the Commonwealth Health Insurance Connector Authority as a 2009 Innovations in American Government Award winner.

15 Sep 2009

HealthInsight unveils value-based solutions to reduce health care costs

HealthInsight, provider of the only value-based health care administration platform, officially unveils a set of technology and services for health insurers, third-party administrators and employers that are proven to lower overall medical costs while improving the quality of care. The new platform will be used to determine and track health actions that are directly tied to benefit designs, which is instrumental in lowering health care costs.

15 Sep 2009

Lifemasters files voluntary petition under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code

LifeMasters Supported SelfCare, Inc. ("LifeMasters") today announced that it has filed a voluntary petition under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. LifeMasters' restructured operations are expected to be profitable and sufficient cash is on hand for the restructuring process.

15 Sep 2009

Significant uptake of medical imaging equipment in Ghana

Ghana's healthcare industry is experiencing growth across a range of sectors. However, the drive towards improved diagnostic capability has led to high demand for medical imaging devices.

15 Sep 2009

Somatic Systems accelerates efforts on projects to provide pain care services to the US Military

Somatic Systems, Inc. (PINKSHEETS: SMAS) stated that they have accelerated their efforts on their projects to provide pain care services to the US Military and establish Military health insurance coverage for Somatic Systems' powerful Clinical Somatics pain treatment method.

15 Sep 2009

MedAssurant to support AHIP's focus on evidence-based healthcare initiatives

America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) and MedAssurant, Inc., announced today that MedAssurant, through its healthcare data analytics services, will support AHIP's research capabilities in the areas of quality and effectiveness of treatments.

15 Sep 2009

Hispanic/Latino Americans have a unique cancer risk profile, says report

The latest edition of Cancer Facts & Figures for Hispanics/Latinos reports that Hispanic/Latino Americans -the largest, fastest-growing, and youngest minority in the United States-have a unique cancer risk profile that requires a targeted approach to cancer prevention.

15 Sep 2009