What we're reading, June 22, 2016: Obama administration targets young individuals for Affordable Care Act enrollment; Boeing is directly contracting with a major California health system to provide employee benefits; growing interest in the use of value-based insurance design.
The Obama administration is going to increase efforts for getting younger individuals enrolled in the Affordable Care Act’s insurance exchanges this open enrollment period. According to The Wall Street Journal, the administration will specifically target people under the age of 35, who paid a penalty for not having coverage. The efforts will include emails and notifications about steeper penalties and will include near-to-real time emails to reach these consumers if they open an account but don’t start an application. Adding these younger individuals to the exchanges could help hold down premium rates because they are healthier.
In California, Boeing Co. is bypassing the conventional insurance model in an attempt to curb rising health costs. The company will contract directly with a major health system for its employee benefits and marks an expansion of Boeing’s direct-contracting approach, reported California Healthline. The direct-contracting approach has already been implemented by Boeing in Seattle, Washington; St. Louis, Missouri; and Charleston, South Carolina. MemorialCare won the 5-year contract with Boeing and coverage under the new plan will begin January 1.
There has been growing interest in how value-based insurance design (VBID) can be used to reduce the use of low-value care and increase the use of high-value care. The VBID Center at the University of Michigan highlighted a month of VBID news, including a hearing on Capitol Hill, a white paper on how VBID and other payment and benefit designs can improve healthcare delivery, and the launch of a new research initiative to identify low-value care.
Navigating Health Literacy, Social Determinants, and Discrimination in National Health Plans
February 13th 2024On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we're talking with the authors of a study published in the February 2024 issue of The American Journal of Managed Care® about their findings on how health plans can screen for health literacy, social determinants of health, and perceived health care discrimination.
Listen
Drs Raymond Thertulien, Joseph Mikhael on Racial Disparities in Multiple Myeloma Care Access
December 28th 2023In the wake of the 2023 American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting and Exposition, Raymond Thertulien, MD, PhD, of Novant Health, and Joseph Mikhael, MD, MEd, FRCPC, FACP, chief medical officer of the International Myeloma Foundation, discussed health equity research highlights from the meeting and drivers of racial disparities in multiple myeloma outcomes.
Listen
Gene and Cell Therapies Hold Potential—but How Can Payers Manage Their Costs?
April 18th 2024Presenters at the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP) 2024 annual meeting discussed the current promise and future potential of gene and cell therapies, as well as payer management strategies for these costly treatments.
Read More
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