GOP budget plan: Cuts spending, repeals health care law
GOP budget plan Cuts spending repeals health care law. Uploaded by cbsnewsonline on Mar 13 2013. House Republicans released their 2014 budget plan which cuts spending by more than $4 trillion and repeals the health care law Gayle King reports For more go to httpwwwcbsnewscom Click here to SUBSCRIBE httpbitlywhw7pc. cbsnews Online.
By: CBSNewsOnline
The rest is here:
GOP budget plan: Cuts spending, repeals health care law - Video
MANATEE -- Manatee County ranks 20th of 67 Florida counties for health outcomes, representing how healthy a county's population is based on mortality and morbidity, according to a study.
The county ranked 23rd among 67 for health factors, those items that influence one's health, such as behavioral, economic and environmental factors, according to the study compiled by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
Local health care expert Jennifer Bencie, M.D., cites the rankings when discussing whether voters should increase the county sales tax by a half-cent to finance indigent health care.
"I believe we all want to aim higher in regard to our county's health," said Bencie, administrator of the Manatee County Health Department. She urged the commission last week to put the question before voters in a referendum.
Part of what makes a healthy local population is access to quality medical care, she noted, adding, "There is a large population in Manatee County that cannot afford such luxuries."
The Manatee County Commission did vote 4-3 to put the question on the ballot during a special election June 18.
The discussion Tuesday also highlighted a central question of the debate: How do Manatee County citizens rate in access and quality of health care when compared with other areas?
Two nearby counties, Sarasota and Hillsborough, have already instituted special health-care funding mechanisms.
Compared to Manatee's 20th ranking statewide for
health outcomes, such as premature death, Hillsborough ranked 32nd, and Sarasota ranked third, according to Christine Clayton, communications associate for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
See the original post here:
Numbers tell the story of Manatee County's health care picture
By DANIELLE LYNCH dlynch@delcotimes.com @dmlreporter
State Sen. Ted Erickson, R-26, of Newtown, is attempting to garner support for a bill which would help develop and expand community-based health care clinics in Pennsylvania.
Erickson emphasized the importance of the legislation in a letter, dated March 1, to state Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi, R-9, of Chester.
As you are aware, I continue to advocate for the passage of Senate Bill 5, which establishes the community-based health care program in Pennsylvania, Erickson wrote in the letter to Pileggi. While this legislation will not totally solve the problem of providing access to health care and to facilities where those who are uninsured in our Commonwealth can receive services, it will result in medical homes for underserved people in rural, suburban and urban settings.
Furthermore, (Senate Bill 5) will decrease the cost of uncompensated care and create alternatives to hospital emergency rooms that currently serve as the primary care providers for many of the uninsured. For these reasons, it is critical that we pass (Senate Bill 5) in the Senate as soon as possible.
Erickson explained during a phone interview and in the letter to Pileggi that his bill is important within the context of President Barack Obamas health care law, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
Recently, discussions of providing medical care to Pennsylvanians who do not have access to care have expanded to include the issue of expanding our Medical Assistance program, he wrote. Expansion could occur by taking advantage of the federal (health care law) provision that gives states 100 percent federal funding for individuals up to 138 percent of the poverty level including childless adults.
Erickson cited a policy brief, The Future of Medicaid Long Term Care Services in Pennsylvania: A Wake Up Call, in his letter. He said the brief indicates that Pennsylvania is currently faced with an ever increasing Medical Assistance caseload and related costs regardless of expansion of Medical Assistance under the Affordable Care Act.
Currently, there are approximately 2.1 to 2.2 million people who are (Medical Assistance) recipients and the annual rate of growth in the program has been 11 percent, Erickson wrote, citing the report that he received from Pileggi. If this rate of growth continues, there will be an increase in the rolls this year of over 238,000 individuals. If the cost of providing (Medical Assistance) coverage is $6,000 per person per year, the annual cost will be in excess of $1.4 billion for these 238,000 recipients alone.
As this shows, regardless of any action the state may take with respect to the (Affordable Care Act) and (Medical Assistance) expansion, our costs are increasing. The Commonwealth must make additional efforts to reduce costs by reducing emergency room use, providing preventive care to adults and treating chronic conditions before they require more intensive medical intervention all of which would be addressed under (Senate Bill 5). And, although the expansion of (Medical Assistance) will cost $3 billion over a 10 year period, advocates still believe that there is a potential to reduce overall expenditures in the health care system.
More:
For politicians who get awfully riled up about exposed genitalia in the Castro or what to call our local airport, the good folks at City Hall sure do have a knack for looking the other way when it comes to matters of huge financial import.
Take the city's $4.4 billion unfunded liability to pay for health care for its employees and retirees over the next 30 years.
A new report from the Pew Charitable Trust crunched figures for the largest city in each of the country's 30 most populous metro regions for a look at how they're faring when it comes to affording the tab on their pension and retiree health care obligations.
On the pension front, San Francisco isn't doing too badly. After the city focused intensely on the issue in 2011 and voters passed a ballot measure making changes to the system - and, after investment returns started improving after the Great Recession - San Francisco's pension system is 97 percent funded.
To cover the gap, each household in the city would have to fork over $1,677.
Just Washington, D.C. is doing better, having enough money on hand to pay 104 percent of its pension obligations. Each household there could get $646 back, and the pension fund would break even. Who says everything in Washington is broken?
Pittsburgh, for the record, is doing the worst with enough money to pay just 39 percent of its pension tab.
But when it comes to retiree health care costs, it's another story. San Francisco has saved less than 1 percent of its $4.4 billion tab - and each household would have to pay $13,487 to make up the difference.
That's actually better than 15 cities - including Boston, Chicago, Sacramento and Seattle - which have saved nothing. Cincinnati is doing the best, having saved 85 percent of what it will owe.
Mayor Ed Lee has said he'll tackle the retiree health care issue, and Supervisor Mark Farrell has called for a hearing on the matter which he said should take place in the next few weeks. He hopes to craft a ballot measure on the issue to take to voters in November.
See more here:
Exclusive: Applying for Health Care Not Easy
Applying for the Obama health care plan may prove as daunting as doing your taxes. A draft application form runs 15 pages for a family of three, prompting fe...
By: AssociatedPress
See original here:
RICHMOND, VA--(Marketwire - Mar 13, 2013) - ALR Technologies ( OTCBB : ALRT ) and the Mid-America Coalition on Health Care today announced a partnership in which the MACHC will introduce and offer pilot participation of ALRT's Health-e-Connect Diabetes Management Program to their membership. The Mid-American Coalition is the second oldest business related health care coalition in the U.S. and consists of 67 member organizations representing more than 500,000 employees in the Greater Kansas City area.The goal of the partnership is to assist their multi-stakeholder membership, some of which are the largest employers in the Kansas City area, better manage and reduce the costs for their employees living with diabetes.
The Health-e-Connect Program is a remote monitoring and care facilitation program that allows ALRT Diabetes Care Facilitators to monitor patient blood glucose data and, based on clinician approved protocols, provide advice, support and interventions when patients show readings that are out of an acceptable range or if they are failing to test their blood glucose as prescribed.The ALRT Health-e-Connect System has been successfully proven in a clinical trial that demonstrated this type of remote care is associated with significant lowering of A1c levels.The study concluded that continuing intervention using an internet based glucose monitoring system is an effective way of improving glucose control compared to conventional care.
MACHC President and CEO Troy Ross said: "Throughout our 33 year history, our mission is focused on identifying and offering solutions that improve the way health care is designed and delivered so that our members can better manage their healthcare costs.The Health-e-Connect Program is an innovative tool that aligns with our mission to provide solutions that improve quality and lower the costs of expensive chronic diseases such as diabetes."Mr. Ross added, "MACHC is proud to be sought out as a leading force in helping Kansas City employers create and sustain a healthy community, now and in the future.We have a rich history of collaborating on innovative offerings in care and benefit design that have become best practices in the employer community both locally and across the nation.Diabetes is projected to be the fastest growing disease state over the next decade. Finding new methods to manage and lower the costs associated with diabetes is an important objective for our employers and we're looking forward to working with ALRT to deliver a solution that offers incremental and sustainable change."
ALR Technologies CEO Sidney Chan commented: "We are proud to be associated with the Mid-America Coalition on Health Care.They represent a significant cross section of some of America's finest companies and we look forward to assisting them in managing the cost of one of the great drivers in health insurance today: diabetes care."
Under the terms of the partnership, ALRT agreed to devote a portion of any revenue derived from the project to MACHC.
About the Mid-America Coalition on Health Care
The Mid-America Coalition on Health Care leverages the expertise, experience, and resources of its multi-disciplinary membership to promote the health and well being of current and future employees and their families in the greater Kansas City area.
Through the power of collaboration and utilizing innovative best practices, MACHC provides leadership and acts as a catalyst to effect positive changes for containing health care costs and improving health outcomes.
About ALR Technologies Inc.
ALR Technologies is a medical device company providing remote monitoring and care facilitation for patients with chronic diseases. ALRT has developed the FDA-cleared and HIPAA compliant Health-e-Connect System that collects data from blood glucose meters and uploads to a secure website. Trained Facilitators use the System to effect efficiency of care among patients, clinicians and caregivers to improve outcomes and assist health plans to optimize their HEDIS goals. Currently, the Company is focused on diabetes and will expand its services to cover other chronic diseases anchored on verifiable data.
See the rest here:
ALR Technologies Announces Partnership With Mid-America Coalition on Health Care (MACHC)
SACRAMENTO (KABC) -- California could be facing a shortage of doctors when the health care reform law goes into full effect. One lawmaker has advanced a proposal to deal with the potential shortage. Some medical professionals are opposed to the proposal.
As California expands health coverage to millions under President Obama's Affordable Care Act next year, the state won't have enough doctors to treat this influx of new patients.
Only 16 of California's 58 counties can meet the federal government's recommended supply of primary physicians.
"If we're going to mandate every person in this country to buy health insurance, we have to make sure that that care is available to them," said state Sen. Ed Hernandez (D-Los Angeles). Hernandez is also an optometrist.
Senator Hernandez and other lawmakers propose to let nurse practitioners, physicians' assistants, optometrists and pharmacists treat patients for some illnesses. Most in those professions agree they have more training than they're allowed to use. Nurse practitioners would even be able to set up their own practice.
But the proposed shake-up in the medical establishment is ruffling some feathers at the California Medical Association. Doctors have long been the gatekeepers of medical care and worry about patient safety under the plan.
"The concern would be that they have adequate training and adequate experience for exactly the kind of patients they're seeing," said Dr. Ruth Haskins, California Medical Association. "And if they're not adequately trained, they might miss something."
Patient Cindy Ball, though, liked being treated by a nurse practitioner after her back surgeries and supports the idea of giving other staff more responsibilities.
"I really, really like them. Just like having a doctor but they would talk a lot about my pain. I had many epidurals for my spinal cord," said Ball.
The California Medical Association would rather see the state give more money to UC Riverside's medical school so it can accept more students and expand the loan repayment program for graduates who take jobs in rural areas. But neither will produce more doctors by January when federal healthcare reform takes effect.
The rest is here:
TaxesTax Filing W-2 Forms Now Detail Health Care Costs
Have you taken a good look at your 2012 Form W-2? If you get health care coverage through your job, then you probably noticed a new amount in box 12.
That figure reflects how much you and your employer spent on your health insurance premiums last year. It's a new reporting requirement of the Affordable Care Act, often referred to as Obamacare, and it applies to most companies with 250 or more workers. Next year, smaller companies also will have to report their workers' health care costs on their annual earnings statements.
Depending on your coverage, the options you chose or even where you live, the amount on your W-2 form could be in the five-figure range. A 2012 Kaiser Family Foundation survey found that the average family received $15,745 in health care coverage.The numbers from the actuarial firm Milliman are higher; its 2012 analysis found medical coverage for a family of four cost nearly $21,000.
But don't panic if the amount on your W-2 form is large. The money shown in box 12, designated by the description code DD, is not taxable income.
When health care reform was being debated in 2010, lawmakers decided to add the reporting requirement so employees would know the exact costs of their workplace-provided medical plans. The idea is that workers, armed with the cost information, will shop for more economical coverage that meets their medical needs.
What isn't counted: The W-2 amount, however, doesn't show all your health care costs. It only covers the premiums you and your employer paid. To determine how much of that you paid, pull out your final 2012 pay stub and subtract the final amount shown for your portion of health care premiums.
The box 12 amount doesn't include any contributions you made to special health care plans, such as a medical flexible savings account, Archer Medical Savings Account or health savings accounts. Nor does it take into account additional payments you made for separate dental and vision plans, co-payments, deductibles or other out-of-pocket health care expenses.
While the added reporting requirement is a bit more work for employers or the payroll companies to which they outsource the job, most companies have no problem with sharing the data. The amount spent on this employee benefit could help employers justify why pay raises are smaller than workers would like; the company money is going into health care coverage instead.
Possible future tax resource: The overall amount of nontaxable health care coverage also is of interest to Capitol Hill.
Excerpt from:
The Fight to Rescue American Health Care
Dr. Sanjay Gupta takes us inside his OR to break down what a visit to the hospital could cost you.
By: CNN
Read more:
Taxpayers in Wisconsin should be encouraged that Gov. Walker has finally put his toe into reform waters for the delivery of health care to state employees.
Now, as part of the budget process, Gov. Walker is proposing that the Group Insurance Board that handles health care budgets for 65,000 state employees be required to offer a consumer-driven health plan (CDHP). Study after study over the last decade since Health Savings Accounts were created show that savings of 20% to 30% result when incentives and disincentives are put into place.
High deductible plans, offset by a Health Savings Account (HSA), give funds to employees to use for health care and makes them responsible for managing the money. Almost immediately, inappropriate and excessive utilization drops like a rock.
No more does an employee call an ambulance when they dont need one. Its a $1500 ride, or more. No more do they use an emergency room when they dont need one. No more do they demand a brand-name drug when a generic would work.
This is proven, audited, non-debatable stuff. Ten years ago, it was a risk to install a CDHP program. No more. Just do it.
About half of all private payers have done it, including almost all of the health insurers for their own workers and health providers for their employees. Youd think they, of all payers, would know the territory.
One small governmental entity has shown the way. The West Bend School District went self-insured years ago, then bid out its network needs, then went CDHP and now is putting in its own on-site clinic. Its in the vanguard in learning from the private sector payers about what works and being a fast-follower.
Result? It is delivering first class health care for less than $10,000 per employee. Thats half of what many districts are playing for fully insured plans.
Think about the numbers. At a savings of $10,000 per employee and about 1000 employees, it is saving the taxpayers $10 million per year.
The district is giving raises; it has found funds for deferred maintenance; it found $5 million in reserves to put against a $25 million bond program for school construction.
See the original post here:
Sequestration spares Medicaid and almost all of Medicare, but automatic cuts to other federal health care programs will make it more difficult for low-income Americans to get maternal and infant care, vaccinate their children, and receive treatment for mental illness.
The federal government gives states tens of millions of dollars in grant money for health services each year, and all of those programs are subject to sequestration cuts.
In addition, Washington will be funneling less public health and research money to states because of automatic cuts to federal agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control and the National Institutes of Health.
Overall,sequestration is designed to cut about $85 billion from federal spending in the remainder of the federal fiscal year, which ends in October. About half of that total will come from a 5 percent across-the-board cut in discretionary domestic spending, which will affectmany federal grants, safety-net programs and research initiatives. The other half will come from an 8 percent cut in defense spending.
It's still unclear how much federal health-care money each state would lose as a result of the sequester. But critics say it wont be long before people start feeling the impact.
"I dont know what the smartest approach would have been to deficit reduction," says Michael Fraser, CEO of the Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs, "but its not this."
One agency bracing for the cuts is the Health Resources and Service Administration (HRSA), which pays for many maternal and children's health programs. In 2011, HRSA disbursed $7 billion to the states, with a high of $827 million going to California and a low of $20 million to Vermont, according to the Trust for Americas Health, a nonpartisan group that advocates for public health improvements.
Sequestration will cut $365 million from HRSAs budget. According to Fraser, that money would have been spent on screening newborns for genetic conditions; immunizing uninsured and underinsured children; and tobacco cessation programs for pregnant women, among other things.
The HRSA cuts will also reduce the funding to 7,000 community health centers. The centers, which are located in every state and every territory, provide health care to people living in communities that are poor or geographically isolated.
States also rely heavily on Mental Health Block Grants, which the federal government distributes through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. That agency is losing $168 million in the sequester. Those grants finance a variety of community-based mental health and addiction programs. According to Federal Funds Information for States (FFIS), in 2012, California received the most in federal mental health block grants at $57.4 million, while Wyoming received $491,000, less than any other state.
Read more:
NEWARK, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
The National Business Group on Health has honored Prudential Financial, Inc. (PRU) for their ongoing commitment to reducing health care disparities in the workplace and for supporting a diverse workforce. The company was recognized with the 3rd Annual Innovation in Reducing Health Care Disparities Award at the National Business Group on Health's 2013 Business Health Agenda conference held in Washington, DC.
In presenting the award, Helen Darling, President and CEO of the National Business Group on Health, commented: We are very pleased to honor Prudential for their relentless efforts and innovative approaches to reduce health care disparities. More and more companies understand just how important it is that their health care benefit programs meet the needs of a culturally diverse workforce. Prudential recognize that by addressing health care disparities, they are improving the value, quality and effectiveness of the health care services their employees receive.
Prudential's commitment to health is closely aligned with its commitment to diversity and inclusion. A one size fits all approach to health won't work. It's important to understand how differences like race, gender and lifestyle may be influencing well-being and figure that into our care strategies for employees and their dependents," says Dr. Andrew Crighton, Prudential's chief medical officer. "We're encouraged in our efforts by this recognition and honored to be acknowledged in this way.
Since 2006, Prudential's Health & Wellness team has been analyzing health disparity data trends to help increase the efficacy of its health programming. The company requests that its partners keep them apprised of their efforts to decrease disparities and help identify opportunities to do greater good within its population. In 2011, Prudential launched its Healthy Diabetic chronic disease program. The company selected diabetes because of the incidence and ramifications of the disease within its population, the modifiable nature of the disease with targeted interventions and because its health disparity data showed a disproportionate incidence of the disease among some groups within its population. The goal of the program was to enhance the client/nurse relationship with individualized and focused coaching toward helping the clients achieve glycemic control (A1C<7%) decreasing their risk of complications from the disease, and toward empowering them to make healthy life style changes through appropriate referrals and education.
We know that health disparities affect all employers, and that failure to address them will seriously hurt the health, productivity and quality of life of their employees and dependents. The leadership team at Prudential understands the importance of reducing health disparities and we strongly encourage other employers to follow the lead of these leading organizations in addressing the issue of health care disparities, Darling concluded.
About the National Business Group on Health: The National Business Group on Health is the nation's only non-profit organization devoted exclusively to representing large employers' perspective on national health policy issues and providing practical solutions to its members' most important health care problems. The Business Group helps drive today's health agenda while promoting ideas for controlling health care costs, improving patient safety and quality of care and sharing best practices in health benefits management with senior benefits, HR professionals, and medical directors from leading corporations. Business Group members, which include 65 Fortune 100 companies, provide health coverage for more than 50 million U.S. workers, retirees and their families. For more information, visit http://www.businessgrouphealth.org.
About Prudential Financial: Prudential Financial, Inc. (PRU), a financial services leader with approximately $1.060 trillion of assets under management as of December 31, 2012, has operations in the United States, Asia, Europe, and Latin America. Prudentials diverse and talented employees are committed to helping individual and institutional customers grow and protect their wealth through a variety of products and services, including life insurance, annuities, retirement-related services, mutual funds and investment management. In the U.S., Prudentials iconic Rock symbol has stood for strength, stability, expertise and innovation for more than a century. For more information, please visit http://www.news.prudential.com/
More here:
Prudential receives Innovation in Reducing Health Care Disparities Award
Media Release
12 March 2013
Smart Connectivity: Ultra-Fast Broadband Provider Selected for Primary Health Care
General Practice New Zealand (GPNZ) is delighted to announce that it is partnering with award-winning telecommunications provider Snap to implement a range of Ultra-Fast Broadband (UFB) based services to general practices and primary care networks across New Zealand. The services will be available to GPNZ networks and their affiliated general practices with the intention of offering the services to the wider health community from mid 2013.
The Smart Connectivity service will start to become available from April 2013. Smart Connectivity will offer health providers a range of internet, hosted telephony and video services at competitive prices. UFB will be available locally when the fibre optic infrastructure is installed as part of the Governments $1.5 billion investment in UFB that is being governed by Crown Fibre Holdings. A key driver of the programme is the development of a network of shared services and information, encouraging improved collaboration between a number of different health entities.
The implementation of UFB will be a significant enabler for implementation of new services supporting integration across a range of health providers said Dr Richard Medlicott, who was part of the evaluation team.
The Snap service will be launched under the Smart Connectivity brand of the Patients First programme that delivered the very succesful GP2GP Electronic File Transfer tool.
Snap has many years experience in providing services in the New Zealand health sector, supporting a number of District Health Boards and primary care networks. Snap has gained an enviable reputation by offering innovative, leading edge solutions that embrace new technologies, such as corporate fibre, VDSL, and now UFB fibre services said Fiona Thomson, CEO at GPNZ.
The health sector is a priority for Snaps UFB rollout. Our aim is to improve access to information and encourage the use of common systems across multiple health providers. Improved connectivity will allow centralised solutions to be embraced for more effective and effcient patient care, reducing the costs and burdens of legacy systems and technology, but also ensuring that New Zealand continues to deliver a world class healthcare service. Snap is incredibly excited to bring its UFB-based Smart Connectivity suite of services to the health sector with GPNZ and its member networks said Mark Petrie, CEO at Snap.
UFB services are now available in initial suburbs in over 20 cities and towns nationwide, and our partners are actively prioritising health facilities such as general practices in deployment, said Graham Mitchell, CEO of Crown Fibre Holdings, the company established by the Government to manage its investment in UFB. So its fantastic to see a leading industry group such as GPNZ encouraging their members to take advantage of UFB. Id like to congratulate Snap on winning the opportunity to help make this happen.
View post:
Steven Brill's recent Time magazine cover story, "Bitter Pill: Why Medical Bills Are Killing Us," is an extraordinarily well-reported look at medical pricing, demonstrating that high health-care prices have little relationship to underlying cost. For many commentators, the much lower prices paid by Medicare suggest an obvious solution to our health-care problems - "Medicare for all." There's only one problem with this "obvious" solution: Medicare has been a primary driver of the explosion of health-care costs in the United States despite - and perhaps because of - the low prices it pays.
Over the past decade, Medicare's spending per beneficiary has risen at roughly the same rate as spending for privately insured patients. Medicare's supporters have a simple explanation: Americans are living longer, and this is driving up the program's costs. But Medicare's own data say that a much more important factor is the growing intensity of use: more demand for care at every age.
In the mainstream of our health-care debate, this growth in seniors' demand is considered organic - a need to be fulfilled. But this extraordinary growth in volume is better understood as a provider reaction to the perverse incentives of low prices. Faced with buyers focused on volumes - such as private insurers - the health-care industry prices high; when dealing with buyers focused on prices - such as Medicare and Medicaid - the focus shifts to raising volumes, especially of more-costly procedures. Both strategies demonstrate the industry's enormous market power.
Medicare beneficiaries get a lot of health care, and these amounts grow every year. In 10 years, the number of CT and MRI scans per beneficiary more than doubled; hip replacements increased by 36 percent between 1997 and 2007. One out of three Medicare beneficiaries now has at least one surgery in the year of his or her death; even 20 percent of 90-year-olds do! The average 75-year-old is on five prescription drugs. Here's a fact you rarely hear about Medicare: Annual spending just on those in excellent or very good health was an astonishing $5,437 per person in 2008.
If you have relatives who are Medicare beneficiaries, you've probably experienced the medicalization of senior years - the perverse fate of the healthiest generation of seniors in history. But although the past years have seen a slew of insider accounts discussing the rise in unnecessary tests, diagnoses and even treatments far beyond any benefit to the patient, little awareness of the harm inflicted by growth in medical volume has seeped into policy debates.
The explosion of "care" under Medicare is an assault on the very bodies of our seniors. Health care is often a real benefit, of course, but all of it involves physical costs in side effects, recovery periods and the risk of error. An extensive survey by Medicare's inspector general noted that one in seven hospital admissions of a Medicare beneficiary resulted in an "adverse event" from care; an unbelievable 1.5 percent - translating to 15,000 patients per month - experience an "event" that contributed to their death.
It's difficult to hear that pricing policy may drive the very nature, and not just the cost, of health care, but "diagnosis creep," the substitution of expensive drugs for cheaper ones and an increasing number of more expensive procedures seem like common yet subtle responses to Medicare's efforts to manage by price. Medicare claims that hospitals and other institutions actually lose money - an average of 4.5 percent of their reimbursements - on services provided to Medicare beneficiaries and have suffered such losses every year since 2003. Yet the number of hospitals taking Medicare patients has grown in every one of those years. Why? And what explains all those ads targeting Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries if those programs are such tough customers?
Brill referred several times in his Time article to the "protection" Medicare offers its beneficiaries from high prices. But the massive expansion of care unleashed by Medicare's perverse incentives means that just the tiny sliver of care paid directly by seniors - at the low prices established by Medicare - now accounts for a higher share of their income than before Medicare existed.
Single-payer advocates contend that other nations have managed to better control health-care spending - volumes and prices - by enforcing a true budget for cost. But any review of how our Medicare system actually works illustrates why a single-payer system would be so difficult here: Our government has a pervasive inability to say "no." Only in the United States is public health care an unbudgeted entitlement: Our government promises to pay for any care seniors need and providers respond by relentlessly expanding the definition of need. It's no coincidence.
Medicare is a major source of votes and campaign contributions, both of which reinforce our politicians' unwillingness to address exploding volumes. The program's low administrative costs aren't an accomplishment; they're a refusal to discipline excess care, even dangerous care. The program's low prices are a mirage. As any businessperson knows, with enough market power - not to mention political power - you can always make it up in volume.
Read more:
Another View How Medicare's low prices drive up health care costs
Newly elected Mark Twain Health Care District board member Randy Smart said the district is moving forward in a positive direction and hopes to tackle a number of important issues over the coming months.
The Mark Twain Health Care District, a public agency, was formed by a vote of the people of Calaveras County in a special election held Aug. 27, 1946. The political boundaries of the Mark Twain Health Care District comprised all of Calaveras County.
In 1989, the district partnered with St. Josephs Hospital in Stockton and that partnership affiliated with Catholic Healthcare West.
Mark Twain Health District retains 50 percent ownership in all of the facility assets while the day-to-day operations of the hospital are the responsibility of the Mark Twain Medical Centers Dignity Health Corporation. The operational lease agreement with the corporation expires Dec. 31, 2019. The board appointed an ad hoc Lease Review Committee to determine the best process to use as it moves forward in evaluating an extension or renewal of the current agreement.
The district receives a property tax allocation each year from Calaveras County, which has been more than $1 million at times, and provides funding to provide direct support and education for the health care needs of the communities served by the district.
The agreement between the district and Dignity Health is perhaps the only one like it in the state, according to district CEO Daymon Doss. Robert Campana was largely responsible for negotiating the agreement, and one of the most interesting clauses written into the contract was the district would receive a portion of whatever profits the corporation earned during the lease.
Whatever the profits over the history of the lease, the district is entitled to 50 percent of those profits, Doss said. To date, our share is $17 million.
Smart said such an arrangement is extremely unusual.
I dont know exactly where the money is, or how accessible it is. My understanding is its being kept in the coffers of Dignity Health, he said.
Smart said the energy level and dynamic is completely different this year.
Excerpt from:
CHICAGO, March 7, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Advocate Health Care has come up with a creative new way to invest marketing dollars. The health system is launching a brand new site that's already gaining national attention.
Health enews has it all, from featured bloggers, trending health topics, videos, social conversations and more.
Aiming to become the Midwest's new go-to source for timely, patient-centered and credible health news and information, the site boats a strong commitment to building healthy and informed communities across the Chicago area and beyond. Advocate leaders say it's also a great resource for reporters.
"If reporters are looking to connect with a top notch Advocate health expert on trending news fast, health enews is a great way to get them plugged-in quickly," said Kelly Jo Golson, chief marketing officer for Advocate. "It's also offers them interesting angles and point of views on today's health news."
The site is run by a team of seasoned journalists and public affairs professionals from across the Advocate system. During its soft launch the site grew from just 77 individuals tapped to test out the site to nearly 3,000 subscribers in the first week and a half and has already had more than 17,000 page views. The site is set to launch fully to public later this month.
About Advocate Health Care
Advocate Health Care, named among the nation's top health systems, is the largest health system in Illinois and one of the largest health care providers in the Midwest. Advocate operates more than 250 sites of care, including 10 acute care hospitals, the state's largest integrated children's network, five Level I trauma centers (the state's highest designation in trauma care), two Level II trauma centers, one of the area's largest home health care companies and one of the region's largest medical groups. Advocate Health Care trains more primary care physicians and residents at its four teaching hospitals than any other health system in the state. As a not-for-profit, mission-based health system affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the United Church of Christ, Advocate contributed $571 million in charitable care and services to communities across Chicagoland and Central Illinois in 2011.
This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com
Read the original here:
PITTSBURGH, March 8, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --Highmark Inc., has received national recognition for its work in reducing health care disparities among its employees and with its client groups. Highmark was the only Blue Cross and Blue Shield plan in the country, and one of three national employers to be honored at a ceremony in Washington, D.C. today by the National Business Group on Health, a nonprofit association of more than 360 large, U.S. employers with its third annual "Innovation in Reducing Health Care Disparities" award.
"Highmark has a longstanding commitment to recognizing and valuing diversity and inclusion, and for years, our Health Equity & Quality Services team has lead the company's efforts to reduce disparities and improve the delivery of culturally and linguistically appropriate services," said Highmark Medical Director Rhonda Johnson, M.D, MPH. "Our programs advance our members health and wellness, and we are dedicated to reducing health care disparities by enhancing health literacy and providing culturally and linguistically appropriate services for our members."
In addition to its work with members and providers, Highmark's employees receive ongoing diversity and inclusion training. The company provides its employees with an online database of cultural information to increase the capacity and skills needed to address the health care needs of all individuals Highmark serves.
According to the National Business Group on Health, more and more companies understand just how important it is that their health care benefit programs meet the needs of a culturally diverse workforce, and Highmark recognizes that by addressing health care disparities and improving the value, quality and effectiveness of the health care services provided.
Direct data collection from Highmark members and employees who provide information voluntarily has helped the company make an impact on reducing health disparities. In addition, employee representatives from various business areas within the company serve on an advisory committee that oversees enterprise efforts dedicated to enhancing health literacy and providing culturally and linguistically appropriate services (CLAS) for members.
About Highmark Inc.
Highmark has more than 20,000 employees, and is among the largest health insurers in the U.S. and the fourth-largest Blue Cross and Blue Shield-affiliated company. The company operates health insurance plans in Pennsylvania, Delaware and West Virginia that serve 4.9 million members.
The company also offers health and wellness products to clients with employees throughout the country and is a recognized leader in reinsurance. In addition, Highmark operates more than 600 optical retail stores (Visionworks) and four U.S.-based eyewear manufacturing facilities. Highmark is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, an association of independent Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies.
Editor's Note:
Dr. Johnson's talks about this award and how it helps Highmark members. Click here to see the video on the Highmark YouTube channel.
Read the original post:
Highmark receives national award for reducing health care disparities
Institute for Healthcare Improvement:
Speak with health care leaders and professionals working on transforming the way they deliver care and implementing innovations to improve health and health care, while reducing costs; attend sessions and keynotes on critical health care topics, including:
Keynote and featured presenters will include:
6902 East Greenway Parkway, Scottsdale, Arizona
For press credentials or additional information, contact:
Sandy George, sandy@cxocommunication.com, (617) 413-6126
A complete listing of Summit events, as well as the event brochure and enrollment information, can be found at: http://www.ihi.org/offerings/Conferences/Summit2013/Pages/default.aspx
About The Institute for Healthcare Improvement IHI is a leading innovator in health and health care improvement worldwide. For more than 25 years, we have partnered with an ever-growing community of visionaries, leaders, and front-line practitioners around the globe to spark bold, inventive ways to improve the health of individuals and populations. Together, we build the will for change, seek out innovative models of care, and spread proven best practices. When it comes to raising the quality of health for all, IHI sees boundless possibilities and while we see the walls in front of us, we will not rest until we reach the other side. Learn more at ihi.org.
View post:
Health Care Edition - Some of the Dumbest and Most Devastating Sequester Cuts
Taken
By: The 32 Dumbest And Most Devastating Sequester Cuts Full article can be found here: thinkprogress.org
By: BehindTheScenes333
See the article here:
Health Care Edition - Some of the Dumbest and Most Devastating Sequester Cuts - Video
Refugees and Health Care in Canada
Grade 11 Law Assignment, Unit 1
By: Mariam Rashid
Visit link: