…no steadfast rules for beneficiaries to make the “right” choice in selecting a supplemental insurance plan. http://www.kff.org/content/2003/6060/6060.pdf Comment: The traditional Medicare program fails to provide sufficient financial protection. Most Medicare…
RAND and BR on “savings” through “bundled payments”
…of increase in the bundled reimbursement rate. http://www.businessroundtable.org/sites/default/files/Hewitt_BRT_Sustainable%20Health%20Care%20Marketplace_Final.pdf And… Controlling U.S. Health Care Spending — Separating Promising from Unpromising Approaches By Peter S. Hussey, Ph.D., Christine Eibner, Ph.D., M. Susan…
2014 Milliman Medical Index
…7.6%. http://www.milliman.com/mmi/ Milliman Research Report: 2014 Milliman Medical Index (12 pages): http://www.milliman.com/uploadedFiles/insight/Periodicals/mmi/pdfs/2014-mmi.pdf Comment: By Don McCanne, MD The Milliman Medical Index (MMI) is an important number because it represents the…
England’s liberation of the NHS
…of whom did not vote for further privatisation of the NHS – has been broken. So much for the ‘new politics’.” http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/7885753/NHS-shake-up-grants-new-powers-to-doctors-and-patients.html And… Equity and excellence: Liberating the NHS Department…
Privatizing VA health care would be the greatest tragedy of all
…shot down: “Sometimes you wonder if there would be some way to introduce some private-sector competition, somebody else that could come in and say, you know, that each soldier gets…
Government evidence of Medicare Advantage cheating
…future. http://www.cms.gov/mmrr/Downloads/MMRR2014_004_02_a06.pdf **** Comment: By Don McCanne, MD We have discussed before the ways in which the private Medicare Advantage (MA) plans have been cheating the taxpayers, including cheating the…
Instruction sheets for completing ACA tax forms – a proxy for ACA complexity
…Timothy Jost: http://healthaffairs.org/blog/2014/08/29/implementing-health-reform-tax-form-instructions/ IRS – 2014 Instructions for Forms 1094-C and 1095-C (Draft): http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-dft/i109495c–dft.pdf **** Comment: By Don McCanne, MD If you enjoy minutia, click on the links to the…
Supreme Court decision: Whose religious freedom?
…or Conestoga’s plan will not be propelled by the Government, it will be the woman’s autonomous choice, informed by the physician she consults. http://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/13pdf/13-354_olp1.pdf **** Comment: By Don McCanne, MD…
‘Health care equity key to Ebola fight’: doctors, nurses petition Obama
…is available here: www.pnhp.org/ebola. A PDF containing the petition text and the list of the signers as of April 7, 2015, is available to media professionals here or upon request…
Medicare Trustees Report: Part B premiums a threat to solidarity
…Medicare Advantage are increasing costs. The government pays higher costs for those in Medicare Advantage, which is managed care. http://khn.org/news/good-news-bad-news-in-medicare-trustees-report/ Medicare Trustees Report (Premiums covered in Appendix E): http://www.cms.gov/Research-Statistics-Data-and-Systems/Statistics-Trends-and-Reports/ReportsTrustFunds/Downloads/TR2015.pdf ***…
IG report on problems with eligibility determinations in exchange plans
…to Resolving Inconsistencies Were Not Always Maintained Properly https://oig.hhs.gov/oas/reports/region9/91401011.pdf *** Comment: By Don McCanne, MD Considering the administrative complexities of the Federally Facilitated Marketplace (insurance exchanges) established by the Affordable…
Californians support extending Medi-Cal to undocumented residents
…somewhat 14% Oppose somewhat 25% Oppose strongly 3% Don’t know/Refused http://www.field.com/fieldpollonline/subscribers/Rls2510.pdf *** Comment: By Don McCanne, MD One of the major deficiencies in the Affordable Care Act is that undocumented…