In the News…
Week ahead: GOP poised to repeal ObamaCare mandate
The Hill reports that the Republican tax bill appears headed for passage in the coming week, which also brings a blow to ObamaCare. The tax bill would repeal ObamaCare’s individual mandate, a major accomplishment for Republicans in chipping away at the health-care law. Health care groups warn that the move would destabilize markets and cause premiums to rise. Republicans say the repeal of the mandate is lifting a costly penalty for people who choose not to buy coverage.
Humana Is Said to Be in Talks to Buy Kindred, WSJ Reports
Humana Inc. (@humana) is in “advanced talks” with two private-equity firms to acquire Kindred Healthcare Inc. in a deal that would value the medical operator at $4 billion including debt, the Wall Street Journal reported. Humana, TPG, and Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe LP would run Kindred’s home and hospice-care business together, while the two private-equity firms would take over Kindred’s facility operations that include acute-care hospitals and rehabilitation centers.
Humana is No. 1 in “JUST 100 List” Health Care Providers industry sector
Humana has again been named one of America’s most JUST companies, ranking No. 1 in the Health Care Providers industry on JUST Capital and Forbes magazine’s JUST 100 List. The JUST 100 measures publicly traded U.S. companies against the American public’s definition of just corporate behavior, and then ranks the companies based on the results. The list shares information on issues Americans care most about – worker compensation and well-being, customer treatment, product impacts, environmental impact, strong communities, job generation, ethical sourcing and supply chains, transparency and more.
UnitedHealth to buy DaVita primary care unit for $4.9 billion
The largest U.S. health insurer UnitedHealth Group Inc (@UnitedHealthGrp) will buy DaVita Inc’s primary and urgent care services for $4.9 billion in its second acquisition this year to expand its fast-growing medical group, it said on Wednesday.
Dr. David Blumenthal: Can insurer-provider mergers save healthcare? Not without facing obstacles + 5 other ideas
Becker’s Hospital Review (@beckershr) reports industry leaders have demonstrated a hungry anticipation and excitement for recently announced insurer-provider arrangements. However, these proposed mergers face numerous challenges in their potential path toward healthcare disruption. In a Dec. 14 op-ed for Harvard Business Review, David Blumenthal, MD, president of the Commonwealth Fund and the previous national coordinator for health IT for the Obama administration, comments on the industry fervor surrounding insurer-provider mergers and whether such transactions will really improve the quality of healthcare for patients.
The Decline of Employer-Sponsored Health Insurance
According to David Blumenthal, MD, president of the Commonwealth Fund (@commonwealthfnd), millions of working Americans are gearing up for what’s probably the holiday season’s least popular ritual — learning how much their employer-sponsored health insurance will cost them next year. For many, premium contributions, deductibles, copays, and coinsurance will go up. At the same time, many will also see only tepid increases in their wages. This will leave working families across the country with the sense they are spending more of their income on insurance that doesn’t protect them as much as it used to.
Views 2018 predictions: Insurance mergers, healthcare consolidation and new pharmacy rules
According to Employee Benefit News (@EBNmagazine), predicting what will take place in 2018 with health insurance reform is little like predicting the weather or guessing the correct numbers in the lottery. Often times, you’re more wrong than right. But given what we have seen so far, there are three trends that will likely influence the health insurance marketplace and healthcare delivery in the coming year, and make a significant difference on employers.
Consumers Hunting For Health Insurance Find High Prices — And Some Great Deals
According to NPR Health News (@NPRHealth), premiums have risen for many 2018 policies, though most people won’t actually have to swallow those higher costs, because subsidies have gone up, too. In some cases consumers are finding lower costs for healthcare while others are paying more. Generally, it seems worth it to shop the marketplace.
When hospitals merge, you pay the bill
According to USA Today, health insurance companies may not be the true “bad guys.” Health insurers are not the most beloved companies. They deny claims, bury people in paperwork, and generally make life more difficult. But a good case can be made that America’s health care woes lie more with its providers than its insurers. Some communities are served by a single hospital or group of specialists. Some patients are reliant on a single drug. That gives these businesses enormous leverage to hike prices.
In State News:
Merger creates large primary-care group
According to the Orlando Sentinel, Primary Partners, an integrated group of independent physicians, and Central Florida Affordable Care, an Accountable Care Organization, have joined together forming a group of more than 90 primary-care physicians in Central Florida. Such integrated physician groups offer physicians shared savings under Medicare and commercial insurances.
Oh, that health-insurance deadline? Doesn’t apply to California
It’s true that Americans who live in the 39 states that rely on the federal health insurance marketplace, healthcare.gov, faced a final deadline to sign up for plans. But Californians who buy their own insurance via the private market or the state health insurance exchange, Covered California, have a three-month open enrollment period that ends Jan. 31, 2018.
Alabama to freeze enrollment in children’s health program in two weeks
Alabama will freeze enrollment in its children’s health insurance program soon if Congress doesn’t reauthorize funding for the program. The state announced Monday that it would no longer enroll children in its “ALL Kids” program for low-income children, starting on Jan. 1, because Congress has not yet reauthorized funding for the program. Federal funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) expired at the end of September, but states weren’t expected to run out of money until the end of the year or early next year.
ACA open enrollment extended for hurricane-affected and waitlisted consumers
According to the Charleston City Paper, South Carolinians may still have time to get health insurance if they missed Friday’s open enrollment deadline. Those who live in an area that received FEMA aid following Hurricane Irma now have until December 31 to call the federal marketplace or enlist the help of a marketplace navigator to help them sign up, according to Healthcare.gov.
Tax bill eliminates health insurance mandate, but CT may impose its own
As Congress is about to vote on a tax overhaul that will gut the Affordable Care Act’s mandate that most Americans have health insurance, a number of states, including Connecticut, may consider a state-based penalty to encourage people to obtain coverage. Nearly 60,000 individuals and families in Connecticut paid a federal tax penalty last year because they did not have health insurance coverage in 2015, a penalty imposed by the ACA’s “individual mandate.”
Upcoming AHIP Conferences:
National Health Policy Conference
When: March 7 – 8, 2018
Register for this event.
Twitter: @AHIPCoverage
Where will we be in 2018? What health policy issues will be in the spotlight? On what priorities should your organization focus? AHIP’s National Health Policy Conference will deliver expert insights, top-level dialogue, and innovative solutions as we work together to advance a health care system focused on quality and sustainability.
National Conference on the Individual and Small-Group Markets
When: March 8 – 9, 2018
Register for this event.
Twitter: @AHIPCoverage
What will be the key policy and operational issues for those serving the Individual and Small-Group markets? Join us in March as thought leaders from throughout the health care industry share where we are and what’s needed next to succeed in these important markets. You’ll leave with innovative ideas from states, what’s next for small groups, how to best tackle affordability and access, and more. Located immediately following AHIP’s National Health Policy Conference (March 7-8), combine both conferences with one trip.