Opioid perscribing report reveals racial and income-based disparities
Marjie High | Mar 14, 2019 | California
A new assessment of opioid prescribing patterns in California was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association earlier this month. The study by UCLA, looked at racial and ethnic disparities in opioid prescribing in California. Noting that the current opioid epidemic has hit low-income white communities
Arizona extension for short-term, limited-duration insurance plans signed into law
Sara Gentzler | Mar 13, 2019 | Arizona
Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey signed a bill into law this week that will extend the maximum period for short-term, limited-duration insurance (STLDI) health care plans for Arizonans. Such plans are typically designed to bridge coverage gaps when a person’s between plans -- say, if they lose their job. STLDI plans
Survey highlights Coloradans’ health care cost concerns
Emily Boerger | Mar 13, 2019 | Colorado
Lowering health care costs is a common theme in the Colorado legislature this year, with bills related to pricing transparency, surprise billing, and establishing a reinsurance program all with momentum in the legislature. Results from a recent poll by the Colorado Consumer Health Initiative (CCHI) and the Health Care Value
Health care bills aimed at costs in Colorado
Sara Gentzler | Mar 12, 2019 | Colorado
Earlier this year, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis named health care as a top priority in his first-ever State of the State Address. At the forefront: addressing high health care costs. Colorado’s legislators have now been at work for nearly 10 weeks of the 2019 Legislative Session, and several health care
Bill paves the way for direct contracting pilots
Marjie High | Mar 12, 2019 | California
Introduced just before the bill cutoff by newly Democratic Assemblymember Brain Maienschein (D – 77), AB 1429 would change existing insurance regulations to allow a 5-year pilot to gage the cost savings possible when self-funded employer health plans and union trusts contract directly with provider groups in risk-bearing contract. Currently,
Kreidler to review affiliation request from Cambia, Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina
Office of Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler | Mar 12, 2019 | Washington
Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler issued the following statement about the plan from Cambia Health Solutions, Inc. and Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina: “Cambia Health Solutions and Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina have notified me that they plan to merge operations and administrative functions, while continuing to
Has serendipity created a transformational moment in Oregon health care?
DJ Wilson | Mar 12, 2019 | Oregon
Sometimes, health care transformation happens with intention. That was certainly the case in Oregon with the development of Oregon's Prioritized List in the early 1990s. The development helped to bring quality and efficacy to health care by using empirical data to determine a ranked order of medical effectiveness. From the
5 Things Washington: Q&A with Sen. O'Ban, Legislative Update, Beth Johnson
DJ Wilson | Mar 12, 2019 | Washington
It's day 58 of the 2019 Washington State legislature - one that will go down as a big session for health care in a way that few people may have fully appreciated at the start of the new year. It's certainly one of the things we're watching this month in
Regence and Northwest Medical Specialties announce value-based cancer care partnership
Emily Boerger | Mar 12, 2019 | Washington
Regence BlueShield recently announced a value-based agreement with Northwest Medical Specialties (NWMS) centered around cancer care. The agreement will incentivize NWMS’s care for Regence BlueShield members based on measurements of “patient satisfaction, patient experience and patient outcomes” according to a press release announcing the partnership. The value-based agreement will apply
OHA releases five priorities for 2020-2024 State Health Improvement Plan
Emily Boerger | Mar 11, 2019 | Oregon
The Public Health Division of the Oregon Health Authority (OHA-PHD) recently announced its top five priorities for the 2020–2024 State Health Improvement Plan (SHIP). The plan, which is still in development, identifies key public health priorities for the state and strategies to improve health outcomes across Oregon. OHA-PHD is currently
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