Health Care Delivery

Encouraging Value-Based Insurance Designs in State Health Insurance Exchanges

Under healthcare overhaul, federal payments to hospitals are tied to patient satisfaction. Customer service efforts are underway.

Ratcheting up the campaign to sell the health law, President Barack Obama delivered a speech Thursday touting how millions of individuals are already benefiting from its insurance rebates, and others who buy coverage online in states such as California, New York and Oregon will pay lower-than-projected premiums next year because of increased competition.

Debate recently surfaced following controversial news that the employer mandate of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) would be delayed. However, welcome relief for employers has had little effect on individuals, who must still abide to the ACA's individual mandate or face tax penalties.

Most primary care doctors are still waiting for that Medicaid pay raise that was scheduled to begin in January under the Affordable Care Act, but a federal official says the government has now approved applications from 48 states to begin paying the higher rates.

The cost rates of insurance in the New York healthcare exchange are expected to be drastically reduced for most consumers in the state.

In a push for value-based care, UnitedHealth is pledging to double its provider payment in relation to quality and cost efficiency by up to $50 billion within the next 5 years.

A new bill, Cancer Patient Protection Act of 2013 (HR 1416), is aiming to restore Medicare reimbursements for anti-cancer drugs and biologicals to pre-sequester levels

Representatives in the White House continue to reach out to every outlet possible to try and encourage the spread of information surrounding state healthcare exchanges. Worries mount on whether or not Americans will be incentivized to buy in to the program.

The Affordable Care Act's anticipated effect on increasing hospital admissions had rekindled a debate as to how many nurses should be on staff to provide patient care.

Healthcare insurance costs in the new state exchanges will be determined by location for the many individuals and small employers who will be participating.

The House of Representatives' Energy and Commerce Committee recently released draft legislation that would replace Medicare's current physician payment system with a quality-based system.

Employers with 51 or more workers will now have until 2015 to face mandates for insurance coverage. The delay comes after federal decision to work out several logistical issues surrounding the mandate.