White House reverses $10B in cuts to ACA cost-sharing subsidies
By Paul Demko Posted: March 13, 2014 – 6:30 pm ET Modern HealthCare Tags: Costs, Healthcare Reform, Insurance Exchanges, Insurance, Medicare The White House has decided to reverse roughly $10 billion in cuts to the cost-sharing subsidies that were part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. That program was originally expected to be slashed by 7.3 % in…
Improved medication use could have saved $200 billion, IMS study shows
By Jaimy Lee Posted: June 19, 2013 – 8:00 am ET An estimated $200 billion could have been saved last year if patients and clinicians improved the way they use medications, according to a new study from the IMS Institute for Healthcare Informatics.Medication nonadherence, misuse of antibiotics and other so-called “avoidable costs” lead to millions of unnecessary…
Lawmakers call for delay of DMEPOS program
By Rachel Landen Posted: June 6, 2013 – 6:45 pm ET Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have asked CMS Administrator Marilyn Tavenner to delay the second-round implementation of Medicare’s Durable Medical Equipment Prosthetics, Orthotics and Supplies (DMEPOS) competitive-bidding program, scheduled to take effect July 1. Reps. Glenn Thompson (R-Pa.) and Bruce Braley (D-Iowa) have circulated a…
Reform Update: Is Medicaid deal out of reach in Florida? By Rich Daly
April 30, 2013 Tim Daly Modern Healthcare Florida is one of a growing number of states where time is running out for lawmakers to make a deal on expanding Medicaid.The Florida Legislature has worked furiously on legislation to raise Medicaid eligibility. But the Senate’s passage of a bill Tuesday belied concerns that approval by the…
Integrated care, payment reform could save $300 billion in a decade: Brookings report
By Jonathan Block Posted: April 29, 2013 – 7:15 pm ET Tags: The federal government could save more than $300 billion in healthcare costs over the next 10 years with more integrated care and a move to a risk-based payment system, according to a bipartisan report from the Brookings Institution. One target policymakers should be aiming…
Baucus sees insurance exchange ‘train wreck’ ahead
By Rich Daly Modern Healthcare Posted: April 17, 2013 – 1:45 pm ET The primary author of the 2010 healthcare overhaul is worried that the health insurance exchanges planned for launch this year are headed for a “train wreck.” Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.), chairman of the Finance Committee, said Tuesday that the lack of details provided…
Big ACO push at heart of policy group’s healthcare overhaul plan
Modern Healthcare By Rich Daly Posted: April 18, 2013 – 12:30 pm ET Tags: (Story updated at 4:15 p.m. ET) Medicare providers could see both bigger pay increases and bigger cuts than offered in the current system under a high-profile, bipartisan overhaul proposed Thursday. The single largest provider benefit in a proposed overhaul from the Bipartisan…