The Basic Health Program isn’t the most flashy or popular provision in the Affordable Care Act. But anyone who’s watched a classic – or even a less-than-classic - teen romantic comedy knows that the shy, somewhat awkward wallflowers often have tremendous
Last week, Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) announced the first group of organizations for Health Care Innovation awards. As readers may already know, CMMI was established by the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to test innovative payment and d
This week marks the two year anniversary of the Affordable Care Act. And, while we will devote plenty of space this week to highlighting the many successes of the ACA, we could think of no better place to begin than with the law’s benefits for seniors. Un
Efforts to improve care for seniors and people with disabilities across the country are speeding forward as states take advantage of funding and flexibility offered by the federal government. These initiatives to serve people eligible for both Medicaid an
As the Institute of Medicine (IOM) unveiled its report on Essential Health Benefits (EHB) on Friday, there were few surprises. The panel delivered a high level outline for selecting benefits with a strong recommendation that cost consciousness be its gui
Last week’s announcement by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation – a.k.a. The Innovation Center – about the launch of the Bundled Payments for Care Improvement Initiative offers hope in the battle against out-of-control health care costs. Docto
The current political debate in Washington suffers from a narrowing of the political space that is considered “serious.” The problem extends well beyond the relative importance and urgency of reducing the national debt and addressing the persistently high
Providing insurance to low-income populations, as Medicaid does, improves their overall health and helps maintain financial stability. A new study by the National Bureau of Economic Research, says that Medicaid recipients, on average, were more likely to
(please note most links below are pdfs)
On Friday, Community Catalyst sent a letter to Secretary Sebelius, outlining eight policies states could implement to cut Medicaid costs. We were inspired to weigh in by a series of letters between the Secretary and
