- Center on Health Equity and Access
- Clinical
- Health Care Cost
- Health Care Delivery
- Insurance
- Policy
- Technology
- Value-Based Care
Policy Changes May be Slow on State Exchanges as IT Systems Evolve
A blog published by The Commonwealth Fund points to digital technology glitches being responsible for slower policy adoption by several state exchanges. But states are fixing their technology glitches and also setting examples for other states to follow, say the authors.
Only 16 states and the District of Columbia established state-based health insurance marketplaces in 2014, the first year of the Affordable Act Act’s major insurance expansions. These states cited numerous advantages, including greater autonomy over policy decisions and easier coordination with Medicaid. They used that flexibility to accomplish policy goals like improving consumer choice and health plan quality. However, the failure of information technology (IT) systems to reliably carry out basic marketplace functions upstaged more ambitious goals in many states.
As states plan for 2015, IT fixes have dominated operational decisions, and few states have moved to establish their own marketplaces or make bold policy changes. Arkansas remains the only state with a federally run marketplace to have enacted legislation granting it the necessary legal authority to establish a state-based marketplace. Only one state with a previously federally run marketplace—Mississippi—has opened its own small-business SHOP (Small Business Health Options Program) marketplace since last year.
Link to the blog on The Commonwalth Fund: http://bit.ly/1ssxsNm
Commonwealth Fund Report Details Pervasive Racial and Ethnic Disparities in US Health Care, Outcomes
April 18th 2024Using 25 health system performance indicators, the Commonwealth Fund 2024 State Health Disparities Report evaluated racial and ethnic disparities in health care and health outcomes both within and across US states and highlighted the urgent need for equitable health care policies and practices in the US.
Read More
Overcoming Employment Barriers for Lasting Social Impact: Freedom House 2.0 and Pathways to Work
April 16th 2024To help celebrate and recognize National Minority Health Month, we are bringing you a special month-long podcast series with our Strategic Alliance Partner, UPMC Health Plan. Welcome to our second episode, in which we learn all about Freedom House 2.0 and the Pathways to Work program.
Listen
Making Giant Strides in Maternity Health Through Baby Steps
April 9th 2024To help celebrate and recognize National Minority Health Month, we are kicking off a special month-long podcast series with our strategic alliance partner, UPMC Health Plan. Welcome to our first episode, which is all about the Baby Steps Maternity Program and its mission to support women throughout every step of their pregnancy journey.
Listen
Study Links COVID-19 Pandemic to Rise in Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy for Ovarian Cancer in US
April 17th 2024There was greater use of neoadjuvant chemotherapy among US patients with ovarian cancer (OC) during the COVID-19 pandemic to reduce potential COVID-19 exposure and cancer treatment-related complications.
Read More
Beyond Insulin: The Impact of Next-Generation Diabetes Technology
April 17th 2024Experts explain how new diabetes technologies like continuous glucose monitors are transforming care beyond intensive insulin therapy, offering personalized insights and improving outcomes for patients of all treatment levels.
Read More
