cmonfils | December 26, 2011
WASHINGTON — A Democratic senator, Ron Wyden of Oregon, and a Republican member of the House, Paul D. Ryan of Wisconsin, unveiled a bipartisan plan on Wednesday to revamp Medicare and make a fixed federal contribution to the cost of coverage for each beneficiary.
cmonfils | December 22, 2011
December 12, 2011 (PLANSPONSOR.com) – The Texas Employees Retirement System expects to save about $20 million next year by shifting most of its retirees to a Medicare Advantage health-insurance plan.
cmonfils | December 22, 2011
House Budget Chair Paul Ryan (R-WI) and Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) have embraced a Medicare reform plan that in concept borrows heavily from one championed by former New Mexico Senator Pete Domenici and former Clinton budget chief Alice Rivlin.
Specifically, Wyden and Ryan are proposing to alter the earlier Ryan Medicare plan by:
http://healthpolicyandmarket.blogspot.com/2011/12/paul-ryan-and-ron-wyden-blow-medicare.html
cmonfils | December 22, 2011
The feds’ decision to release Medicare claims data for quality measurement should help employers and individuals alike make more informed decisions down the road, advancing the goals of health care quality and value, a plan sponsor representative noted.
cmonfils | December 15, 2011
The CMS said in a proposed rule that it recommends delaying data collection (PDF) in a reform law provision intended to expose financial relationships between drug and device manufacturers, GPOs and providers.
The agency said in the proposed rule that manufacturers and GPOs should not be required to start collecting information about their financial relationships with physicians and teaching hospitals on Jan. 1.
cmonfils | December 2, 2011
Now that the deficit-reduction supercommittee has failed to reach agreement, healthcare providers are dealing with the reality that things could get worse before they get worse.
http://www.modernhealthcare.com/article/20111128/MAGAZINE/311289960/cloudy-outlook
cmonfils | November 30, 2011
from Spencer’s Benefits Reports: The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s (EEOC) Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) exemption for coordination with Medicare applies only to retiree benefits, not the benefits of current employees, the EEOC Office of Legal Counsel staff confirmed in an informal discussion letter in response to an inquiry from a member of the public.
cmonfils | November 27, 2011
Several deficit-reduction plans have proposed combining Medicare’s separate deductibles for hospital and physician services, standardizing cost sharing across types of benefits, and establishing a new limit on annual out-of-pocket costs for beneficiaries. A new Kaiser Family Foundation study examines the potential implications of proposals to revamp Medicare’s cost-sharing requirements as a way of reducing federal spending.
cmonfils | November 20, 2011
Medicare Advantage (MA) and Part D plans are in the midst of marketing their 2012 products to consumers, analyzing how their products compare to competitors and determining how best to deploy sales force resources to maximize opportunities and win new business. With a slightly longer selling season for health plans and an abbreviated election period for consumers, plans are busy campaigning to retain members and prospecting for new ones.
cmonfils | November 14, 2011
This issue paper examines the latest developments in accountable care organizations (ACOs), including a look at the final regulations on ACOs issued in October 2011 by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Written by the Urban Institute’s Bob Berenson and Rachel Burton, this paper provides an overview of ACOs, the key complaints about CMS’ proposed regulations and their resolution in the final regulations, and the status of adoption of this new model for delivering health care by both Medicare and private health insurance plans. This paper is supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
cmonfils | November 14, 2011
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has announced the changes to the Medicare Part A and Part B premiums, deductibles and coinsurance paid by beneficiaries.1 These changes take effect on January 1, 2012.
cmonfils | November 7, 2011
Seniors will pay less than expected in Medicare Part B premiums next year, the Obama administration announced Thursday.
Monthly premiums for Medicare Part B, which covers doctors’ visits and outpatient procedures, will increase by $3.50, to $99.90, in 2012. Initially, government forecasters had projected a $10.20 premium bump, to $106.60, in seniors’ monthly fees.
cmonfils | November 7, 2011
The Obama administration today announced that premiums for Medicare Part B coverage in 2012 will be $99.90 a month for most beneficiaries, a smaller-than-expected increase over the $96.40 paid this year by a majority of elderly and disabled beneficiaries. Part B pays for physician visits, hospital outpatient costs and certain other services. A 3.6 percent Social Security cost-of-living adjustment, the first in three years, will more than make up for the small increase, according to the Department of Health and Human Services.
cmonfils | October 26, 2011
from Spencer’s Benefits Reports: In 2012, Medicare beneficiaries enrolled in Part D stand-alone prescription drug plans (PDPs), on average, will experience a 4% increase in monthly premiums, according to a recent study from the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) Program on Medicare Policy. More than 29 million beneficiaries are enrolled in Part D plans, about two-thirds of whom are in PDPs. The KFF Medicare Part D Data Spotlight, Medicare Part D: A First Look at Part D Plan Offerings in 2012, provides an overview of the 2012 stand-alone PDP options and key changes from prior years. The study was prepared by researchers from Georgetown University, KFF, and the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago.
cmonfils | October 26, 2011
The Obama administration on Thursday bowed to health industry concerns about its plans for Medicare accountable care organizations, making it easier for doctors and hospitals to participate in the program designed to lower medical costs.
