Kansas considers disbanding information exchange board; Minn. rebates lower than expected

The Kansas agency may dissolve and turn its authority over to the state to save money.

Kansas Health Institute News: Regulators Of Health information Exchange To Consider Ceding Authority To State
The board responsible for overseeing the digital exchange of Kansans' health records is scheduled to face Wednesday its biggest decision since it was formed two years ago - whether to dissolve itself and turn its regulatory authority over to a state agency with the goal of saving money. The decision comes at the same time that health information exchange is beginning in Kansas. Since 2005, various Kansas groups have wrangled with how best to ensure the privacy and security of patient health information as doctors and hospitals transition from paper to electronic health records (Cauthon, 8/6).

(St. Paul) Pioneer Press: Minnesota Health Insurance Rebates To Total $8.9 Million
Health insurers are issuing $8.9 million in rebates to Minnesota customers this summer -- a smaller sum than the $14.6 million that companies projected they would provide back in April.  The rebates are required by the 2010 federal overhaul of the nation's health care system, which set a limit on the share of premium revenue that health insurers could dedicate to administration, marketing and profit.  "It looks like there were a few insurers that significantly overestimated their rebates," said Cynthia Cox, a policy analyst with the Kaiser Family Foundation, which in April published a report tabulating rebates based on insurers' preliminary estimates (Snowbeck, 8/6).