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Many employers have begun to adopt a strategy known as “reference pricing” to help reduce health care costs. Under this benefit design, employees get insurance plans that set price caps on certain services and procedures. Enrollees are allowed to use any provider. But if they use providers with fees higher than the “reference price,” they […]

Health care policy leaders are counting on public and private initiatives, such as paying for performance, to improve value in the health care equation in which cost and quality at times seem to be at odds. Health care costs are high and quality outcomes are low in several metrics, compared to other developed nations. And, […]

More than a third of Pioneer ACOs succeeded in reducing costs in Medicare in their first year, according to a recent Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) report. The program initially saved Medicare about $87 million and cut Medicare spending by 0.5 percent. The Pioneer ACO model is a CMS Innovation Center initiative that […]

*FOR MEMBERS OF THE PRESS ONLY*The Association of Health Care Journalists’ DC Chapter and the Alliance for Health Reform will hold a reporters’ roundtable, for reporters only, on Covering the ACA Marketplaces. With the marketplaces scheduled to launch Oct. 1, no topic is as newsy, complicated and filled with political spin. Come learn about some best […]

With millions of people projected to obtain health insurance coverage under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), access to care is expected to be an issue. Efforts to promote telehealth and telemedicine could help. In addition to electronic health records there is telestroke, teleICU and telepsychiatry. “Robodocs” have attracted recent media attention. Studies […]

Following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 and the subsequent anthrax assaults, the federal government began to reevaluate the nation’s preparedness for public health emergencies. Since then, the nation has been hit by massive floods, hurricanes and other disasters, and last year Hurricane Sandy swept up the east coast, crippling several states and nearly […]

This Alliance for Health Reform webinar gave you the latest on what insurance rates will look like when state insurance exchanges open for enrollment on October 1. Linda Blumberg, senior fellow, The Urban Institute, provided an overview of insurance rates that states have made available to date. Uwe Reinhardt, professor of economics and public affairs, Princeton […]

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) sets October 1, 2013 as opening day for enrollment in health insurance plans through marketplaces, or exchanges. The law allowed states to choose between running their own exchanges or having the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) run a federally facilitated exchange. HHS also created variations […]

A new Alliance for Health Reform video features two former Medicare administrators — Gail Wilensky and Bruce Vladeck — on their ideas about how to save the program. Ms. Wilensky, who ran Medicare in a Republican administration, argued for increasing the eligibility age of Medicare for future retirees, while still making the program available at […]

Sixty-two million Americans live in rural areas and they have higher rates of mortality, disability and chronic disease than their urban counterparts. With high poverty and unemployment rates, low rates of health insurance coverage and an undersupply of health care providers, the ills of the health care system are especially notable in rural communities. The […]

Recent proposals to combine the two main parts of Medicare would mean streamlining deductibles and other cost-sharing for beneficiaries. But health care policy experts are cautioning that such a change is complicated and requires analysis. A July 22 briefing explored the impact on beneficiaries. The idea of redesigning Medicare’s benefits has gained increased attention from both […]