| “The last few years have been difficult for primary care practices, especially independent ones. Putting on top of that COVID, that’s in many cases the proverbial straw. These practices are not operating with huge margins. They’re just getting by.” | ||
| -Dr. Karen Joynt Maddox, Co-Director, Center for Health Economics and Policy at Washington University |
 Source: Kaiser Family Foundation |
|
Percentage of Americans
Approving of the Affordable Care Act 1. November 2020 - 55% 2. November 2019 - 52% 3. November 2018 - 48% 4. November 2017 - 50% 5. November 2016 - 42% 6. November 2015 - 44% 7. November 2014 - 37% 8. November 2013 - 41% 9. November 2012 - 48% Source: Gallup, Affordable Care Act Approval Tied for High |
|
|
 |
Webinar: What’s Next for Health Care Policy Under a Biden
Administration?
California Health Care Foundation.
National health policy expert Billy Wynne, JD, shares his
post-election analysis on what we might expect in federal health
policy in 2021 — either through the executive branch or
Congress. The discussion covers a range of topics, including
health coverage, the COVID-19 pandemic, and health equity. |
||
Check out
HealthshareTV, the
home for health care videos |
||||
|
Trump Takes a Final Shot at Obamacare Exchanges On his way out of the White House, President Donald Trump is taking one last swipe at the Affordable Care Act, proposing to allow states to opt out of the Obamacare exchanges where millions of Americans enroll in health insurance plans. If states choose this potential new option, residents would no longer have access to a one-stop shop for health insurance. Instead, they would have to find their way to private insurance brokers or individual carriers. Stateline, December 9, 2020 How Employers, Payers Can Pursue Integrated Health Care Benefits Employers are gravitating toward integrated health care benefits to improve member engagement and patient experience as well as lower healthcare spending, according to a report commissioned by Anthem. As employers are increasingly taking charge of their employees’ health insurance, new strategies are emerging to streamline care and coverage. Health Payer Intelligence, November 24, 2020 Biden Likely to Help States Increase Health Care Access President Donald Trump has spent four years trying to undermine the Affordable Care Act. President-elect Joe Biden has pledged to bolster the law and give states new tools to expand coverage. Among them: more money and additional guides to help people buy health insurance on the ACA exchanges; support for states that want to allow more people onto Medicaid rather than fewer; and a crackdown on health care plans that don’t offer the minimum benefits required by Obamacare. Stateline, November 24, 2020 Insurer Participation on the ACA Marketplaces, 2014-2021 Since the Affordable Care Act marketplaces opened in 2014, the number of insurers participating on the exchanges has been in constant flux as companies have entered or exited the market, and expanded or reduced their footprint in states. KFF, November 23, 2020 What Amazon’s big pharmacy news means for US health care Amazon and American health care look, at first glance, like a mismatch. Yet the 21st century’s most ruthlessly efficient retailer has been trying for several years now to gain a bigger foothold in the bloated, borderline nonsensical health system of the world’s richest nation. Which is why whenever Amazon makes a new health care maneuver, like the company’s recent announcement that prescription drugs would be sold through its flagship website at a discount for Prime members, the same question inevitably gets asked: Is Amazon coming to disrupt health care? Vox, November 23, 2020 |
|
Humana Announces New Primary Care Value-Based
Model Leading health and well-being company Humana Inc. today announced an expansion of its value-based program portfolio with the forthcoming launch of the Primary Care First (PCF) model. It will expand the availability of coordinated primary care for members of certain Humana Medicare Advantage plans in the nation’s 48 contiguous states and Washington, D.C., and aims to improve care quality and health outcomes, lower the cost of care, and ease financial stress for primary care groups. Business Wire, December 10, 2020 Biden unveils health team with Becerra, Murthy, Walensky in top roles President-elect Joe Biden officially unveiled his health team early Monday, naming California Attorney General Xavier Becerra (D) as secretary of Health and Human Services. Vivek Murthy was selected to return to his role as surgeon general, and Rochelle Walensky was picked as director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Biden also announced that Anthony Fauci, the nation’s leading infectious diseases expert, will remain as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. The Hill, December 7, 2020 About 523,000 people select plans in the fourth week of open enrollment During the fourth week of the 2020 open enrollment period, from November 22-28, 523,020 people selected plans using the HealthCare.gov platform. That brings the total number of enrollees to 2,903,547 after the first four weeks of open enrollment. That's an increase of 523,020 people from last year, which saw 2,380,527 consumers sign up for plans after the first four weeks. Healthcare Finance, December 4, 2020 UnitedHealth Expects $2 Billion COVID Earnings Hit Next Year UnitedHealth Group Inc. expects the pandemic to carve $2 billion out of its profits next year, with Covid-19 testing and treatment costs remaining steady even as more Americans return to their doctors’ offices for routine care. Executives said costs for virus testing and treatment won’t be offset by widespread deferrals in care in 2021, as they were in 2020 when U.S. medical providers shut down most non-urgent in-person care for weeks during the spring. Bloomberg, December 1, 2020 Thousands of Doctors’ Offices Buckle Under Financial Stress of COVID Cormay Caine misses a full day of work and drives more than 130 miles round trip to take five of her children to their pediatrician. The Sartell, Minnesota, clinic where their doctor used to work closed in August. Caine is one of several parents who followed Dr. Heather Decker to her new location on the outskirts of Minneapolis, an hour and a half away. Many couldn’t get appointments for months with swamped nearby doctors. Kaiser Health News, November 30, 2020 CMS proposed rule reduces user fee in ACA exchanges The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is proposing to lower the Affordable Care Act exchange user fee that insurers must pay, passing the savings on to consumers. In the proposed annual Notice of Benefit and Payment Parameters for the 2022 Proposed Rule released late Wednesday afternoon, CMS is proposing to reduce the user fee for federally facilitated exchange issuers from 3% to 2.25% of premium for the 2022 benefit year. Healthcare Finance News, November 28, 2020 Aetna pilot harnesses CVS pharmacists to address Medicaid members' social needs A new Aetna pilot program aims to harness its parent company's pharmacy reach to help address members' social needs. Through the HealthTag initiative, CVS Health pharmacists and pharmacy employees are empowered to offer more personalized information when Aetna Medicaid members come to pick up prescriptions, providing the members with health information beyond how to take their medications appropriately. Fierce Healthcare, November 24, 2020 Walmart Health opens 2 more locations in Chicago Walmart Health just opened two new locations adjacent to revamped Walmart supercenters in Chicago. The new Walmart Health clinic locations have primary medical care, optometry and hearing services with plans for other offerings—such as labs, x-rays, diagnostics and counseling—to be added in the future. Walmart's clinics charge patients a flat fee for services regardless of insurance status. Fierce Healthcare, November 20, 2020 Surprise Federal Drug Rule Directs Insurers to Reveal What They Pay for Prescription Drugs Health insurance companies will have to give their customers estimated out-of-pocket costs for prescription drugs and disclose to the public the negotiated prices they pay for drugs, under an unexpected new Trump administration rule. Kaiser Health News, November 19, 2020 Amazon opens online pharmacy, shaking up another industry Now at Amazon.com: insulin and inhalers. The retail colossus opened an online pharmacy Tuesday that allows customers to order medication or prescription refills, and have them delivered to their front door in a couple of days. The potential impact of Amazon’s arrival in the pharmaceutical space rippled through that sector immediately. The stocks of CVS Health Corp., Walgreens and Rite Aid all tumbled Tuesday. AP, November 17, 2020 |
Follow Health Policy Publishing:
|
| Health Change Bulletin, a publication
of Health Policy Publishing LLC © 2020, Health Policy Publishing LLC |