Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Medicare's Test Of New Insurance Program May Influence Commercial Insurer Plans
Modern Healthcare: What Medicare's Value-based Insurance Test Could Mean For Commercial Plans
A new test within the Medicare Advantage program will lower out-of-pocket costs for chronically ill patients who seek high-value services and providers. Supporters hope the project will lead to changes in federal law and become a template for all health plans with sizable cost-sharing, which have become the standard offering from employers and insurers. But as health insurers eyeball the federal project, policy experts say it needs to have both carrots and sticks to lower unnecessary spending and improve people's health. Lower out-of-pocket costs for care deemed to be high quality and clinically effective must be paired with increased cost-sharing for services that are viewed as wasteful or not as valuable. (Herman, 9/3)
The Des Moines Register: New Care Organizations Save $17M, Wellmark Says
A new way of organizing health care continues to save money and improve care, Iowa’s largest health insurer reported Thursday. Wellmark Blue Cross & Blue Shield said eight “Accountable Care Organizations” saved a total of more than $17 million in 2014. Under ACO arrangements, hospital and clinic systems agree to be paid partly on how their patients fare, not just on how much treatment the patients are given. The point is to reward health care providers for helping keep people well, instead of just for caring for them after they become ill. (Leys, 9/4)
Kaiser Health News: Readers Ask About Concierge Medicine And Medicare; Insulin Costs And The Doughnut Hole
KHN health columnists answers questions related to coverage in the Medicare program, the federal health insurance program for people who are 65 or older and some who are disabled. (Andrews, 9/8)
