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JACKSON, MS (AP) - A federal judge says Gov. Phil Bryant and other Mississippi residents were premature in their challenge to the federal law requiring people to buy health care insurance. The Hattiesburg American reports that District Judge Keith Starrett also reaffirmed his ruling that knocked the governor and another man out as plaintiffs. He says both have health insurance, and wouldn't be affected by the law unless they dropped that insurance. In an order signed Aug. 23, he says two remaining plaintiffs' privacy claims would have to be brought later, because rules involving disclosure and protection of personal information are still being worked out. Mississippi Sen. Chris McDaniel is an attorney for the plaintiffs. He says they either will appeal Starrett's ruling or refile the suit later. Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Judge: Mississippi health care challenge premature

The Hogg Foundation, an Austin-based philanthropy, has awarded $200,000 to the Center for Health Care Services in San Antonio and Community Health Centers of South Central Texas Inc. in Gonzales.

Each provider received $100,000. The grants will fund programs that integrate treatment for physical and mental health issues.

A growing body of evidence points toward the value of integrated care as a tool to improve the overall health of our bodies and our minds, said Dr. Octavio N. Martinez Jr., head of the foundation. By treating the whole body, we can advance the quality of care received in Texas.

The Center for Health Care Services will contract with Healthcare Access San Antonio for health information exchange services that will allow the clinic to share clinical information with other providers.

Community Health Centers of South Central Texas, in partnership with Bluebonnet Trails Community Services, will add a health care coordinator to its health care team.

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S.A. health care providers each receive $100,000 grant

The New York Times should learn the facts before drawing conclusions about the relative quality of health care in the United States.

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The Liberal Media's Erroneous Indictment Of U.S. Health Care: There They Go Again...

It has been a central campaign promise from Mitt Romney: His Medicare overhaul plan would not touch benefits for anyone older than 55.

That may not, however, be the case with the Republican presidential nominees other health-care proposals. A growing body of research suggests that his plans to repeal the Affordable Care Act and cut Medicaid funding would have a direct impact on the health care that seniors receive.

Repealing the health law would mean higher Medicare premiums, the Kaiser Family Foundation found in a recent analysis. Wellness visits and prescription drugs also would cost more. Although under the current law, reductions in doctor payments could create an access issue.

The impact could be greatest for the lowest-income seniors, who qualify for both the Medicare and Medicaid programs, and there could be a significant slowdown in federal funds available for their care.

The health-care law cuts $716billion in Medicare spending, largely by reducing how much insurers and health-care providers get paid to manage seniors care. Since Medicare beneficiaries pay a percentage of the programs overall budget, lower spending means lower premiums.

If the Medicare savings are repealed, and the benefit enhancements are repealed, theres a direct effect on seniors today, said Tricia Neuman, director of the Kaiser Family Foundations Medicare Policy Project.

Health and Human Services estimates that Medicare beneficiaries paid $94 less out-of-pocket for hospital and doctor coverage this year than they would have without the health-care law. That number will rise to $572 in 2021 as the Medicare cuts grow larger.

An expected slower rate of growth in Medicare spending leads to a slower rate of growth in beneficiary out-of-pocket payments, the February 2012 research brief concluded.

About 5percent of seniors would see some premiums increase, as the Affordable Care Act expands an income-related premium for anyone earning more than $85,000.

Overall, though, analysts say that out-of-pocket spending by seniors would increase if the Affordable Care Act is repealed. On average, spending for seniors would rise because their premiums would rise, Neuman said.

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Romney health plans would affect seniors’ care, studies find

MANKATO Glen Peterson was looking at the responses to a survey sent out earlier this year by state Sen. Kathy Sheran of Mankato.

The question on health care reform jumped out at Peterson, not surprising for a retired professor in Minnesota State Universitys College of Allied Health and Nursing.

But it wasnt the number of respondents who favored a single-payer health care system that struck him, or the percentage who preferred President Obamas Affordable Care Act.

It was the most popular response to the question that got him moving.

Not sure I dont have enough information was selected by 40 percent of the 793 respondents, more than any other answer. For a teacher, the idea of people not having enough information was about as grating as fingernails on a chalkboard.

Doesnt this really call for some sort of educational forum? Peterson recalls thinking.

So he got to work, and his efforts will culminate with a public informational forum Saturday afternoon featuring some prominent Minnesota experts on health care policy.

Options for Structure of Our Health Care System will run from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at MSUs Centennial Student Union ballroom. Three experts will offer in-depth looks at three possible reforms: the Affordable Care Act (frequently called Obamacare) and health care exchanges; a more state-based approach where federal health care programs are replaced by vouchers and block grants to states; and a national health care/single-payer approach.

The goal is for the audience to leave better informed about all three approaches after hearing the panelists speak and answer audience questions.

Weve asked them all to take the educational/informational focus rather than trying to win converts, Peterson said.

Originally posted here:

MSU to host forum on health care policy

Merging two hospitals into one health care system is an ongoing challenge for a team of doctors and community members entrusted with the task.

Capella Healthcare Inc. leased the former Muskogee Community Hospital effective July 31. Capella also leases the Muskogee Regional Medical Center.

Transition team members say they are considering how to use the new arrangement to reduce duplication in services and fill in gaps.

Among changes already made:

The closing of the MCH campus emergency room;

Expansion of services at the MRMC emergency room for urgent care needs; and

The transfer of womens imaging services from Providence Imaging to the MCH campus.

There will be more announcements of changes at least through October, when the hospital has planned a naming ceremony for the new health care system created by the merger.

The transition team formed soon after the announcement of Capellas lease of the MCH campus includes doctors, community members, college presidents, and more.

Dr. Timothy Holder, a team member, said the transition team has been trying to find ways to build on the strengths of the MCH facility.

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Merger of hospitals set to bring changes

Nancy Pelosi Speaker John Boehner Jerrold Nadler

"Today, in upholding the Affordable Care Act, the Supreme Court has shown that, even at a time when Washington seems to have reached a new level of dysfunction, there remains a respect for the rule of law, for precedent, and for the ability of Congress to legislate on matters that affect the American people," Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) said in a statement. "By not caving in to the most craven political calls, it appears the Court has stood by more than 70 years of legal precedent to ensure that: some 32 million Americans will have access to health insurance; we stop the unnecessary deaths of 42,000 Americans annually who die simply because they lack health insurance; insurers can no longer deny a child health care because of pre-existing conditions; millions of young adults receive coverage on their parents' plans until age 26; insurers can no longer impose lifetime limits on coverage; millions of Americans receive free preventive care; and, seniors save billions of dollars on prescription drugs. "The Affordable Care Act will now assume its rightful place, along with Social Security and Medicare, as powerful testimony to what our nation can achieve to benefit the lives of all Americans. Today's decision will, I truly hope, put to rest the partisan attacks from the Right against the law and many of its provisions. Republicans have threatened to continue their attempts to repeal these provisions, but let us all hope that they will respect the Court's ruling and put the health and wellbeing of the American people ahead of insurance companies."

"Today's decision makes one thing clear: Congress must act to repeal this misguided law," said Sen. Republican Leader Mitch McConnell. "Obamacare has not only limited choices and increased health care costs for American families, it has made it harder for American businesses to hire. Today's decision does nothing to diminish the fact that Obamacare's mandates, tax hikes, and Medicare cuts should be repealed and replaced with common sense reforms that lower costs and that the American people actually want. It is my hope that with new leadership in the White House and Senate, we can enact these step-by-step solutions and prevent further damage from this terrible law."

Republican Governors Association Chairman Bob McDonnell issued the following statement regarding the Supreme Court's decision to uphold the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act: "Today's ruling crystallizes all that's at stake in November's election. The only way to stop Barack Obama's budget-busting health care takeover is by electing a new president. Barack Obama's health care takeover encapsulates his Presidency: Obamacare increases taxes, grows the size of government and puts bureaucrats over patients while doing nothing to improve the economy. It's never been more important that we elect a President who understands the marketplace and will make job creation his top priority. By replacing Barack Obama with Mitt Romney, we will not only stop the federal government's healthcare takeover, but will also take a giant step towards a full economic recovery."

"Dr. Coburn will be reviewing the ruling and will respond with an updated plan to repeal and replace this unworkable law. The Court affirmed Congress' power to tax people if they don't eat their broccoli. Now it's up to the American people to decide whether they will tolerate this obscene abuse of individual liberty," said John Hart, a spokesman for Sen. Coburn.

"Today's Supreme Court decision sets the stakes for the November election. Now, the only way to save the country from ObamaCare's budget-busting government takeover of health care is to elect a new president," said RNC Chairman Reince Priebus. "Under President Obama's signature legislation, health care costs continue to skyrocket, and up to 20 million Americans could lose their employer-based coverage. A panel of unelected bureaucrats now has the unprecedented authority to come between elderly patients and their doctors. Meanwhile, the rules and regulations placed on job creators and small businesses make it nearly impossible to hire new workers at a time when Americans desperately need jobs. "We need market-based solutions that give patients more choice, not less. The answer to rising health care costs is not, and will never be, Big Government. "We must elect a president who understands the economy, respects free enterprise, and can provide the leadership we now so desperately need. On Election Day, we must elect Mitt Romney and put America on the path toward a brighter economic future and successful health care reform."

Today, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) released the following statement on the Supreme Court ruling on the President's health care law: "The Supreme Court's decision to uphold ObamaCare is a crushing blow to patients throughout the country. ObamaCare has failed to keep the President's basic promise of allowing those who like their health care to keep it, while increasing costs and reducing access to quality care for patients. In this tough economy, jobs and economic growth are on the minds of most Americans, but ObamaCare has increased uncertainty for small businessmen and women and forced them to put their hiring decisions on hold. "During the week of July 9th, the House will once again repeal ObamaCare, clearing the way for patient-centered reforms that lower costs and increase choice. We support an approach that offers simpler, more affordable and more accessible health care that allows people to keep the health care that they like. "The Court's decision brings into focus the choice the American people have about the direction of our country. The President and his party believe in massive government intrusions that increase costs and take decisions away from patients. In contrast, Republicans believe in patient-centered, affordable care where health care decisions are made by patients, their families and their doctors, not by the federal government."

House Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer (MD) released the following statement today after the Supreme Court's decision on the Affordable Care Act: "Our highest court has weighed in, and its decision to uphold the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is a victory for all Americans who have ever worried about being able to access or afford the care they need. Democrats are proud to have worked hard to pass this landmark legislation in 2010 and of our efforts to make sure it is implemented in a way that continues to yield new benefits for patients, employers, and care providers. "The Affordable Care Act made it illegal for insurance companies to discriminate against patients on the basis of pre-existing conditions, allowed young people to remain on their parents' plans until age 26, and prohibited insurance companies from charging women higher premiums than men. The Medicare Part D 'donut hole' is closing, and seniors on Medicare now have access to free preventive services like mammograms and colonoscopies. Moreover, the Affordable Care Act provides deficit savings of more than $1 trillion over the next two decades. The Affordable Care Act further brought peace of mind to the 30 million uninsured Americans who will finally be able to access affordable coverage once the law is fully implemented. "Republicans have been trying to repeal the Affordable Care Act since the day it was enacted, and they have been eagerly awaiting today's ruling. But they must now accept that the Affordable Care Act will remain in place and that the time for litigation and partisan posturing on this issue ought to come to an end. Republicans now have a responsibility to work with Democrats to implement the Affordable Care Act, and I call on them to do so in order to make care affordable and accessible to Americans."

Following the Supreme Court's decision affirming the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act, former Governor and U.S. Senate candidate Tim Kaine today released the following statement: "The Affordable Care Act is an important first step in curbing discriminatory insurance company practices and increasing access to health care, but more needs to be done to bring down costs. Our government, businesses, and citizens cannot continue to spend more than any other nation on health care while getting second-rate results. As Senator, I am committed to working with all stakeholders to find additional improvements to the Affordable Care Act that give all Americans affordable access to high quality services. "While there is more work to do, it is worth noting what has already been accomplished under the Affordable Care Act. Nearly 63,000 more young people in Virginia have health coverage, more than 800,000 Virginia seniors have received free preventive care, millions of small businesses are now eligible for tax credits, and twenty million American women have access to cancer screenings and contraception without co-pays. And we've put an end to the egregious abuses by insurance companies that denied coverage to children with preexisting conditions, charged women higher premiums for the same coverage, and dropped folks when they got sick. "My opponent regularly calls for a full repeal of this law, despite the positive results it's already delivering for Virginia. In the decade encompassing George Allen's six years as a U.S. Senator, the average insurance premium for families more than doubled and over 12 million more Americans were uninsured. Clearly, inaction was not a solution, and neither are continued calls for repeal. Instead we must work together to strengthen this existing program and improve cost controls."

"In passing health reform, we made history for our nation and progress for the American people. We completed the unfinished business of our society and strengthened the character of our country. We ensured health care would be a right for all, not a privilege for the few. Today, the Supreme Court affirmed our progress and protected that right, securing a future of health and economic security for the middle class and for every American."

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John Roberts Health Care Switch Detailed By Jeffrey Toobin In New Book

15-09-2012 02:59 On Sept. 11, 2012, the League of Women Voters of San Antonio hosted a discussion on Health Care Reform After the Supreme Court Decision. The factual, non-partisan talk on the strengths and weaknesses of the Affordable Care Act was led by Trinity University's Dr. Amer Kaissi.

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Affordable Health Care Act Explained by Dr. Amer Kaissi - Video

The health care law the Affordable Care Act has saved consumers an estimated $2.1 billion on health insurance premiums, according to a new report released today (Sept. 11) by the Department of Health and Human Services. For the first time ever, new rate review rules in the health care law prevent insurance companies in all states from raising rates with no accountability or transparency. To date, rate review has helped save an estimated $1 billion for Americans. Additionally, the laws Medical Loss Ratio (or 80/20) rule is helping deliver rebates worth $1.1 billion to nearly 13 million consumers.

The health care law is holding insurance companies accountable and saving billions of dollars for families across the country, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said. Thanks to the law, our health care system is more transparent and more competitive, and thats saving Americans real money.

Beginning Sept. 1, 2011, the health care law implemented federal rate review standards. These rules ensure that, in every state, insurance companies are required to publicly submit for review and justify their actions if they want to raise rates by 10 percent or more.

To assist states in this effort, the Affordable Care Act provides states with Health Insurance Rate Review Grants to enhance their rate review programs and bring greater transparency to the process. Forty two states have used their rate review grant funds to make the rate review process stronger and more transparent.

This initiative is one of many in the health care law aimed at saving money for consumers and specifically works in conjunction with the 80/20 rule, which requires insurance companies to generally spend 80 percent of premiums on health care or provide rebates to their customers. Insurance companies that did not meet the 80/20 rule will provide nearly 13 million Americans with more than $1.1 billion in rebates this year. Americans receiving the rebate will benefit from an average rebate of $151 per household. The rate review report released today is available at: http://www.healthcare.gov/law/resources/reports/rate-review09112012a.html.

Information on how states are using their rate review grant funds is available at: http://www.healthcare.gov/law/resources/reports/rate-review09202011a.pdf

General information about rate review is available at: http://www.healthcare.gov/law/features/costs/rate-review/

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Health care law saved an estimated $2.1 billion for consumers

It's a fact of life in California health care the clout wielded by the state's big hospital chains.

Now California's attorney general has launched an antitrust investigation into some of the state's top hospital chains and their affiliated physicians' groups, to see if consolidation means inordinately higher prices.

Sacramento's Sutter Health and San Francisco's Dignity Health are among those getting subpoenas from Attorney General Kamala Harris, the Wall Street Journal reported Friday.

Quoting anonymous sources, the Journal said the probe began several months ago. Lynda Gledhill, Harris' press secretary, wouldn't confirm or deny the story.

But one of the hospital chains targeted, Scripps Health of San Diego, confirmed it has received a subpoena "related to antitrust issues. We understand other health systems throughout the state have been contacted, as well."

Health care economist Joanne Spetz said it isn't surprising regulators would be looking at hospital chains in Sacramento, San Francisco and San Diego, which she called "the most consolidated markets in the state."

"Sutter and Dignity really have the Sacramento and San Francisco areas pretty well locked up, particularly Sacramento," said Spetz, a professor at the University of California, San Francisco. "More consolidated hospital markets have higher fees," she added.

Sutter declined to confirm if it had received a subpoena. A Dignity spokesman couldn't be reached for comment.

Patrick Johnston, president of the California Association of Health Plans, an insurers group, said Northern California hospitals are usually costlier than Southern California's.

Consolidation isn't the only factor, but "generally there is more competition in Southern California," he said.

Excerpt from:

Report: Sutter Health probed

Health Care REIT Inc. said Friday that as part of its acquisition of Sunrise Senior Living Inc., it has agreed to sell Sunrise's management company business to a group of health care and real estate investment firms for about $130 million.

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Health Care REIT to sell Sunrise mgmt business

KYM JOHNSON,a licensed practical nurse, tests Howard Judy's blood sugar levels earlier this week inside the Health Care-a-Van, operated by the Polk HealthCare Plan.

HAINES CITY | Ramiro "Sam" Hernandez spends his work week in a large, air-conditioned mobile unit, making scheduled visits to parking lots across Polk County.

He staffs the Health Care-a-Van, which provides community outreach for the Polk HealthCare Plan the county's sales-tax-funded plan that provides health care coverage for Polk's uninsured and low-income residents.

The mobile unit is an often overlooked accompaniment to Polk HealthCare Plan's offices and clinics, but at the van uninsured people can learn if they qualify for the plan, renew their membership and get basic health checks.

Some members of the plan mistake the unit for a large billboard-type advertisement and don't realize it's staffed, Hernandez said.

Licensed practical nurse Kym Johnson accompanies Hernandez twice a week on his forays into neighborhoods.

Hernandez said they see fewer minority applicants than they expect in some locations with large minority populations, but that may stem from transportation problems many low-income residents face.

The plan, closed for a while to new members, has space for about 300 more patients, as of Sept. 10, Hernandez said. When the membership roles fill up again, people still can apply and be placed on a waiting list.

On some days, only a handful of people visit the van but other days, particularly on Wednesdays in Poinciana, the van is swamped with people seeking free checks of their cholesterol, blood sugar level and blood pressure. That's where Hernandez and Johnson get a heavier concentration of Hispanic residents.

Increasing the plan's enrollment in East Polk and among Hispanics is a goal set by the Citizens Oversight Committee, a volunteer group that oversees the plans.

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Care-a-Van Brings Services to Low-Income and Uninsured Residents

MIDDLETOWN, Conn., Sept. 14, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Community Health Center, Inc. (CHC) has been awarded a $250,000 grant from health care benefits company Aetna to conduct a two-year study aimed at improving the coordination of health care for low-income and underinsured patients at community health care clinics and similar safety-net health care providers.

The study's goal is to create a measurement toolkit that can successfully evaluate the levels of care coordination at primary care practices providing outpatient care for underserved populations.

Care coordination is a central component to many health care reform efforts to improve patients' health, patients' experience of care and at the same time lower costs. Care coordination is typically defined as a patient-centered, interdisciplinary approach where all of a patient's needs are managed across providers and settings in an integrated, cost-effective manner.

"According to a study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, primary care physicians for Medicare patients typically share patient care for their caseload with 299 other physicians with whom they should coordinate care," said Daren Anderson, M.D., vice president and chief quality officer of CHC. "Clearly, closely coordinated care is an important strategy to make sure patients have all their health needs addressed and don't receive conflicting instructions, duplicated tests or unnecessary treatments.

"Currently, there are very few tools available to assess the quality of care coordination in various settings, and there are none that are specific to our setting," Anderson said. "Aetna's grant will enable us to address these issues and provide tools to health centers nationwide that are working to improve health outcomes, enhance patient experience and reduce costs."

Anderson and his research team will test the care coordination measures they develop at a cross-section of CHC sites, Connecticut's largest network of Federally Qualified Health Centers. CHC has primary care sites in 13 communities in the state, as well as school-based clinics and mobile dental units. CHC serves 130,000 patients, nearly all living at or below 200 percent of the poverty level.

"The results of CHC's study have implications for similar safety-net settings in the United States," said Gillian Barclay, D.D.S., Dr. P.H., vice president of the Aetna Foundation, which will provide ongoing support for the study. "The more precisely we can envision what coordinated care looks like and how best to weave it into the everyday delivery of health care, the closer we can get to an optimal delivery of care that produces the best outcomes at the lowest cost."

Improving health care through better integrated and more closely coordinated health care is one of the Aetna Foundation's three program areas. In the past two years, Aetna and the Aetna Foundation have directed more than $2 million in grants for projects in the United States and the United Kingdom to advance integrated health care and measure the effectiveness of different integrated health care models.

Eliza Cole

(860) 852-0826 (office) or (860) 262-2546 (cell)

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Community Health Center, Inc. Receives $250,000 Grant From Aetna for Study to Improve Coordination of Health Care

Last Updated: September 14, 2012 09:52am ET

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Health Care REIT's headquarters

TOLEDO-In conjunction with its recent announcement of a definitive agreement to acquire Sunrise Senior Living Inc., Health Care REIT Inc. took the next step toward ownership of the McLean, VA-based company; spinning off Sunrise Senior Living Management Co. to Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. LP; Beecken Petty O'Keefe & Co. and Coastwood Senior Housing Partners LLC. The trio will acquire Sunrise Senior Living's management component for approximately $130 million, with Health Care REIT kicking in an additional $26 million to acquire a 20% interest in the new entity.

The acquisition will include existing Sunrise management contracts covering 282 communities (including the 125 communities to be acquired by Health Care REIT); leasehold interests in 15 communities and 12 development parcels. The management partnership will continue handling operations and personnel under the Sunrise brand. Following the completed sale of the Sunrise management company, Health Care REIT will proceed with its acquisition of Sunrise Senior Living.

The acquisition of the management business by a partnership with substantial expertise in both health care and real estate, that includes KKR, BPOC and Coastwood, powerfully endorses the Sunrise value proposition, comments Health Care REIT chairman and CEO George L. Chapman in a press release. The backing of Sunrise management ensures a stable and growing management platform that aligns perfectly with our long-term value creation expectations.

Health Care REIT entered into a definitive agreement in late August to acquire Sunrise Senior Living's outstanding common stock at a cost of close to $2 billion. At the time of the acquisition announcement, executives with Health Care REIT indicated that the management company would be sold to a third party.

Categories: Senior Housing, Acquisitions/Dispositions, REIT, Midwest

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Health Care REIT Sells Sunrise Senior Management for $130M

By Barbara Bronson Gray HealthDay Reporter

FRIDAY, Sept. 14 (HealthDay News) -- Many U.S. seniors have trouble saving enough money to handle health care costs beyond what Medicare covers, a new study suggests.

As a result, a significant portion of their savings and other assets go to paying their end-of-life costs when they die.

In the last five years of life, out-of-pocket co-payments and deductibles, and the high cost of home care services, assisted living and long-term nursing home care cause 25 percent of seniors to spend more than their total non-housing assets, the study found.

"The biggest problem for many families is covering long-term care," said study author Dr. Amy Kelley, an assistant professor of geriatrics and palliative medicine at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, in New York City.

Kelley became interested in the issue of cost in the final years of life by working with patients and families who are struggling to make decisions while facing financial challenges. "I see it every day. Individuals facing retirement may not be aware of what Medicare doesn't cover," she said.

The study used 2002-2008 data from the federally funded U.S. Health and Retirement Study, conducted at the University of Michigan over the past two decades.

Kelley and her colleagues found that the average out-of-pocket health care spending by households of Medicare recipients in the last five years of life was nearly $39,000. And 10 percent of recipients spent more than $89,000, while 5 percent of recipients spent more than $139,000.

More than 75 percent of households spent at least $10,000, while 11 percent of single and 9 percent of married households spent more than $100,000.

The amount of spending varied with the person's illness. Those with Alzheimer's disease or dementia spent the most for health care, averaging about $66,000, more than double that of those with cancer or gastrointestinal disease, who spent about $31,000.

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Medicare gaps leave many with big bill at end of life

SIGNAL HILL, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Accountable Health Care IPA (Accountable), a physician-led independent physician association (IPA) that contracts with eight California health plans serving nearly 160,000 member-patients in Los Angeles County, has named Mark Wright as its new president. The company also announced the resignation of its chief operating officer, Lili Tran-Maneerod, effective September 6.

A finance and regulatory executive with 20 years of experience at the California Department of Managed Health Care (DMHC), Wright will oversee daily operations of the IPA including its utilization management, finance and claims processing. He will report to Accountable Health Care IPAs George Jayatilaka, M.D., CEO of Accountable Health Care IPA at its Signal Hill offices.

Wrights 25-year health care career also includes serving as the Chief of the Division of Financial Oversight at DMHC from 2000 to 2010 and as Supervising Examiner/Chief Examiner from 1989 to 2000. Most recently, Wright served as Interim President for a Berkeley, California-based specialty health plan For Eyes Vision Plan. Wright received his Bachelor of Science degree from California State University, Sacramento.

We are very pleased that Mark Wright has joined us as president of Accountable, said George Jayatilaka, M.D., CEO of Accountable Health Care IPA. Health reform is driving many changes to the way we manage and finance the delivery of health care locally and nationally. Having an executive with Marks managed care regulatory expertise inside our organization will enable us to better respond to those changes and enhance service to the health plans we serve and the physicians we contract with in Los Angeles County.

Lili has been a valued contributor to our growth during her seven years here. She joined us in June of 2005 when we served just 28,000 patient members. Today, we serve nearly 160,000 patient members. We wish her the best in her new endeavors.

The company said the search for a new chief operating officer is underway. Tran-Maneerod will move from full-time employee to an independent consultant, assisting Accountable on marketing and physician recruitment activities in concert with its expansion plans.

ABOUT ACCOUNTABLE HEALTH CARE IPA:

Accountable Health Care IPA is a physician-led independent physician association (IPA) with core values based on reliability and accountability in the provision of appropriate, expedient and quality medical services for our members, with uncompromising integrity, compassion, and values. Our team of management professionals fosters a culture among our employees that support interdependency and accountability in service to our members and to provide professional administrative support to our contracted providers on an accurate and timely basis. Together, we strive to become the leading integrated health service organization dedicated to promoting members personal health status through improved communication, health maintenance, and coordinated delivery of care system.

Photos/MultimediaGallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=50409584&lang=en

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Accountable Health Care IPA Announces Leadership Changes

A few weeks back, I excoriated the national press for reporting on health care as solely an economic and political issue. I chided them for failing to put a human face on it and talk about people who already are benefiting.

Then it occurred to me that I should put my money where my mouth is, walk the walk instead of just talking the talk. (Insert your own clich here.) So I began to look around San Luis Obispo County for people who are living healthier lives because of the Affordable Care Act. They werent hard to find.

I thought you might like to meet some of them and maybe even use their experiences as a guide to get the health care help you need.

Help with prescription drugs, to cite just one of many examples. Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius recently said seniors and people with disabilities in California have saved $340.6 million on prescription drugs.

This is not, however, an analysis of the Affordable Care Act. I am not looking into the pros and cons of the 2,700-page legislation. There is plenty of that sifting already taking place out there.

I know many people fear the ACA, and I leave others to engage in that discussion.

This package is about people.

You can find their tales in the accompanying stories. I do want to note a couple of common threads, however:

You have to fight like a bulldog, as Diane Burkhart put it, to get the coverage to which you are now entitled;

You should, as both Burkhart and Don Funk said, spread the word.

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The Affordable Care Act: Healthier for it

12-09-2012 19:41 Newly released census data paints a mixed picture of America's economy. The poverty rate remained stagnant. Wage gains have fallen below the level of inflation. And income inequality is at its highest in decades. Margaret Warner talks to New York Times' David Leonhardt to parse the numbers on income, poverty, and health care.

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Parsing the Census Numbers on Income, Poverty and Insurance - Video

A staggering 68 million Americas have a mental illness, but only about four million get adequate care. A California startup called Breakthrough is using the Internet to address the problem.

The mental health care field is facing a huge problem right now. A staggering 68 million American adults and children are facing a mental illness, but far fewer get adequate care, according to statistics from the National Institute of Mental Health.

Whether it's the stigma associated with having a mental illness, the high cost of care, or the challenge of finding a provider, many people simply do not get help. But a California startup called Breakthrough is on a mission to leverage the power of the Internet to help people get the treatment they need to recover. The site lets users find a mental health provider, and talk confidentially online through a secure video chat platform, all from the comfort of home.

"We want to help people connect with a therapist or psychiatrist from anywhere, at any time to help them find the best mental health provider for them," says Breakthrough founder and CEO Mark Goldenson.

Launched in 2009, Breakthrough quickly gained the support of psychiatrists, with 25 providers currently in network and another 1,200 on a waiting list. While the company doesn't share patient numbers, there is evidence that the approach is resonating with people. Breakthrough says the average patient has five sessions, and 55 percent of patients have repeat sessions.

With patients and providers on-board, the company over the past year has been working hard to get buy-in from insurance companies. After signing two major players covering a total of two million Californians, Breakthrough is now looking to expand to other states.

We talked with Goldenson to find out how the site got started, the benefits of video therapy, and what's next for the company.

PCMag: How did you come up with the idea for Breakthrough?

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A Mission to Modernize Mental Health Care

For a race that encapsulates Texas' raging health care debates, look no further thanSenate District 10in Fort Worth --the matchup between incumbent DemocratWendy Davisand her challenger, Republican state Rep.Mark Shelton.

Shelton, a pediatric infectious disease specialist atCook Children's Hospital, wants to repeal federal health reform ("this is about government-run health care versus patient-centered health care"), prevent aMedicaidexpansion ("it affects access to care") and keepPlanned Parenthoodfar away from state-subsidized women's health care.

"Everyone is for women's health," Shelton said. Planned Parenthood "is about taxpayer funding of abortions and late-term abortions. Wendy is for taxpayer-funded abortions, and I am not."

Davis wants to restore legislative funding that has been cut from women's health ("women of Texas have lost access to health care"), give more low-income patients access to Medicaid ("the community wants us to leave politics at the door") and protect Planned Parenthood as a major provider of cancer screenings and preventive care in Texas.

"They're being held hostage for political purposes," she said of Planned Parenthood, calling Shelton an "ideologue." "We know and he knows that those funds are prohibited from use for abortions."

The two are engaged in a fierce battle for the swing seat, one of the most-watched and most fought-over on the November general election ballot. If Shelton wins, he gets Texas Republicans within one vote of the two-thirds majority they need to render Democrats virtually obsolete in the upper chamber. Democrats, who see Davis as a rising star in the party, want to hold fast to that 12th Senate seat; they've got a better chance since the courts tossed out a Republican-drawn redistricting map that would've changed the district's boundaries.

The candidates have a lot to fight over; health care is just one area where their messages diverge. But their race has drawn a lot of attention from the state's medical and social services groups, who see the matchup as a referendum on many of Texas' biggest health care issues and have weighed in with competing endorsements.

TheTexas Academy of Family Physicians, which generally works hard to add doctors to the ranks of the Legislature, endorsed Davis over Shelton. Tom Banning, the group's executive director, said his organization followed the "friendly incumbent" rule -- endorsing an incumbent whose votes closely aligned with his organization.

"Wendy's record on the issues we care about, that our patients care about, is unassailable," Banning said. "When it came to managed care reform, graduate medical education, scope of practice, even tort reform, she had a perfect voting record."

Banning said that if Shelton were running for re-election in the House, the group would have endorsed him --but that to go against Davis would have sent a bad message to incumbents whom family doctors have asked to make hard votes in the past.

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