Abridged health reform 101
That seemed to be the theme of today's Nashville Health Care Council visit from Health and Human Services' Health Policy counselor Rima Cohen. At a gathering of more than 200 health care professionals in Cool Springs this morning, Cohen discussed some provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act that will go into effect immediately — such as a 35 percent tax credit for small businesses buying coverage for their employees — and those, like state health insurance exchanges, that will kick in several years from now. Cohen's rapid-fire reform fact list was prefaced with a discussion of Tennessee's dismal health statistics — including that a third of Tennessee children are overweight or obese and residents' life expectancy is below the national average — to drive home the administration's message that individuals have "so much to gain" from reform through provisions designed to make care more accessible and affordable. She also touched upon the benefits for employers:“Businesses large and small have seen the cost of providing health coverage to their employees rise dramatically The Affordable Care Act preserves what is best about our current health care system while helping to give employers and employees more affordable coverage. The Act builds on our employer based system and works to control costs, stabilize insurance markets, and provide new protections for employers and their workers.”
Jun 17, 2010 1:00 PM
Deloitte gets the pulse on health care reform sentiment
Deloitte’s Center for Health Solutions today released the results of a survey looking at consumer sentiment toward the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. View the full report at this link. Some findings from the adults surveyed:- 36% think they will be “better off” as a result of reform; 43% think they will be “worse off”
- 76% think the cost of the bill will be higher than expected
- 56% think some hospitals and medical practices will close and 55% think they’ll have to wait longer to see their doctors
- 56% think incentives for electronic medical records will be “very effective” or “effective” at improving health care system performance.
- 69% think “the issue is not whether an organization is for-profit or not-for-profit - it's what they do that matters.”
Jun 10, 2010 2:47 PM
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Get Obama administration's view on health reform
Rima Cohen, health policy counselor to Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius will be in Nashville next week to talk health care reform. Cohen will offer insight on policy development, implementation and potential outcomes of key provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The Nashville Health Care Council breakfast event, sponsored by BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee, will be at the Cool Springs Marriott on the 17th. Get more info at this link. Jun 10, 2010 1:44 PM
HealthSpring shuffles management
Executive moves to board role, COO title switch
May 28, 2010 3:18 PM
Bredesen's Fresh Medicine
I just tried to step back, and set down what I think, where I think we should go from here, and the things we needed to get done. Put it in book form, It’s not ghost-written, I’ve done it all myself.
May 6, 2010 8:09 AM
HealthSpring preparing for reform's impact
Loss-ratio requirements call for new strategies
Apr 29, 2010 3:14 PM
Health care reform's trickle down effect
"Reform seems to be good for hospitals, and what's good for our customers we think is probably good for us." That was HealthStream CEO Bobby Frist Jr.'s response to the health care industry's question du jour — how will health care reform impact your business — on his company's first quarter earnings call this morning. The health care learning and research business grew revenue by 9 percent in Q1, and Frist said the company's top line could continue to grow as hospitals feel the impact of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The idea is, if hospital patient volumes increase, they may add more staff, and that could mean more subscribers to HealthStream's products. The company's stock (Ticker: HSTM) was trading slightly higher Tuesday morning. Apr 27, 2010 10:34 AM
Enough about my illness, how 'bout that reform bill?
Chatty patients. They're one of the immediate effects physicians are experiencing following the passage of health care reform, according to a recent article in The New York Times. Doctors are reporting that they spend an extra hour or two each day answering patients' questions about the new law.For many doctors, the big frustration comes when they do not know what to say to their patients.
“Quite honestly, I don’t know how to answer their concerns,” said Dr. Deborah A. Sutcliffe, a solo practitioner in Red Bluff, Calif. “Sometimes they’re more informed than I am, sometimes they’re not. I haven’t read the damn thing.”Read or listen to a similar story from Monday's Marketplace show here. For more on reform and physicians, click here.
Apr 20, 2010 7:13 AM
Because credit ratings aren't as susceptible to sentiment
The folks at Fitch says health reform isn't all that important when they sit down to crunch the numbers on hospitals. Apr 12, 2010 9:05 AM
AmSurg's health care reform upside
Jefferies & Co. analyst Arthur Henderson predicts local ambulatory surgery center company AmSurg may benefit from provisions in the health care reform law. Specifically, provisions that eliminate coinsurance and waive the deductibles for colorectal cancer screenings for Medicare beneficiaries could help “slightly accelerate” the company’s volume growth, Henderson wrote in a research note.Waiving out-of-pocket expenses for Medicare beneficiaries removes one macroeconomic overhang and should theoretically be favorable for AMSG's earnings outlook. Based on our calculation, we estimate the direct earnings implication from this legislation to be negligible near-term but believe it could lead to more meaningful growth longer-term, particularly when combined with management's renewed efforts to increase consumer awareness (i.e., marketing).He’s given the stock a 'buy' rating and a $27 price target. Shares of AmSurg (Ticker: AMSG) closed at $22.26 Thursday.
Apr 8, 2010 3:08 PM
