This week’s health policy news roundup curated by Jane Orient, M.D.
White House economist Jason Furman admits that medical costs are up under the Affordable Care Act, but says: “The important thing about this is it’s no worse.” Deductibles shot up 42 percent during the health law’s first year, compared with those for plans available pre-Obamacare. At the same time, thanks to the many regulations and mandates under Obamacare’s Essential Benefit Plan, premiums have also soared. Even with the cheapest Bronze plan, a person would have to pay about 25 percent of a $35,000 income in premiums and deductibles before the insurance kicked in. http://www.forbes.com/sites/sallypipes/2015/05/04/obamacares-best-defense-it-could-have-been-worse/
While HealthCare.gov was a disaster, it looks like a success story compared with the health insurance websites that some individual states have set up. http://ushealthpolicygateway.com/vii-key-policy-issues-regulation-and-reform/patient-protection-and-affordable-care-act-ppaca/ppaca-and-governments/ppaca-and-states/ppaca-health-exchanges/problems-by-state/
Things could get worse still, as insurance companies are destroyed. After expanding to do business on the Affordable Care Act’s exchanges last year, a Wisconsin-based health insurance company founded in 1892 has announced it will close its doors. http://dailysignal.com/2015/05/04/after-expanding-under-obamacare-this-123-year-old-insurance-company-is-closing-its-doors/
Congress may be using the same defense about its “doc fix” once the AMA-led euphoria dies down. The SGR (sustainable growth rate) 21% pay cut would have been worse. H.R. 2 is like the ACA as far as knowing what’s in it. there are a whole lot of details [as about quality measures] that still need to be filled in,” said Dr. Mark McClellan, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and a Medicare administrator in the George W. Bush administration. http://mobile.nytimes.com/2015/04/16/us/doctors-see-benefits-and-risks-in-medicare-changes.html
The bipartisan Medicare payment reform is “debt and deficits all the way down,” writes John Graham, and will soon be a “war of all against all.” http://healthblog.ncpa.org/bipartisan-medicare-reform-debt-and-deficits-all-the-way-down
A “Past of Patches” is outlined by Medical Practice Insider—which also outlines dim prospects for small practices that can’t deal with the requirement to assume risk. http://www.medicalpracticeinsider.com/news/how-doctors-will-get-paid-post-sgr
Social Media:
@LG44715502 @WhiskeyMD247365 @stoptheabim @NOMOCNOW MOC Revenue charts pic.twitter.com/Ex3dTDQ4iF
— Charles P. Kroll (@CharlesPKroll) May 7, 2015
All healthcare entities have cyber security problems as govt forced EHR IT on our industry without considering risks https://t.co/jijSKl4GZd
— IP4PI (@IP4PI) May 8, 2015
