| “Improving health means more than just treating what ails us. We must address whole health and the physical, behavioral, and social drivers that impact it. This need has driven our transformation from a health benefits organization to a lifetime, trusted health partner. Our commitment to always expect more from ourselves has led us to reimagine the way we operate and take a more holistic approach to health. As Elevance Health, we will continue to work toward a healthcare system that better serves the needs of our consumers, care providers, communities, partners, and associates.” | ||
| -Gail Boudreaux, CEO and President, Anthem President |
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Access to Care Trends for Black and White American Adults (Ages 18-64), 2011-2020
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Accenture: Health Plan Health
Equity Initiatives 1. 89% of U.S. healthcare executives agree health equity programs are a part of their core business strategy 2. 50% say they have a health equity plan in place 3. 34% plan to implement one within 12 months 4. 16% plan to implement in 1 year or more 5. 36% have a specific budget dedicated to advancing their health equity agendas 6. 55% say securing financing is a barrier to addressing health equity 7. 52% cite reimbursement issues with health insurance, Medicare and Medicaid Source: Accenture |
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State of Reform: One on One Conversations on Health Reform
With a number of new and recurring health policy
challenges, there's no doubt a push for reform is necessary in
the health care landscape of the United States. But where are
those hurdles located? And how can we improve our system at
those critical junctures so that real implementation and change
can begin to occur? |
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Medicaid Home & Community-Based Services: People Served and
Spending During COVID-19 The COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately affected seniors and people with disabilities who rely on long-term services and supports (LTSS) to meet daily self-care and independent living needs and the direct care workers who provide these services. As the primary source of funding for home and community-based services (HCBS), state Medicaid programs have faced long-standing challenges related to the aging population, direct care workforce shortages, and an insufficient supply of affordable accessible housing. Kaiser Family Foundation, March 4, 2022 Medicare Advantage Enrollment Continues to Surge in an Increasingly Complex and Competitive Landscape 2022 was another banner year for Medicare Advantage. The program now boasts 28 million participants, which represent 45% of all Medicare beneficiaries. This marks a +3% point improvement in penetration over 2021 and a total program enrollment growth of +9%. These results reflect the strong value proposition of Medicare Advantage products and the industry’s sustained push to create new value for its consumers. With this growth, we continue to see a shifting competitive landscape for health plans that administer these products. The Chartis Group, March 2022 Pharmaceutical Spending Up 77% Over 10 Years Every year since 2010, consumer spending on pharmaceutical products — prescription and nonprescription drugs — has increased in the U.S. Specifically, prescription drug spending is up $95 billion between 2010 and 2020 — yet, out-of-pocket costs in this period are down $1 billion. To examine drug spending changes, ValuePenguin researchers analyzed the latest data from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis and the Kaiser Family Foundation at the national and state levels. Researchers also looked at prescription spending per household (by state) and more. ValuePenguin, February 28, 2022 AMA President Gives Prescription to Fix Ailing Healthcare System Gerald Harmon, MD, says the United States has endured a twin pandemic—the health effects of COVID-19 and an erosion of trust in healthcare experts. HealthLeaders, February 24, 2022 |
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92% of Counties Have Affordable Care Act Plans with 3 to
5 Stars Over nine in ten counties boasted a medium- or high-quality health plan as their highest-rated plan on the Affordable Care Act marketplace in 2020, according to a Health Affairs article. Researchers used the 2020 Nationwide Quality Rating System Public Use File and premium and actuarial value data from the 2020 Qualified Health Plan Landscape Medical Individual Market File to assess quality. Health Payer Intelligence, March 16, 2022 Pandemic Medical Innovations Leave Behind People With Disabilities Divya Goel, a 35-year-old deaf-blind woman in Orlando, Florida, has had two telemedicine doctors’ appointments during the pandemic. Each time, she was denied an interpreter. Her doctors told her she would have to get insurance to pay for an interpreter, which is incorrect: Under federal law, it is the physician’s responsibility to provide one. Kaiser Health News, March 11, 2022 U.S. health insurer Anthem plans to rebrand as Elevance Health Anthem Inc (ANTM.N) said on Thursday it intends to change its name to Elevance Health Inc, as the company looks to shift its focus beyond the health insurance business. The U.S. health insurer's rebranding move is not its first, having previously changed its identity from WellPoint Inc around eight years ago. Reuters, March 10, 2022 Heartland Hospitals in U.S. Face Wipeout With 800 at Risk of Shutdown Pummeled by the pandemic, at least 40% of rural U.S. hospitals are in danger of shutting down and leaving millions of people in smaller and less affluent communities without a nearby emergency and critical care facility. Bloomberg, March 9, 2022 Higher Hospital Prices Don't Equate to Better Patient Outcomes Receiving care from higher-priced hospitals doesn't necessarily lead to better outcomes, according to research from the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER). The assumption that higher prices translate to better quality of care was challenged by the study, which found that the relationship between the two is largely dependent on location and market size of the hospital. HealthLeaders, March 7, 2022 Primary Care Physician Turnover Results in Nearly $1B of Excess Expenditures Turnover of primary care physicians (PCPs) causes about $979 million in excess healthcare expenditures for public and private payers each year, a recently published research article found. HealthLeaders, March 4, 2022 |
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