Bloomberg published the following op-ed from Topher Spiro, vice president for health policy at the Center for American Progress:
Last month, Maryland made public the premiums that health insurers want to charge next year under the Affordable Care Act, one of the first states to do so. Premiums for non-employer health-insurance coverage were eye-popping, with a proposed average increase of 25 percent. (more…)
This weekend’s Wall Street Journal had a powerful article written from a physician’s view on the problems with hospital care in today’s America. (more…)
The fact that my kiddos are starting school this week and my emotional response to that probably has a bit to do with my reaction to this. That said, this short movie (15 minutes) is a powerful story of a family with two children with special needs, one of which is as a result of medical errors. (more…)
“Aligning incentives with outcomes” is all the rage these days. However, while the general concept has been around some time – years, actually, going back to previous efforts at reform – today’s policy discussion continues to miss some very important lessons from the past that undermine the success of future risk-based payments. (more…)
The Seattle Times conducted live chat sessions with both Rob McKenna and Jay Inslee last week. Health care continued to be one of the headline issues discussed during both sessions.
McKenna addressed the central question of whether he would, as governor, promote the expansion of Medicaid in Washington State. (more…)
Looking at various systems of care to learn how different systems do things is a high value exercise. However, I’m reminded in reading this blog post this morning that it’s high value for two reasons: because you can learn how to do things better, and because you can see where you get high marks here at home. (more…)
The crowd-sourced odds market at Intrade puts the likelihood of the Supreme Court overturning the individual mandate – either in whole or in part – at 76.5%, up .5% since the Court announced on Monday that it would convene once more on Thursday to deliver opinions.
Which got me to thinking about what odds I would give the Court’s decision this week. And, with the knowledge that one should never listen to someone who predicts, I recall that it hasn’t stopped me before. (more…)
Mainstream thinking on the Supreme Court has claimed that the Supreme Court will likely strike down part of the Affordable Care Act, but hold many parts of the law intact. Few continue to publicly say that it is likely that the entire Act will remain in place. Even fewer suggest that the Court will throw it all out. (more…)
Opinion: Implementing State Insurance Exchange Requires Moving Quickly, Creatively
Friday, May 24th, 2013 By Governor C.L. Otter and Idaho Exchange Board Chairman Stephen WeegThe earnest debate that characterized the Idaho Legislature’s March approval of legislation creating the Idaho Health Insurance Exchange has shifted to intense preparation for meeting a critical deadline in early October.
Since being appointed April 10 to shepherd the process according to the new state law, the Exchange Board’s fast-track mission has been to create an online health insurance marketplace designed, driven and controlled by Idahoans to help our fellow citizens research and obtain affordable coverage that’s right for them. The ambitious goal is to have the Internet marketplace ready by October for Idaho residents to begin enrolling to determine their eligibility for Medicaid or subsidies on insurance policies they can begin purchasing through the Exchange in January 2014. (more…)
Tags: Butch Otter, Idaho, Idaho Health Insurance Exchange, Stephen Weeg
Posted in Commentary, Exchange, Idaho |