The federal government has – through the announcement of a framework for the Obama administration’s basic benefits package for Americans who are privately insured –made public its decision to play a vital role in the healthcare of the country, and the reforms it has made to it. The Institute of Medicine, a non-government, independent organization, has released a report with the guidelines for what is called the “essential benefits package”, as well as the way in which it will be kept affordable for both taxpayers and small businesses, while it…
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Missouri postpones further health insurance exchange efforts
Following the voicing of concerns by several Republican senators, insurance officials from Missouri have taken a step back away from intentions to begin spending millions of dollars from the federal government on an investment into the computer technology that would be required to put a central element of the new federal health care law into place. In August, Missouri had been awarded a federal grant of $21 million to be applied to the preparation for the health insurance exchange to be created and run by the state and would allow…
Read MoreMental health experts call for blend of medical and behavioral payments in healthcare reform
Experts in mental health industry are requesting that medical providers such as psychologists take on an important role in health care reform, as they bring about new initiatives for reimbursement that would combine behavioral and medical health payments. Among the primary criticisms that U.S. healthcare has received over the years is that its method of providing health care identifies medical and behavioral services as independent and not as important as physical health services. Furthermore, preventative efforts make up only 5 percent of the total expenditures for healthcare. Along with the…
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