The federal government has made an ambitious change to its Medicare health care program this week. Now, Medicare information will be at the disposal of employers, insurance companies and consumer advocacy groups. This information will allow these groups to issue reports on local health care professionals and hospitals. In this way, groups can rate health care providers based upon their performance within the Medicare system. Patient information will remain confidential. The decision was made based upon the variances in performance amongst doctors nationwide. Without an adequate method of rating these…
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Rates for Medicare Advantage to fall as enrollment soars
Rebuking the notion that health insurance premiums will reach new highs as a result of the Affordable Care Act, the Obama administration spoke with reporters on Thursday and insisted that premiums for Medicare Advantage policies will fall in 2012. Medicare Advantage is one of the more popular federal health care plans and boasts of lower deductibles than other insurance programs. The program accounts for only a quarter of the 48 million policies currently in effect through Medicare. Officials also noted that they expect to see enrollment rates for the program…
Read MoreSeniors may soon pay more for medical expenses
Senior citizens may be facing a number of new out-of-pocket expenses for healthcare as Congress struggles with debt limit talks and is debating alterations to the supplemental plans for Medicare. The federal health program, Medicare, is meant to support the elderly and disables, though they are responsible for the payment of certain test costs, hospital deductibles, and visits to the doctor. In order to assist themselves with these additional out-of-pocket expenses, many Medicare beneficiaries purchase Medigap plans. Among the beneficiaries, 34 percent receive their Medigap coverage from their former employers.…
Read MoreStudy shows higher Medicaid primary care spending linked to lower hospitalization spending
A Medicaid study published in the Health Affairs Journal in July 2011, has shown that in some states, there is a link between spending more in Medicaid primary care and spending less on hospitalizations. It has been widely accepted by health policy experts that spending in Medicaid varies significantly from one state to another, and among the regions within those states. However, what is not as evident is the way in which the prices and the usage patterns impact the Medicaid spending differences among the states. What had also not…
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