Florida State FlagIn an effort to exercise their ability to be the uncooperative partner, 12 senate and 61 House members sent out letters to governors telling them to rebel against the Affordable Care Act. One man in particular is taking this to heart where as some are weighing options and very few are ahead of the curve.
Florida Gov. Rick Scott stated soon after the health care ruling said he rejected health insurance exchanges. Now the governor has come out and said that he will also not be expanding Medicaid as well according to The New York Times. The governor cites that the state will have too much of a burden expanding Medicaid for his citizens. Even though the government will cover all costs for new people under Medicaid from 2014 to 2016, he believes that after those three years the tax payers will have the burden of paying a substantial amount. But there are some who have begun to critique what exactly Scott said while making his rounds on national television. Whether it is from the amount of money Florida will pay to the idea or rationing of the health care, there are some regarding his comments as false on off base with what the health care law actually does.
North Dakota is one of 36 states that must decide whether or not to take the lead in creating health insurance exchanges, according to the Jamestown Sun. Their legislator decided to have the federal government lead them in establishing exchanges. Under the current deadlines, North Dakota may not have enough time unless they receive conditional approval from the government. Blue Cross Shield of North Dakota are exploring the possibility of having a standby template incase the government offers an extension. But if the state is not offered an extension, then the state will have to use the federal government’s exchange program.
Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey is deciding whether or not he will also use the federal government in order to set up exchanges, claiming that this would be good for the state. He has also mentioned that Medicaid in New Jersey is already inclusive and that the federal government should give money to states for Medicaid with no strings attached, according to NECN.
Taking the initiative into his own hands, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo decided to use an executive order in order to comply with the health care law back in April. Now they are one of the few states ready for when most of health care law goes into act in 2014. Of the 2.7 million people who are uninsured, 1 million will be able for exchanges, 700,000 are immigrants who will not be covered and the remainder will receive Medicaid coverage according to Democrat and Chronicle.
This November, the Health Insurance Exchange Congress will be held November 13-14, 2012 in Chicago, IL. Here, state officials and health plans with the only opportunity to come together to discuss PPACA and strategize on how to make this a successful opportunity for all. For more information on this year's agenda, download the program here. As a reader of this blog, when you register to join us and mention code XP1710BLOG, you'll receive 15% off the standard rate! read more..
Wednesday, 18 July 2012
Health Insurance Exchanges-Affordable Care Act-Federal Government-Florida State Flag
Friday, 8 June 2012
Community Health Center-Deductible Insurance-Planned Parenthood-Exercise Regimen
As a former heavy girl, I work hard to keep the svelte figure I acquired 22 years ago. Exercise is integral to this effort, especially as perimenopause looms. I turn to podcasts during my prolonged exercise regimen, and discovered an incredible resource – “Conversations on Health Care” from Wesleyan University and Community Health Center, Inc. Each week, they feature a notable in the health care arena discussing health reform and innovations in health care delivery. It is a fun listen that boosts my optimism. I am busy catching up with the last year of podcasts they have provided, and usually listen to two or three during a workout. This week, I listened to two in a row that, when combined, gave me a bright idea. (Source: Forbes.com Healthcare News) read more..
Tuesday, 8 May 2012
California Chamber Of Commerce-Corporate Tax Filing Deadline-Health Benefits-Small Business
Many small employers qualify for a small business health care tax credit under the federal health reform law — but they must file by the March 15 corporate tax filing deadline, according to the California Chamber of Commerce.The credit is intended to help small businesses and small tax-exempt organizations afford the cost of providing health benefits for their employees.The problem is that lots of small employers don’t know about the credit. A 2012 member survey by Small Business California shows 77 percent of the more than 1,000 respondents were unaware it is available... (Source: bizjournals.com Health Care:Pharmaceuticals headlines) read more..
Saturday, 7 April 2012
Fundamental Problems-Management Approach-Health Care
Two commentaries caught my attention this morning. Both offered solutions to the drug industry's "fundamental problems."
Each solution, of course, defines the "fundamental problem" differently.
Solution #1 says the problem is the drug industry does not deliver "precisely what the world's health care systems need from it — therapies to materially advance the standards of care." The author blames top-heavy management populated with "protected dimwits and timeservers who fail to grasp the current dynamics."
"The management approach traditionally used by pharma also fails to hone the skills that the industry needs right now," according to the author (see "What pharma needs to evolve" here). "...it makes for a slow pace because, figuratively, everyone learns to raise his hand before going to the bathroom. Pharma, for example, generally frowns on setting up innovative, skunk works projects."Solution #2 says successful pharma companies must drive revenue growth by acquisitions. Management is also to blame according to the author.
"The high-growth companies have clearly aligned their capital-deployment strategies with growth investments. They have done this instead of trying to achieve a balanced capital-allocation strategy that sacrifices reinvestment in exchange for greater dividends, buybacks, or cash accumulation" (see "The Prescription for Pharma Is Revenue Growth" here).The first solution could be categorized as a "patient/customer" focused solution, whereas the second one can be said to be "investor/stock holder" focused solution.
Which approach do you think can help pharma in the long run?
Which approach do you think can help pharma in the long run?Patient-focused approach: improved health outcomesInvestor-focused approach: improved revenue growthI'm wishy-washy: BothI'm a pessimist: NeitherI have no friggin' idea! read more..
Friday, 23 March 2012
Blue Cross Blue Shield Of Illinois-Blue Cross Blue Shield Of Alabama-Carefirst Blue Cross Blue Shield
We're less than 3 weeks away from the Medicare Congress in Orlando, February 6-8. We’re expecting a big turnout this year so don’t miss your opportunity to attend the largest, longest running Medicare event in the industry and network with Health Plan executives and CMS officials.
Look at the companies who are attending:
AARP, Aetna, Allergan, American Enterprise Institute, Ameri-Plus Select Services , Arcadian Health Plan & Management Services, Arkansas Blue Cross Blue Shield, BCBS of Minnesota, Bloom Marketing Group, Blue Cross Blue Shield Northern Plains Alliance, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois, Bristol Myers Squibb, Cain Brothers, Capital District Physicians Health Plan, Care N Care Health Plan , CareFirst Blue Cross Blue Shield of Maryland, Cazma LLC, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, CIGNA Healthcare, Colibrium Partners LLC, DMW Worldwide, Dynamic Healthcare Systems Inc, Endo Pharmaceuticals, Epstein Becker Green, Family Physicians Group, First Recovery Group, Forbes, Forest Laboratories, Gorman Health Group LLC, Health Alliance Plan of Michigan, Healthcare Partners, HealthPlanCRM , HealthSpring, HMS Permedion, Humana, Inter Valley Health Plan, Kaiser Family Foundation, Kaiser Permanente, Kaiser Permanente, KBM Group Health Services, LA Care Health Plan, Matrix Medical Network, Milliman USA, National Committee for Quality Assurance, Oliver Wyman Actuarial Consulting, Optum Health, OptumInsight, PharmMD, Preferred Care Partners, Silverlink Communications, Sterling Life Insurance Company, Susquehanna Research Group, SXC Health Solutions Corporation, SXC Health Solutions Corporation, The National Advisory Board on Improving Health Care Services for Seniors, The Weekly Standard, United Community Health Plans, United Health Care, Universal American Corporation, Wellpoint
The Medicare Congress is taking place February 6-8, 2012 in Orlando, Florida. If you’d like to join these companies, use priority code XP1707BLOG to receive 25% off of the standard rate! This is an exclusive discount to this blog. If you have any questions about the agenda or event, please contact Jennifer Pereira. read more..