WASHINGTON -- New surveys provide a glimpse into how many Americans have gained health insurance since the federal and state marketplaces opened in October.
Reported by TwinCities.com 12 hours ago.
Uninsured ranks fall faster in states with own exchanges
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Health Insurance Exchange Tech Winners and Losers
Between the federal Healthcare.gov site and various state websites, more than 7.5 million Americans signed up for 2014 healthcare coverage on a health insurance exchange. Building those exchanges proved to be much, much easier said than done. Here's a quick look at who succeeded and who failed.
Reported by CIO 27 minutes ago.
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Michigan will give funds up front if retirees approve deal
The city's latest offer to retirees dramatically softens the blow to their monthly pensions, but creates a murky outlook for their greatly reduced future health insurance benefits.
Reported by detnews.com 10 hours ago.
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More Proof That American Health Care Prices Are Sky-High
As anyone who's ever paid a health insurance premium or a hospital bill knows, medical care is expensive. What Americans may not know is that residents of other countries don't pay nearly as much for the same things.
The latest data from the International Federation of Health Plans, an industry group representing health insurers from 28 countries including the United States, once again illustrates that American patients pay the highest prices in the world for a variety of prescription drugs and common procedures like childbirth and hospital stays.
And despite the persistent claims by nearly anyone holding or seeking public office in the U.S. that America has the best health care system in the world, there's scant evidence that we're getting higher-quality medical treatment or enjoying healthier lives than our counterparts abroad. What's more, the U.S. still leaves tens of millions of its own citizens without health coverage, and will continue to do so even a decade into the implementation of Obamacare.
To illustrate just how much more Americans pay for health care, the International Federation of Health Plans compared the prices for common medicines and services around the world.
A prescription for Nexium, a popular remedy for acid reflux disease and other stomach ailments that's also available over the counter, costs $215 on average in the U.S., which is more than 3.5 times the cost in Switzerland, the second-most-expensive nation for Nexium prescriptions, and almost 10 times more than what Dutch people pay.
Prescription drugs are particularly expensive in the U.S. relative to elsewhere in large part because most other countries set prices for medicines through their universal health care programs, which the U.S. doesn't have. This can hit hardest for people, even those with health insurance, when they need the latest medicines to treat serious diseases.
Look at the price differences in the U.S. for these big-ticket prescription drugs, which are about twice as expensive in America as in the next-highest country and much more so than in the lowest-cost nations.
Sticker shock isn't just due at the pharmacy counter. U.S. hospitals, which took in the largest share of the $2.79 trillion Americans spent on health care in 2012, also charge more for many procedures than hospitals overseas, the report shows. The average daily cost of just being in a hospital is almost twice as expensive in the United States as it is in New Zealand, and almost 10 times as costly as stay in a Spanish hospital.
Likewise, the average price for heart bypass surgery in the U.S. is quite a bit higher than what the rest of the world pays, especially people in the Netherlands, who get off comparatively cheaply.
Being born in the United States has loads of advantages, but the cost of doing so isn't one of them, the report shows. A normal delivery is more expensive in the U.S. than in any of the other countries studied, and a Cesarean section is even costlier.
*Read the entire International Federation of Health Plans report below:*
International Federation of Health Plans 2013 Comparative Price Report Reported by Huffington Post 3 hours ago.
The latest data from the International Federation of Health Plans, an industry group representing health insurers from 28 countries including the United States, once again illustrates that American patients pay the highest prices in the world for a variety of prescription drugs and common procedures like childbirth and hospital stays.
And despite the persistent claims by nearly anyone holding or seeking public office in the U.S. that America has the best health care system in the world, there's scant evidence that we're getting higher-quality medical treatment or enjoying healthier lives than our counterparts abroad. What's more, the U.S. still leaves tens of millions of its own citizens without health coverage, and will continue to do so even a decade into the implementation of Obamacare.
To illustrate just how much more Americans pay for health care, the International Federation of Health Plans compared the prices for common medicines and services around the world.
A prescription for Nexium, a popular remedy for acid reflux disease and other stomach ailments that's also available over the counter, costs $215 on average in the U.S., which is more than 3.5 times the cost in Switzerland, the second-most-expensive nation for Nexium prescriptions, and almost 10 times more than what Dutch people pay.
Prescription drugs are particularly expensive in the U.S. relative to elsewhere in large part because most other countries set prices for medicines through their universal health care programs, which the U.S. doesn't have. This can hit hardest for people, even those with health insurance, when they need the latest medicines to treat serious diseases.
Look at the price differences in the U.S. for these big-ticket prescription drugs, which are about twice as expensive in America as in the next-highest country and much more so than in the lowest-cost nations.
Sticker shock isn't just due at the pharmacy counter. U.S. hospitals, which took in the largest share of the $2.79 trillion Americans spent on health care in 2012, also charge more for many procedures than hospitals overseas, the report shows. The average daily cost of just being in a hospital is almost twice as expensive in the United States as it is in New Zealand, and almost 10 times as costly as stay in a Spanish hospital.
Likewise, the average price for heart bypass surgery in the U.S. is quite a bit higher than what the rest of the world pays, especially people in the Netherlands, who get off comparatively cheaply.
Being born in the United States has loads of advantages, but the cost of doing so isn't one of them, the report shows. A normal delivery is more expensive in the U.S. than in any of the other countries studied, and a Cesarean section is even costlier.
*Read the entire International Federation of Health Plans report below:*
International Federation of Health Plans 2013 Comparative Price Report Reported by Huffington Post 3 hours ago.
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Who are the Koch Brothers and What do They Want?
As a result of the disastrous Citizens United Supreme Court decision, billionaires and large corporations can now spend an unlimited amount of money to influence the political process. The results of that decision are clear. In the coming months and years the Koch brothers and other extraordinarily wealthy families will spend billions of dollars to elect right-wing candidates to the Senate, the House, governors' mansions and the presidency of the United States. These billionaires already own much of our economy. That, apparently, is not enough. Now, they want to own the United States government as well.
Four years ago, the Supreme Court handed down the 5-4 ruling in Citizens United vs the Federal Election Commission. A few weeks ago, they announced another horrendous campaign finance decision in McCutcheon vs. FEC giving even more political power to the rich. Now, many Republicans want to push this Supreme Court to go even further. In the name of "free speech," they want the Court to eliminate all restrictions on campaign spending - a position that Justice Thomas supported in McCutcheon - and a view supported by the Chairman of the Republican National Committee. Importantly, as a means of being able to exercise unprecedented power over the political process, this has been the position of the Koch brothers for at least the last 34 years.
The Koch brothers are the second wealthiest family in America, making most of their money in the fossil fuel industry. According to Forbes Magazine, they saw their wealth increase last year from $68 billion to $80 billion. In other words, under the "anti-business", "socialist" and "oppressive" Obama administration, their wealth went up by $12 billion in one year.
In their 2012 campaigns, Barack Obama and Mitt Romney each spent a little more than $1 billion. For the Koch brothers, spending more than Obama and Romney combined would be a drop in their bucket. They would hardly miss the few billion dollars.
Given the reality that the Koch brothers are now the most important and powerful players in American politics, it is important to know what they want and what their agenda is.
It is not widely known that David Koch was the Libertarian Party vice-presidential candidate in 1980. He believed that Ronald Reagan was much too liberal. Despite Mr. Koch putting a substantial sum of money into the campaign, his ticket only received 1 percent of the vote. Most Americans thought the Libertarian Party platform of 1980 was extremist and way out of touch with what the American people wanted and needed.
Fast-forward 34 years and the most significant reality of modern politics is how successful David Koch and like-minded billionaires have been in moving the Republican Party to the extreme right. Amazingly, much of what was considered "extremist" and "kooky" in 1980 has become part of today's mainstream Republican thinking.
Let me give you just a few examples:
In 1980, Libertarian vice-presidential candidate David Koch ran on a platform that called for abolishing the minimum wage. Thirty-four years ago, that was an extreme view of a fringe party that had the support of 1 percent of the American people. Today, not only does virtually every Republican in Congress oppose raising the $7.25 an hour minimum wage, many of them, including Republican leaders like Mitch McConnell and John McCain, are on record for abolishing the concept of the federal minimum wage.
In 1980, the platform of David Koch's Libertarian Party favored "the abolition of Medicare and Medicaid programs." Thirty-four years ago, that was an extreme view of a fringe party that had the support of one percent of the American people. Today, the mainstream view of the Republican Party, as seen in the recently passed Ryan budget, is to end Medicare as we know it, cut Medicaid by more than $1.5 trillion over the next decade, and repeal the Affordable Care Act. According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, "Under the Ryan plan, at least 40 million people -- 1 in 8 Americans -- would lose health insurance or fail to obtain insurance by 2024. Most of them would be people with low or moderate incomes."
In 1980, the platform of David Koch's Libertarian Party called for "the repeal of the fraudulent, virtually bankrupt, and increasingly oppressive Social Security system." Thirty-four years ago, that was an extreme view of a fringe party that had the support of 1 percent of the American people. Today, the mainstream view of the Republican Party is that "entitlement reform" is absolutely necessary. For some, this means major cuts in Social Security. For others who believe Social Security is unconstitutional or a Ponzi scheme this means the privatization of Social Security or abolishing this program completely for those who are under 60 years of age.
In 1980, David Koch's Libertarian Party platform stated "We oppose all personal and corporate income taxation, including capital gains taxes ... We support the eventual repeal of all taxation ... As an interim measure, all criminal and civil sanctions against tax evasion should be terminated immediately." Thirty-four years ago, that was an extreme view of a fringe party that had the support of 1 percent of the American people. Today, 75 Republicans in the House have co-sponsored a bill that Paul Ryan has said "would eliminate taxes on wages, corporations, self-employment, capital gains, and gift and death taxes in favor of a personal-consumption tax."
Here is what every American should be deeply concerned about. The Koch brothers, through the expenditure of billions of dollars and the creation and support of dozens of extreme right organizations, have taken fringe extremist ideas and made them mainstream within the Republican Party. And now with Citizens United (which is allowing them to pour unlimited sums of money into the political process) their power is greater than ever.
And let's be very clear. Their goal is not only to defund Obamacare, cut Social Security, oppose an increase in the minimum wage or cut federal funding for education. Their world view and eventual goal is much greater than all of that. They want to repeal every major piece of legislation that has been signed into law over the past 80 years that has protected the middle class, the elderly, the children, the sick and the most vulnerable in this country. Every piece of legislation!
The truth is that the agenda of the Koch brothers is to move this country from a democratic society with a strong middle class to an oligarchic form of society in which the economic and political life of the nation are controlled by a handful of billionaire families.
Our great nation must not be hijacked by right-wing billionaires like the Koch brothers.
For the sake of our children and our grandchildren, we must fight back. Reported by Huffington Post 2 hours ago.
Four years ago, the Supreme Court handed down the 5-4 ruling in Citizens United vs the Federal Election Commission. A few weeks ago, they announced another horrendous campaign finance decision in McCutcheon vs. FEC giving even more political power to the rich. Now, many Republicans want to push this Supreme Court to go even further. In the name of "free speech," they want the Court to eliminate all restrictions on campaign spending - a position that Justice Thomas supported in McCutcheon - and a view supported by the Chairman of the Republican National Committee. Importantly, as a means of being able to exercise unprecedented power over the political process, this has been the position of the Koch brothers for at least the last 34 years.
The Koch brothers are the second wealthiest family in America, making most of their money in the fossil fuel industry. According to Forbes Magazine, they saw their wealth increase last year from $68 billion to $80 billion. In other words, under the "anti-business", "socialist" and "oppressive" Obama administration, their wealth went up by $12 billion in one year.
In their 2012 campaigns, Barack Obama and Mitt Romney each spent a little more than $1 billion. For the Koch brothers, spending more than Obama and Romney combined would be a drop in their bucket. They would hardly miss the few billion dollars.
Given the reality that the Koch brothers are now the most important and powerful players in American politics, it is important to know what they want and what their agenda is.
It is not widely known that David Koch was the Libertarian Party vice-presidential candidate in 1980. He believed that Ronald Reagan was much too liberal. Despite Mr. Koch putting a substantial sum of money into the campaign, his ticket only received 1 percent of the vote. Most Americans thought the Libertarian Party platform of 1980 was extremist and way out of touch with what the American people wanted and needed.
Fast-forward 34 years and the most significant reality of modern politics is how successful David Koch and like-minded billionaires have been in moving the Republican Party to the extreme right. Amazingly, much of what was considered "extremist" and "kooky" in 1980 has become part of today's mainstream Republican thinking.
Let me give you just a few examples:
In 1980, Libertarian vice-presidential candidate David Koch ran on a platform that called for abolishing the minimum wage. Thirty-four years ago, that was an extreme view of a fringe party that had the support of 1 percent of the American people. Today, not only does virtually every Republican in Congress oppose raising the $7.25 an hour minimum wage, many of them, including Republican leaders like Mitch McConnell and John McCain, are on record for abolishing the concept of the federal minimum wage.
In 1980, the platform of David Koch's Libertarian Party favored "the abolition of Medicare and Medicaid programs." Thirty-four years ago, that was an extreme view of a fringe party that had the support of one percent of the American people. Today, the mainstream view of the Republican Party, as seen in the recently passed Ryan budget, is to end Medicare as we know it, cut Medicaid by more than $1.5 trillion over the next decade, and repeal the Affordable Care Act. According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, "Under the Ryan plan, at least 40 million people -- 1 in 8 Americans -- would lose health insurance or fail to obtain insurance by 2024. Most of them would be people with low or moderate incomes."
In 1980, the platform of David Koch's Libertarian Party called for "the repeal of the fraudulent, virtually bankrupt, and increasingly oppressive Social Security system." Thirty-four years ago, that was an extreme view of a fringe party that had the support of 1 percent of the American people. Today, the mainstream view of the Republican Party is that "entitlement reform" is absolutely necessary. For some, this means major cuts in Social Security. For others who believe Social Security is unconstitutional or a Ponzi scheme this means the privatization of Social Security or abolishing this program completely for those who are under 60 years of age.
In 1980, David Koch's Libertarian Party platform stated "We oppose all personal and corporate income taxation, including capital gains taxes ... We support the eventual repeal of all taxation ... As an interim measure, all criminal and civil sanctions against tax evasion should be terminated immediately." Thirty-four years ago, that was an extreme view of a fringe party that had the support of 1 percent of the American people. Today, 75 Republicans in the House have co-sponsored a bill that Paul Ryan has said "would eliminate taxes on wages, corporations, self-employment, capital gains, and gift and death taxes in favor of a personal-consumption tax."
Here is what every American should be deeply concerned about. The Koch brothers, through the expenditure of billions of dollars and the creation and support of dozens of extreme right organizations, have taken fringe extremist ideas and made them mainstream within the Republican Party. And now with Citizens United (which is allowing them to pour unlimited sums of money into the political process) their power is greater than ever.
And let's be very clear. Their goal is not only to defund Obamacare, cut Social Security, oppose an increase in the minimum wage or cut federal funding for education. Their world view and eventual goal is much greater than all of that. They want to repeal every major piece of legislation that has been signed into law over the past 80 years that has protected the middle class, the elderly, the children, the sick and the most vulnerable in this country. Every piece of legislation!
The truth is that the agenda of the Koch brothers is to move this country from a democratic society with a strong middle class to an oligarchic form of society in which the economic and political life of the nation are controlled by a handful of billionaire families.
Our great nation must not be hijacked by right-wing billionaires like the Koch brothers.
For the sake of our children and our grandchildren, we must fight back. Reported by Huffington Post 2 hours ago.
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Alabama widows cease to exist
According to this story from WHNT News in Alabama, several dozen widows of county employees - many of them elderly and with little income - lost their health insurance due to ObamaCare. It's going to cost a cool $25 million to restore it, due to "Affordable" Care Act mandates.
Therefore, under Democrat Party dogma, these widows have ceased to exist. If you listen carefully, you'll hear an audible pop as they become non-persons and vanish from mediaspace, never to be mentioned by anyone in President Obama's newsroom palace guard. Reported by Breitbart 1 hour ago.
Therefore, under Democrat Party dogma, these widows have ceased to exist. If you listen carefully, you'll hear an audible pop as they become non-persons and vanish from mediaspace, never to be mentioned by anyone in President Obama's newsroom palace guard. Reported by Breitbart 1 hour ago.
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Despite Early ACA Costs, UnitedHealth Will Expand Obamacare Business In 2015
The nation’s largest health insurance company, UnitedHealth Group (UNH), said its first-quarter earnings dipped slightly due to costs and fees related to the Affordable Care Act, but the company sees growth from the law and is looking to expand its offerings on government-run exchanges next year. UnitedHealth projects its revenue to [...]
Reported by Forbes.com 17 minutes ago.
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The nation’s largest insurer thinks Obamacare exchanges are doing just fine
After taking a pretty cautious approach to the launch of the health insurance marketplaces in 2014, the nation’s largest insurer said it’s looking to expand its Obamacare footprint in 2015.
UnitedHealth Group, which is participating in just five public exchanges this year, said it’s likely to join more insurance marketplaces in 2015 but didn't offer specifics. Executive vice president Gail Boudreaux, on an earnings call with investors Thursday morning, said the company “has a bias to increase” the company’s participation in Affordable Care Act exchanges in 2015 after seeing encouraging trends in the program's first year. Reported by Washington Post 54 minutes ago.
UnitedHealth Group, which is participating in just five public exchanges this year, said it’s likely to join more insurance marketplaces in 2015 but didn't offer specifics. Executive vice president Gail Boudreaux, on an earnings call with investors Thursday morning, said the company “has a bias to increase” the company’s participation in Affordable Care Act exchanges in 2015 after seeing encouraging trends in the program's first year. Reported by Washington Post 54 minutes ago.
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The Problem With Giving Employees a Stipend to Buy Health Insurance
The Problem With Giving Employees a Stipend to Buy Health Insurance
Reported by ajc.com 6 minutes ago.
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Federal Diary: Retired fed celebrates 35 years with transplanted kidney; health insurance helped
Tom Cooper is a lucky man.
Thirty-five years is a long time to be walking around with someone else's organ. Transplanted kidneys often don’t last so long.
Among the things this retired federal employee has to be thankful for, including his brother who donated a kidney to Cooper in 1979, is the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP). Its prescription drug coverage allows him to get the medicine too many kidney patients can’t afford. Reported by Washington Post 16 hours ago.
Thirty-five years is a long time to be walking around with someone else's organ. Transplanted kidneys often don’t last so long.
Among the things this retired federal employee has to be thankful for, including his brother who donated a kidney to Cooper in 1979, is the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP). Its prescription drug coverage allows him to get the medicine too many kidney patients can’t afford. Reported by Washington Post 16 hours ago.
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Missed the Obamacare deadline? Short-term health plan may be better than nothing
Insurance industry and health care experts say the Affordable Care Act won’t allow you to get comprehensive health coverage again until Jan. 1. But if you’re worried about an unexpected medical problem before then, there is a last resort: short-term health insurance.
Reported by San Jose Mercury News 15 hours ago.
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Obama hails 8 million enrollees for insurance under federal health-care law
President Obama announced Thursday that 8 million people have signed up for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act, calling the feat a success story that Democrats should “forcefully defend and be proud of” in the face of Republican election-year attacks on the law.
Reported by Washington Post 14 hours ago.
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Signups Exceed Obama’s Goal for Health Act
Eight million people have signed up for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act, including what the White House said were a sufficient number of young, healthy adults needed to maintain the plan’s viability.
Reported by NYTimes.com 14 hours ago.
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Christian broadcaster wins health care injunction
Christian radio broadcaster James Dobson has won a temporary injunction preventing the federal government from requiring his ministry to include the morning-after pill and other emergency contraception in its health insurance.
Reported by Miami Herald 14 hours ago.
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8M sign up for health care, president says
WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama announced Thursday that 8 million people had signed up for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act, and that 35 percent of them were under the age of 35, countering those who predicted that it would attract mainly older and sicker people.
Reported by TwinCities.com 13 hours ago.
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White House: 8 Million People Signed Up for Health Insurance
White House: 8 Million People Signed Up for Health Insurance
Reported by ajc.com 13 hours ago.
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Obama: Health-Plan Sign-Ups at 8 Million
Enrollment for private health insurance through federal and state exchanges has swelled to about eight million, says President Obama, who also criticized the GOP for refusing to admit the health law is working.
Reported by Wall Street Journal 13 hours ago.
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Kreidler: ‘robust discussion’ with Obama on health coverage
Rates for next year’s health-insurance plans and the upcoming enrollment period were among the topics discussed Thursday by President Obama and a roomful of state insurance commissioners, including Washington state’s Mike Kreidler.
Reported by Seattle Times 12 hours ago.
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RISARC CEO Richard Stephenson and Blue Shield of California Host Seminar for Healthcare Executives to Discuss Changes to Patient Care Requirements and Revenue Cycle.
The seminar, for senior healthcare executives, detailed the latest impact Covered California, Hospital Presumptive Eligibility and the Affordable Care Act is having on the revenue cycle for healthcare stakeholders.
Burbank, CA (PRWEB) April 18, 2014
Richard Stephenson, Founder and CEO of RISARC, a leading national high-technology and revenue recovery consulting firm to the health care industry, announced that RISARC and Blue Shield of California hosted a seminar at the RISARC headquarters in Burbank, California on Saturday, April 12 for senior executives in the health care industry.
Evening seminar
RISARC CEO, Richard Stephenson and Blue Shield of California’s Project Manager Representative, spoke extensively about the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and each company’s participation with Covered California, the state run Health Insurance Exchange.
Latest changes
The seminar detailed for attendees how the latest changes from Covered California, Hospital Presumptive Eligibility (HPE) rules, and the federal Affordable Care Act (ACA) are impacting the new patient care requirements and revenue cycle protocols for healthcare stakeholders in California.
RISARC partnered with Blue Shield of California on this seminar to share their in-depth understanding of what will be required to build a sustainable revenue infrastructure. The participation of Blue Shield of California opened up the opportunity to present invaluable insight to providers on how the new healthcare mandates can improve payer/provider relations.
President Obama signed the Affordable Care Act on March 23, 2010. The law puts in place comprehensive health insurance reforms that already have brought coverage to millions of Americans previously without coverage of any kind. Covered California is California's new health insurance exchange, where individuals, families and small businesses can find affordable health insurance.
Open exchange of ideas
Said Stephenson: “Health coverage is now accessible and affordable for millions of Americans thanks to the Affordable Care Act. But the overwhelming successes of the ACA and other supportive legislation have created huge burdens on the administrative and financial protocols for most health care providers. Our goal was to provide senior managers in Southern California with a forum for discussing these changes. There was an open exchange of ideas for shared solutions and efficiencies that will ensure our ability to deliver the benefits and protections all Americans are now entitled to by law.”
About Hospital Presumptive Eligibility
For years, states have had the option to use presumptive eligibility to connect pregnant women and children to Medi-Cal. Hospitals now have a unique new opportunity to connect patients to Medi-Cal, as long as they meet the state’s income guidelines for Hospital Presumptive Eligibility.
Hospitals in California can elect to make these determinations—regardless of whether the state expands Medi-Cal eligibility or exercises the existing ability to allow presumptive eligibility for other populations or settings. Hospitals must agree to abide by state policies and procedures. The choice to make HPE determinations rests with each individual hospital, not with the state.
About RISARC
RISARC is a leading national high-technology and revenue recovery consulting firm to the health care industry. RISARC, founded in 1990, has recovered over $1 billion for its clients. The company offers the RMSe-bubble™ for secure electronic document exchange and the signature RISARC 360° single-source solution that combines health care revenue cycle expertise with innovative cloud-based, cost-saving technology to help clients optimize existing resources, meet business objectives and reach financial goals. RISARC is a pioneer in health care technology solutions and is a certified Health Information Handler for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, esMD project. The RMSe-bubble provides the industry’s best secure, HIPAA-compliant environment for electronic record and document exchange and has been endorsed and accepted by providers, commercial insurance carriers and government agencies across the United States.
Please visit us at http://www.risarc.com for additional information.
MEDIA CONTACT
Marshal Gordon
mgordon@risarconline.com
(818) 953-3020 Reported by PRWeb 6 hours ago.
Burbank, CA (PRWEB) April 18, 2014
Richard Stephenson, Founder and CEO of RISARC, a leading national high-technology and revenue recovery consulting firm to the health care industry, announced that RISARC and Blue Shield of California hosted a seminar at the RISARC headquarters in Burbank, California on Saturday, April 12 for senior executives in the health care industry.
Evening seminar
RISARC CEO, Richard Stephenson and Blue Shield of California’s Project Manager Representative, spoke extensively about the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and each company’s participation with Covered California, the state run Health Insurance Exchange.
Latest changes
The seminar detailed for attendees how the latest changes from Covered California, Hospital Presumptive Eligibility (HPE) rules, and the federal Affordable Care Act (ACA) are impacting the new patient care requirements and revenue cycle protocols for healthcare stakeholders in California.
RISARC partnered with Blue Shield of California on this seminar to share their in-depth understanding of what will be required to build a sustainable revenue infrastructure. The participation of Blue Shield of California opened up the opportunity to present invaluable insight to providers on how the new healthcare mandates can improve payer/provider relations.
President Obama signed the Affordable Care Act on March 23, 2010. The law puts in place comprehensive health insurance reforms that already have brought coverage to millions of Americans previously without coverage of any kind. Covered California is California's new health insurance exchange, where individuals, families and small businesses can find affordable health insurance.
Open exchange of ideas
Said Stephenson: “Health coverage is now accessible and affordable for millions of Americans thanks to the Affordable Care Act. But the overwhelming successes of the ACA and other supportive legislation have created huge burdens on the administrative and financial protocols for most health care providers. Our goal was to provide senior managers in Southern California with a forum for discussing these changes. There was an open exchange of ideas for shared solutions and efficiencies that will ensure our ability to deliver the benefits and protections all Americans are now entitled to by law.”
About Hospital Presumptive Eligibility
For years, states have had the option to use presumptive eligibility to connect pregnant women and children to Medi-Cal. Hospitals now have a unique new opportunity to connect patients to Medi-Cal, as long as they meet the state’s income guidelines for Hospital Presumptive Eligibility.
Hospitals in California can elect to make these determinations—regardless of whether the state expands Medi-Cal eligibility or exercises the existing ability to allow presumptive eligibility for other populations or settings. Hospitals must agree to abide by state policies and procedures. The choice to make HPE determinations rests with each individual hospital, not with the state.
About RISARC
RISARC is a leading national high-technology and revenue recovery consulting firm to the health care industry. RISARC, founded in 1990, has recovered over $1 billion for its clients. The company offers the RMSe-bubble™ for secure electronic document exchange and the signature RISARC 360° single-source solution that combines health care revenue cycle expertise with innovative cloud-based, cost-saving technology to help clients optimize existing resources, meet business objectives and reach financial goals. RISARC is a pioneer in health care technology solutions and is a certified Health Information Handler for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, esMD project. The RMSe-bubble provides the industry’s best secure, HIPAA-compliant environment for electronic record and document exchange and has been endorsed and accepted by providers, commercial insurance carriers and government agencies across the United States.
Please visit us at http://www.risarc.com for additional information.
MEDIA CONTACT
Marshal Gordon
mgordon@risarconline.com
(818) 953-3020 Reported by PRWeb 6 hours ago.
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The Fix: For Republicans, Obama’s Obamacare news changes nothing
Yesterday, President Obama announced in a press conference that 8 million people have signed up for health insurance with the Affordable Care Act's insurance exchanges. Another 3 million Americans have signed up for Medicaid, while 5 million have signed up for non-exchange health plans. Three million young people have insurance under their parents' plans.
Reported by Washington Post 5 hours ago.
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