What should you expect from the healthcare reform today, tomorrow, and into the future?

No matter what you may think about the reforms from the Affordable Healthcare Act of 2010, the changes are already under way and they will continue on until they are required to be set in place in 2014. By that time, Americans will all be required to have some form of healthcare insurance coverage. However, there are still a large number of people in the country who are not yet fully aware of what the changes entail and how they – and their families – will be effected by them.…

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Some states making major progress on insurance exchanges, while others lag behind

Throughout the U.S., progress on setting up health insurance exchanges is accelerating. As of December, 2011, 13 states had fully functional exchange programs. Several other states have legislations pending that would allow for the building of the exchanges. While many states oppose the overarching Affordable Care Act, only Arkansas and Louisiana have chosen not to build insurance exchanges of any kind. According to the law, all states must have an operational exchange program in place by 2014. As of now, 20 states are making major progress toward establishing exchanges. The…

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Tech companies fight for their share of the emerging insurance exchange market

As the U.S. government continues to push insurance exchanges, a growing number of tech companies are beginning to compete for their share of the infrastructure that will make up the new insurance programs. Exchanges are to be constructed as electronic marketplaces where consumers can find a trove of affordable health care policies. Doctors will be able to use the system as an electronic storage for medical records, allowing other health care professionals, and insurance companies with appropriate authorization, access to a patient’s medical history. Technology firms are now vying for…

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Official goals and challenges of U.S. health care reform – A hope for better care, delivery, and costs – Part I

The reforms to healthcare delivery being made by the Affordable Care Act are making an historic attempt to bring its costs under control by improving the quality and efficacy of the system. According to an official fact sheet, among the key reforms being made in this effort are as follows: Rewards for quality  Hospitals – this includes the first Hospital Value-Based Purchasing Program of its size, which will give funding to more than 3,500 hospitals across the country based on how much they have improved and whether or not they…

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