Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Success Of One Pilot ACO Program That Saved Medicare Millions May Be Hard To Replicate
Modern Healthcare: Successful Pioneer ACO Journey Leaves Faint Trail For Followers
Touting $380 million in savings from the Affordable Care Act's first test of accountable care, Medicare says the pilot did well enough to expand. But it's unclear how the participants got the savings and to what extent others can replicate the success. Dr. Patrick Conway, head of the CMS Innovation Center, and his colleagues announced the savings this week in JAMA. They detailed medical spending for Medicare patients who received care from 32 accountable care organizations during the first two years of the Innovation Center's Pioneer ACO program. (Evans, 5/7)
Connecticut Mirror: Insurers Seek Rate Hikes For 2016 Obamacare Plans, But Expect Members’ Health To Stabilize
Insurance companies selling health plans through the state’s health insurance exchange are seeking to raise rates next year, with average increases between 2 percent and nearly 14 percent. (Levin Becker, 5/7)
The Associated Press: Feds Seek Massachusetts Health Exchange Records
Federal authorities have subpoenaed records related to the Massachusetts Health Connector, including a period covering the breakdown of the health care exchange's website, The Associated Press has learned. "The administration received a subpoena regarding the Health Connector's difficulties dating back to 2010 and we are fully cooperating with the Department of Justice," said Elizabeth Guyton, a spokeswoman for Gov. Charlie Baker, in a statement to The AP. (5/7)
