Oct 3, 2018 | Legislation/ Budgets/ Macro
On September 28, President Trump signed a large spending package totaling $855 billion, which avoids a government shutdown through December 7. This brief highlights key parts of the appropriations bill, which includes funding for Labor and Health and Human Services. Click to read more.
Oct 2, 2018 | Drugs, Legislation/ Budgets/ Macro, Products
The U.S. House and Senate have agreed on the final version of legislation intended to address the opioid abuse crisis. This brief summarizes the legislation, which will be passed by Congress this week and signed by the President forthwith. Click to read more.
Sep 28, 2018 | Managed Care Friday
I ranked my kids last weekend and let’s just say 4 of the 5 kids stormed out of the room, arguing with both my methodology and motives. That I gave my daughter Sophie 20 bonus points simply because I like her best didn’t go over well. The rankings have consequences – fewer chores, better snacks to the top ranked, fewer TV remote privileges to the bottom tier. Rankings matter, maybe not so much in college sports where post-season committees at times pick tournament teams based more so on popularity and history than performance; but they matter, and increasingly in healthcare. Jodie, 58, told...
Sep 24, 2018 | Legislation/ Budgets/ Macro
On September 18th, Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA) released bipartisan draft legislation that aims to protect patients from receiving surprise medical bills for care received in an emergency department. This practice, also called balance billing, is when a healthcare provider bills the patient for the difference between what the patient’s insurance pays and what the provider charges, oftentimes resulting in patients having to pay medical bills worth thousands of dollars. This brief outlines the provisions included in the discussion draft, currently called the Protecting Patients from Surprise...
Sep 21, 2018 | Managed Care Friday
1. 25: That’s the number of attempts of suicide estimated per suicide death. It’s a tragic stat and one that has created a new support model in Europe. Emergency medical services obviously can play an incredible role in managing patients who have attempted suicide in getting them to proper care. In London, the Ambulance Services NHS Trust is recruiting Mental Health Practitioners to increase their 24/7 specialist-enhanced clinical assessments and to support people who have called the service for mental health issues. They are looking for practitioners who can make clinical decisions, and...
Sep 20, 2018 | Legislation/ Budgets/ Macro
In the current election cycle and very likely in the 2020 Presidential election cycle, Democratic candidates are embracing further expansion of federal government healthcare programs. This brief discusses this policy direction, which has been termed “Medicare For All.” Click to read more.
Sep 19, 2018 | Drugs, Medicare Advantage, MedPAC, Part D, Payers
Medicare Part D is a voluntary prescription drug benefit for individuals on Medicare. This brief summarizes recent spending projections and state enrollment trends, as well as policy developments. Click to read more.
Sep 17, 2018 | MedPAC, Physician Fee Schedule
This month, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) held one of its regularly scheduled meetings. Among the highlights was MedPAC’s continued analysis of physician payment reforms. This brief highlights this discussion and includes a list of other topics discussed at the September meeting. Click to read more.
Sep 14, 2018 | Managed Care Friday
1. 29: That’s the number out of every 1,000 children age 8 that have autism in the state of New Jersey according to a study found conducted by the CDC. New Jersey is the state with the highest rate and Arkansas is the lowest with 13. Rates increased to 1 out of every 59 8-year-olds with autism according to the same study conducted in public schools, health care facilities and special education programs. The 11 states that have shown increases are Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, North Carolina, Tennessee and Wisconsin. To read more about autism...
Sep 12, 2018 | Medicaid, Medicare, Payers
In this report, BRG expert Dr. Henry Miller analyzes the effect of having two large integrated financing and delivery systems on healthcare costs in the Pittsburgh metropolitan area. The analysis compares Pittsburgh MSA data to US national cost data as well as cost data for other large MSAs across the country. Health insurance premiums for family coverage, Medicare expenditures per beneficiary, and hospital costs are all included in the report’s analysis. Click here to read more.
