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Gary Cohen, a former deputy administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, says the challenge for regulators and insurers is to create networks that not only save money but also deliver better patient outcomes.
Spending on drugs by Ascension, a large Midwestern health care system, has increased $36 million in the last year — with two-thirds of that attributed to costlier generics.
Experts say low reimbursements and restrictions on providers have hampered the Medicare program.
Increases are expected to moderate as more brand-name drug patents expire and the impact of the liver disease treatments lessens.
The Commonwealth Fund finds cost barriers and limits on care for Medicare beneficiaries consistently places the U.S. low on the list of an 11-nation ranking of how older people fare in industrialized nations.
Consumers who get health insurance through their employers need to pay close attention this year to their enrollment materials.
Spending for the medications dropped from $1 million per week to about $200,000 per week after the state imposed restrictions.
Nearly half of those eligible for a combined Medi-Cal and Medicare program are opting out.
Concerns about the potential vulnerability of medical devices are getting the attention of regulators, health care providers and manufacturers.
Videotaped comments by a former consultant on the Affordable Care Act has created serious political blowback for the Obama administration, just as the administration seeks to focus attention on the health law’s second open-enrollment season.
Five states have approved the measures this year, but critics note that they don’t address the issues of patient costs and don’t mean the drug makers will necessarily make the medications available.
Previous enrollees in the program for low-income residents must reapply and many are finding the new applications too onerous to complete, advocates say.
The ACA’s coverage mandate spurs growth in health-care sharing ministries, in which members agree to abide by Christian principles and contribute to each other’s medical expenses.
More than 100,000 apply for coverage of federal marketplace as year-two health law enrollment period begins.
A patient’s portion of a health care bill is a complicated equation – but it’s simple compared to the deals between insurers and hospitals.
Each state may have different options and regulations.
The online marketplaces open Saturday and officials say they will work better than at last year’s debut.
Among the tools: penalties for admitting patients too soon after they were discharged and a focus on reducing hospital-acquired infections.
Panel recommends that the state negotiate a Texas-specific agreement with the federal government to expand health coverage to the poor.
