Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Big Business Reports Few Problems From Health Law
Bloomberg: Obamacare Is Barely Causing A Ripple In Corporate America
The biggest entitlement legislation in a generation is causing barely a ripple in corporate America. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act -- otherwise known as Obamacare -- is putting such a small dent in the profits of U.S. companies that many refer to its impact as “not material” or “not significant,” according to a Bloomberg review of conference-call transcripts and interviews with major U.S. employers. (Cortez and Wayne, 2/19)
CBS News: Insured Through Obamacare? Prepare For A Tax Headache
If you're among the roughly 20 million people affected by the Affordable Care Act -- either because you bought insurance through health exchanges or will be subject to penalties or exemptions for failing to get coverage -- filing a tax return just got a lot harder. Indeed, potentially millions of people who never before had to file tax returns will now need to file as the result of the health law. (Kristof, 2/19)
Other reports look at health law effects on providers --
California Healthline: Narrow Networks Can Limit Patient Choice, But Are They Affecting Provider Behavior?
There's no question that the Affordable Care Act has been transformative for the health care industry. For health care providers, new forms of health insurance available through the exchanges are changing things. Specifically, narrow networks, offered by many of the exchange's health plans, are increasing pressure on providers to reduce costs and provide high-quality care. (Wilson, 2/18)
Kaiser Health News: In The Medicare Bonus Round, The Winners Are…Small, Specialty Hospitals!
Hospitals take more formal surveys from Medicare very seriously because the Affordable Care Act ties some hospital payments each year to how patients rate the facilities. Medical Park [in Winston-Salem, N.C.] received a $22,000 bonus from Medicare in part because of sterling patient satisfaction surveys. Novant Health is Medical Park’s parent company, and none of their dozen or so other hospitals even come close to rating that high on patient satisfaction. Figuring out why Medical Park did so well is complicated. (Tomsic, 2/19)
