Towers Watson completes acquisition of Extend Health
May 29, 2012
Extend Health will operate as Exchange Solutions, one of four Towers Watson business segments that include Benefits, Risk and Financial Services, and Talent and Rewards. We will continue to operate in the market under the Extend Health brand.
Towers Watson has just announced its intention to acquire Extend Health. Read the press release.
Supreme Court oral arguments: audio recording and written transcript – Monday 3/26/12
March 26, 2012
To listen to an audio recording of today’s oral arguments, or read a written transcript, go to www.supremecourt.gov.
On the need for bundled payments in Medicare
February 24, 2012
Three highly qualified experts wrote this thoughtful post for the Health Affairs Blog, examining how the recurring brinksmanship attending the SGR “doc fix” distracts from a larger discussion that needs to happen around how to save money on Medicare in the coming decades.
Such a discussion must begin with the recognition that the purpose of the Medicare system is not to save money. If our goal was to spend less, we could abolish the system and spend nothing. The goal of Medicare is to provide protection for elderly Americans against the financial risk associated with illness, and in the process provide beneficiaries with access to high quality care. Our challenge is to accomplish those goals in a fiscally sustainable manner.
The three authors, (Michael Chernew, PhD, Professor of Health Care Policy in the Department of Health Care Policy at Harvard Medical School; Darius Lakdawalla, Director of Research at the Schaeffer Center for Health Policy and Economics at USC; and Dana Goldman, holder of the RAND Chair in Health Economics and Director of Health Economics at RAND) have written a cogent and thought-provoking argument for the economic necessity of bundled payment systems in Medicare.
Future of the insurance industry?
February 23, 2012
Aetna CEO, Chairman and President Mark Bertolini, speaking at the HIMSS 2012 conference in Las Vegas, says the days of the insurance industry as we know it are numbered. “The system doesn’t work, it’s broke today,” and the insurance industry needs to change: “We need to move the system from underwriting risk to managing populations. We want to have a different relationship with the providers, physicians, and hospitals we do business with.” Worth reading for his take on how the industry can re-invent itself.
More Wyden-Ryan, and Holiday Wishes
December 23, 2011
We hired a very smart, super-qualified new product marketer a couple of months ago who spent the last couple of years in D.C. working for HHS, helping to roll out ACA regulations. We asked John to put together some thoughts on the Wyden-Ryan proposal – recommended reading.
I wish you all a fantastic holiday and here’s to a great 2012 for everyone.
Bryce
Ryan and Wyden Medicare proposal overview and news roundup
December 16, 2011
It’s been an insane month – lots of travel, and I haven’t had a chance to post anything lately. The Extend Health blog just posted a great roundup of news and opinion on the Ryan-Wyden plan, which is worth a read – reprinted here in its entirety for your convenience.
Bryce
Overview:
Paul Ryan (R-WI) and Ron Wyden (D-OR) released their proposal to overhaul Medicare this week. It is not at the bill stage yet, as the authors hope to cut down on the political rhetoric and start a serious national dialogue about the future of Medicare. Ryan and Wyden have not asked the Congressional Budget Office to review their proposal yet, so it is not known how much their plan would save compared to current Medicare.
Here is a brief overview of some of the plan’s key points:
People over 55 would see no change to their benefits. They would be free to opt into a private plan when the Medicare Exchange is established in 2022.
The “premium support” system would ensure affordable coverage by empowering seniors to choose either traditional Medicare or private plans. And there would be more help for low-income seniors who need it, and less for wealthier seniors who don’t need the assistance.
Medicare plans could be purchased on an insurance exchange established by congress.
Strong consumer protection would include:
- All participating plans would have to offer benefits that are at least equal to traditional Medicare plans.
- Risk-adjusted premium-support payments would guarantee affordable coverage for those with the greatest health needs.
- Plans could neither refuse coverage for pre-existing conditions, nor charge rates that discriminate based on health status.
- CMS would oversee all plans to ensure transparency and fairness.
Competition would drive program growth. Competitive bidding would force providers to reduce costs and improve quality. Competition between private and traditional Medicare plans would incentivize both to develop better delivery models and ways to care for patients.
Employees in small businesses with up to 100 workers could use their employer’s contributions to purchase their own health insurance, and the cost of free choice options would be fully tax deductible to the employer. In addition, allowing workers to keep the same insurance when they retire would ease their transition into Medicare.
Medicare spending would be capped to GDP plus one percentage point.
Read the full report: http://budget.house.gov/UploadedFiles/WydenRyan.pdf
News Roundup:
Here’s a roundup of news articles written this week about the Ryan/ Wyden proposal, with reactions and opinions from across the political spectrum.
Bloomberg BusinessWeek: Bipartisan Medicare Plan May Spur More Compromise, Ryan Says
The Washington Post: Interview with Rep. Paul Ryan
Boston.com: Clipboard: The “Ryden” Medicare proposal
Chicago Tribune: White House blasts new Medicare plan by GOP’s Ryan
Reuters: Republican Ryan backs new bipartisan Medicare Plan
Forbes: Ron Wyden and Paul Ryan’s Bipartisan Plan for Health Care and Medicare Reform
The Wall Street Journal: A.M. Vitals: Ryan, Wyden to Introduce Proposal for Changing Medicare
Time: Wyden-Ryan: A Move Toward Health Care Sanity
The Washington Post: What Wyden-Ryan hath wrought
The Wall Street Journal: The Wyden-Ryan Breakthrough
Kaiser Health News: Wyden And Ryan Join Forces On New Medicare Overhaul Plan
The Hill: Paul Ryan moves away from controversial Medicare reform plan
The New York Times: Lawmakers Offer Bipartisan Plan to Overhaul Medicare
Visit Extend Health — the nation’s largest private Medicare exchange.
Medical Hotspotting: When Treating Patients Like Criminals Makes Sense
November 23, 2011
Image via Wikipedia
Fast Company just published my latest post on medical hotspotting on the Fast Company Co-Exist blog. Here’s a snip; follow the link to read more.
Medical hotspotting traces its roots to a law enforcement strategy that involves mapping where crimes are committed in a given region and then applying extra police resources in areas considered hot spots. Advocated by former New York Police Commissioner William Bratton in the mid-1990s, the approach was credited as an important element in reducing crime in New York City by 60%.
A happy and healthy Thanksgiving to all – see you back here next week.
Bryce
“The Broccoli Test” for the individual mandate
November 16, 2011
Harvard law professor Einer Elhauge put up this OpEd yesterday in the New York Times outlining an interesting argument for the constitutionality of the ACA’s individual mandate clause. Here’s a snip:
But the argument that the commerce clause does not authorize the insurance mandate is beside the point. The mandate is clearly authorized by the “necessary and proper clause,” which the Supreme Court has held gives Congress the power to pass any law that is “rationally related” to the execution of some constitutional power.
I’ve argued before that the law can work without the individual mandate, given the right conditions including annual enrollment periods, affordable, standardized plans and guaranteed issue among others. I’m looking forward to hearing the arguments on both sides as the Supreme Court date gets closer.
Can Health Insurance Become Customer-Friendly And Web-Savvy?
November 10, 2011
Read my latest post for Fast Company on the opportunity health care reform offers insurance companies to compete for new customers. Can insurers adapt quickly enough to take advantage of this tremendous market opportunity? To find out, read “Can Health Insurance Become Customer-Friendly And Web-Savvy?”
