Policy and Legislation
Health insurers will now be required to publish marketing materials in plain language and eliminate the technical or confusing language that can often make if difficult for consumers to understand exactly what they are buying, under a new provision of health reform.
In a recent WIHI radio show titled "The Social Imperative to Demonstrate That Better Care Equals Lower Costs," Donald Berwick, MD, former administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, and Gerry Shea, assistant to the president for governmental affairs at the AFL-CIO, spoke on the climbing costs associated with today's healthcare system.
The Department of Health and Human Services granted more than $40 million to fund the Strong Start initiative aimed at reducing the number of preterm births in America, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced Thursday.
An amicus brief filed with the United States Supreme Court by America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) and the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association contends that certain market reforms contained in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act are directly linked and must also be severed from the law if the justices find the individual insurance mandate unconstitutional.
The Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts in early January struck down a state law in effect since 2009 that barred some legal immigrants residing in the state from receiving subsidized health insurance coverage.
The plan to overhaul Medicare introduced by Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Rep. Paul Ryan in mid-December could be considered a ray of bi-partisan light in an era of fiercely partisan squabbles inside the Washington beltway. But it also begs the question: Is it sound policy, or merely a political ploy designed to provide election year cover for Republicans?
As hospitals face more scrutiny from the federal government, it's a good idea for them to audit or assess their compliance learned a group of finance managers Wednesday during an education session offered by the Maine chapter of the Healthcare Financial Management Association.
A new report on obesity by The Trust for America's Health (TFAH) found that reducing the average body mass index (BMI) of U.S. citizens by five percent could produce 10-year savings of more than $158 billion in reduced obesity-related costs.
A considerable number of middle-income retirees on Medicare lack understanding or have misconceptions about the program's coverage and costs, resulting in unexpected financial surprises, according to a study released Tuesday by the Bankers Life and Casualty Company Center for a Secure Retirement.
The Obama administration announced Tuesday that it will invest $156 million over two years to fight Alzheimer's disease and its ripple effects.