AHIP Statement on House Passage of H.R. 3962"Health plans strongly support comprehensive health care reform, and we have contributed to this discussion by proposing a complete overhaul of how health insurance is provided. Earlier this year, we proposed guaranteed coverage, elimination of pre-existing condition exclusions, no longer basing premiums on a person's health status or gender, and an effective personal coverage requirement to get everyone covered. We also have proposed far-reaching administrative simplification reforms that will improve efficiency, reduce costs, and free up time for physicians to focus on patient care.
Do the Math on Health Care Reform Three key challenges emerge in all health care reform proposals: access, quality, and cost. In the debate process, look for truthful answers to these simple questions. See if it all adds up for you.
CDHC Works Better Than Government-Run Health CareIf improving health and controlling health care costs are the goal, the government should be supporting health care consumerism.
Key Influencers Convene to Improve Health Outcomes, Lower CostsKey Influencers Convene in Chicago to Advance Behavioral Economics in Healthcare and Improve Health Outcomes and Lower Costs
HR Policy Association on Health Care ReformStatement of HR Policy Association President and CEO Jeffrey C. McGuiness on Reform of the U.S. Health Care System
Weekly Health Care Reform PulseFollowing Towers Perrin Health Care Reform Blog
Health Costs Keep RisingThree years after Massachusetts enacted its sweeping health-reform legislation, rising health costs continue to bedevil the state and threaten to derail reform efforts.
COBRA Extension: “Immediate” Health Care ReformFollowing Wolters Kluwer Health Care Reform Talk blog
Does Actuarial Value Trump Medical Loss Ratio?Following Wolters Kluwer Health Care Reform Talk blog
Frequently Asked Employment Law Questions This Flu SeasonEmployer have many questions about the state and federal laws that come into play when making personnel or policy decisions in flu-related situations.
The Mother of All Slush FundsHealth legislation passing through Congress has nothing to do with health reform, or even health care. It is about raw political power.
NCPA: New House Health Reform Bill’s AMP Fix Falls ShortOther Provisions Support Community Pharmacies and Their Patients
Employers' Group Opposes House Bill An organized business front of opposition against the health reform bill.
Senate Likely to Cut Employer MandateBusinesses would not be required to provide health insurance under legislation being readied for Senate debate, but large firms would owe significant penalties if any worker needed government subsidies to buy coverage on their own, according to Democratic officials familiar with talks on the bill.
Health Reform Enters the Final InningsFollowing Towers Perrin Health Care Reform Blog
Health Reform Talk Wolters Kluwer Health Reform Talk Blog
Employer Health Mandate Ignites a FightEmployers Likely to Face Stiffer Penalties in Senate Health Bill
St. Joseph County Takes Health Care Reform into Own HandsGovernment opens first Care ATC on-site medical clinic in state for employees
Weekly Health Care Reform Pulse: Senate Finance Committee Approves Reform Bill, Senate Set to VoteSenate Finance Committee Approves a Comprehensive Health Care Reform Bill; Vote by Full Senate Is Up Next
Employers Defend Key Programs Against Health Care BogeymanAs opponents seek to portray reform as rationing, employers hit back to make sure comparative effectiveness research and medical homes remain key pillars of health care reform.
A Better Health Care AlternativePublic plans aren't cutting it? Look to the Swiss.
Weekly Health Care Reform Pulse: Cost Analysis of Senate Finance Committee's BillFollowing Towers Perrin Health Care Reform Blog
Compulsory Insurance Has ConsequencesGrace-Marie Turner of The Washington Examiner
Weekly Health Care Reform Pulse: Senate Finance Committee Bill Marks Intense New PhaseFollowing Towers Perrin Health Care Reform Blog
Health Reform Talk: The Baucus Proposal and Larger EmployersFollowing Wolters Kluwer Health Reform Talk Blog
Business Roundtable Statement from Eastman Kodak CEO on Health Care LegislationBusiness Roundtable Statement from Eastman Kodak CEO on Chairman Baucus’ Mark on Health Care Legislation
PCMA: Baucus Health Reform Plan Sustains Proven PBM Delivery Model Yielding Expanded Access, Lower CPCMA: Baucus Health Reform Plan Sustains Proven PBM Delivery Model Yielding Expanded Access, Lower Costs
Weekly Health Care Reform Pulse: Congress Gets Back to Work on Health Care Reform After Stormy AugusFollowing Towers Perrin Health Care Reform Blog: Congress Gets Back to Work on Health Care Reform After Stormy August Recess
Weekly Health Care Reform Pulse: So What’s With All These Republican Proposals In Democratic Reform Following Wolters Kluwer "Health Reform Talk" blog
CCH Briefing Highlights Employer, Medicare Provisions of Health Care Reform ProposalsLockton Forms Health Reform Advice Team Lockton Forms Health Reform Advice Team
A Speech, Not a Plan by Grace-Marie Turner, Galen Institute
Weekly Health Care Reform Pulse: Pay-or-Play: What Might It Cost Employers and Employees?Following Towers Perrin Health Care Reform Blog
Health-Care Reform: The Right Kind of CompromisePresident Obama offers a case-study in decision-making as he tries to forge a health-care reform compromise without surrendering his fundamental objectives
Value-Based Insurance Design: Helping Employers Improve the Value of Health CareThe National Pharmaceutical Council (NPC) has released a new report on an important approach being used by leading edge employers for improving patient health outcomes - Value-Based Insurance Design (VBID).
Modern Healthcare ranks Leapfrog’s CEO Number 28 among the “100 Most Powerful People in Healthcare”The Leapfrog Group CEO Leah Binder was ranked #28 in a list that included President Obama, Peter Orzag, Senator Max Baucus, Drew Altman, and many more health care leaders.
The Cost of Employers Waiting for Heath Care ReformThis year, with major potential changes in healthcare looming every night on the evening news, many employers have virtually shut down discussions on what to do with their employee health benefit plan. This is costing these employers much more than they realize.
Health Care Debate Misses Issue of CostsWith health care costs increasing at more than twice the general rate of inflation, any reform that does not adequately address costs will bankrupt both our economy and the U.S. Treasury, and thus ultimately will fail.
Weekly Health Care Reform Pulse: The Conundrum for Employers--To Play or Not to Play (and Pay)Following Towers Perrin Health Care Reform Blog
Weekly Health Care Reform Pulse: Congress is On Vacation, but the Reform Debate Rages OnCongress has left Washington, D.C., to begin its traditional summer break and is scheduled to return after the Labor Day holiday. When it comes to health care reform, however, the next several weeks do not promise relaxation and respite. With Congress having missed several objectives on the President’s timetable, the reform juggernaut has slowed. The next few weeks may bring uncertainty as health reform proposals draw increasingly shrill and partisan opposition in public forums and the media. Before resuming the complex challenge of guiding health reform legislation through Congress, President Obama and Democratic leaders will need to respond to a rising tide of public confusion, indifference and outright opposition to reform that seems to characterize the lazy days of August.
UBA offers Free Webinar: NAHU Executive VP and CEO to Discuss Health Reform BillsPresentation to Focus on Challenges Facing Employers
Weekly Health Care Reform Pulse: Both Houses Target September 15th as the Next Key Date for ActionFollowing Towers Perrin Health Care Reform Blog
Health Care Reform Ignores Underlying ProblemsThere is little mention of of Medicare, obesity, and immigration in health care reform discussions.
Weekly Health Care Reform Pulse: Health Care Reform Hit Political Speed BumpsFollowing Towers Perrin Health Care Reform Blog
Dow Lohnes Government Strategies Welcomes Ken Bowler To Lead Health and Tax PracticeRapidly Expanding Government Relations Group Solidifies Status as a Top Bipartisan Bicameral Health, Energy and Telecom Firm
Doctor Numbers Don't Add Up for Universal Healthcare PlanUniversal health care can diminish access to health care
CCH Briefing Highlights Tax Provisions of Health Care Reform ProposalsThe proposals to reform health care now circulating on Capitol Hill are full of provisions that will change the tax laws, according to CCH
Health Reform Insights & Talking PointsPersonal observations by SPBA President Fred Hunt
Trying to Talk Around the FactsPresident Obama seems to believe he can talk his way past the reality of how his sweeping health-reform plan would affect the lives of 300 million Americans....
Time Is Now To Adapt to New HIPAA GuidelinesBe prepared for American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) compliance with this expert advice...
While We’re Waiting for Health Care Reform … Things We Can Do Now to Control Rising Costs It’s easy to complain about the rising cost of health care — everybody does. But what can be done about the problem?
New Research from EBRI: Many Support Lower Cost Sharing to Change Health Care System Use Many Americans support the use of lower cost sharing as an incentive to change the way individuals use the health care system
FieldMedia Announces Convergence of Successful Web Communities With Launch of EmployersWeb.comValue Based Insurance Design Captures Prominent Role In Capitol Hill Health Care Reform DebateSolutions Outlook: Doing Nothing is the Most Expensive OptionSolutions Outlook: What Employers Can Expect in Health Care ReformIt’s Time to Modernize America’s Health Care SystemJohn Engler of NAM discusses the need to modernize the United States’ health care system with the type of cutting-edge information technology that has transformed the manufacturing workplace.
Presidential Candidates’ Health Care Platforms: Who is on the Side of the Employer? What Employers Want From Health Insurers--NowIn 2008, PriceWaterhouseCoopers' research team surveyed senior executives at more than 100 large US-based multinational companies and more than 250 privately held small companies. The large companies each have an average of 8,000 employees and revenue of about $3 billion. The small employers each have a workforce of about 200 and less than $50 million in revenue. In addition, PwC surveyed more than 500 human resources executives separately on benefit plan design issues. This white paper discusses the results of this survey.
Health consumerism Health consumerism is a movement which advocates patients’ involvement in their own health care decisions.
World Alliance for Patient SafetyIn October 2004 the World Health Organization (WHO) launched the World Alliance for Patient Safety in response to a World Health Assembly Resolution (2002) urging WHO and Member States to pay the closest possible attention to the problem of patient safety.
Joint Commission International (JTI)The Joint Commission (International) is a private sector United States-based non-profit organization. It is the best known of a large number of active healthcare accreditation groups in the USA
AccreditationAccreditation is a process in which is certification of competency, authority, or credibility is presented.
URAC, formerly known as the Utilization Review Accreditation Commission, is a nonprofit organization promoting healthcare quality by accrediting healthcare organizations.
National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC)Call To Action: Health Reform 2009Reforming America's Health Care System: A Call To Action
by: U.S. Senator Max Baucus (D-Mont.) Chairman, Senate Finance Committee
Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization ActMedicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act provides seniors and people with disabilities with the first comprehensive prescription drug benefit ever offered under the Medicare program.
Employer-sponsored health insuranceEmployer-sponsored health insurance is paid for by businesses on behalf of their employees as part of an employee benefit package.
Managed careThe term "managed care" is used to describe a variety of techniques intended to reduce the cost of providing health benefits and improve the quality of care.
Single-payer health careSingle-payer health care is an American term describing the payment for doctors, hospitals and other providers of health care from a single fund.
Universal healthcareUniversal health care is health care coverage that is extended to all eligible residents of a governmental region. Universal health care often covers medical, dental, and mental health care.
Consumers/Employers Paying Almost $90 Billion Due to Under-Payments by Medicare and Medicaid‘Hidden tax’ leads to higher premiums for families and employers
Renewed Interest in Tax Exempt Benefit TrustsRecent changes in financial accounting reporting obligations have caused many employers, both public and private, to re-examine the overall economics of pre-funding retiree medical benefits.
Will the Health Care Technology Act Finally Usher in Widespread Use of Electronic Health InformationAbout the “Protecting Records, Optimizing Treatment, and Easing Communication Through Health Care Technology Act of 2008"
Election Won’t Cure Your Health Care BillsSo far, the political dialogue is yielding more uncertainty than clarity about the future for health benefits and health insurance.
2008 CDHC Superstar Awards: Pioneers in CDHC We've awarded top innovators in health care these coveted honors for excellence and innovation in the rapidly changing world of CDHC. Read about these outstanding companies and the people at their helm as they lead the way with innovative plan design, implementation, and leadership. Inside are the profiles of the winners and finalists in each of the 8 categories.
Maternity LeaveMaternity leave: Paid or unpaid time off work to care for a new baby. Under the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993, companies with 50 or more employees are required to offer eligible employees up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave to care for a new baby.
The U.S. Congress and Health Policy presented by Sheila Burke at kaiserEDU.org
Agency for Health Care, Research & Quality Launches New Website New website allows users to learn, share, and adopt new health care service delivery innovations.
How do McCain and Obama Compare on Health Care?Obama and McCain’s health care reform plans compared.
Shaping a Market that Works for ConsumersA key policy question that may be answered after the 2008 election cycle may well be what role the federal government, state governments and the private sector should have in developing standards.
What Is the Difference Between Obama and Clinton's Health Care Plans?Obama vs. Clinton: which health care reform plan is best?
Expatriates 2008Directed Health Care In 2007: Creating Transparency In An Opaque MarketSpecial Report: The State of the Union’s Health Care SystemThe universal health care movement switched strategies to a state level years ago. States certainly are taking the lead in finding health care system solutions, although universal health care has not taken hold.
Sponsors of Health Savings Account Plans and High-Deductible Health Plans Need to Know:2008 Minimums and Maximums
Become a Catalyst for a High-Performance Health SystemAs the largest collective purchasers of health insurance, employers can and should drive the fundamental health system reform our country needs, and that Americans want.