- Center on Health Equity and Access
- Clinical
- Health Care Cost
- Health Care Delivery
- Insurance
- Policy
- Technology
- Value-Based Care
CMS Proposes Medicare Advantage Cuts
Medicare is proposing a small cut in Medicare Advantage rates for 2015, less than half of what private insurers were expecting from the federal agency. The final rule will be released April 7.
Medicare is proposing a small cut in Medicare Advantage rates for 2015, less than half of what private insurers were expecting from the federal agency. The final rule will be released April 7.
The CMS based its projections (PDF), which will differ across the country based on a variety of factors, on an expected 3.55% decline in the Medicare Advantage growth rate factor and an expected decline of 1.65% in per capita expenditures in the fee-for-service portion of the senior citizen healthcare program. More than 15 million or 30% of all Medicare beneficiaries are currently in Medicare Advantage plans offered by private insurers. The CMS estimates that the blended rate of per capita spending for Medicare Advantage beneficiaries will decline by 1.9% in 2015.
“This historically low growth in Medicare per-capita spending is tied, in part, to successful initiatives undertaken to promote value over volume and help curb fraud, waste and abuse in the Medicare fee-for-service program in recent years,” the agency said in a press release.
Read the full story here: http://bit.ly/1hpeXmu
Source: Modern Healthcare
Prices for care at hospital trauma centers vary across hospitals; drug shortages reached a record high during the first quarter of 2024; although 3 of the biggest makers of asthma inhalers pledged to cap out-of-pocket costs for some US patients at $35, these do not apply to daily inhalers used by the youngest kids with asthma.
Read More
Navigating Health Policy in an Election Year: Insights From Dr Dennis Scanlon
April 2nd 2024On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we're talking with Dennis Scanlon, PhD, the editor in chief of The American Journal of Accountable Care®, about prior authorization, price transparency, the impact of health policy on the upcoming election, and more.
Listen
The Biden administration recently launched the Global Health Security Strategy, a new effort to combat the spread of infectious diseases; lawmakers zeroed in on the risks of massive consolidation in health care during the first congressional hearing on the Change Healthcare hack; the FDA recently announced the recall of a pair of heart devices linked to numerous deaths and injuries.
Read More
Exploring Medicare Advantage Prior Authorization Variations
March 26th 2024On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we're talking with the authors of a study published in the March 2024 issue of The American Journal of Managed Care® about their findings on variations in prior authorization use across Medicare Advantage plans.
Listen
