Farewell, Readers!
| May 28, 2010 | Posted by ITUP under Blog |
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Dear friends, Today will be my final posting as the ITUP Policy Director, as I will be heading to UC Davis for medical school in the Fall. I would like to thank everyone who has helped make this blog a success, and I hope that our readers will continue to… more
HHS Web Portal Information
| May 27, 2010 | Posted by ITUP under Blog |
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The Affordable Care Act instructs HHS to establish a web portal by July 1, where the public can easily access and compare information on coverage options given each stage of reform’s implementation. The portal will launch in phases, with the first two phases as described by HHS below: July 1… more
Evolving Transparency
| May 26, 2010 | Posted by ITUP under Blog |
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Athenahealth is a prominent provider of EHR and claims processing for physicians, and also runs an annual project dubbed PayerView. The project centralizes every piece of data from their network of nearly 24,000 providers in order to quantify and rank metrics on public and private payers such as claims denial… more
Overview of the Waiver Implementation Plan
| May 24, 2010 | Posted by ITUP under Blog |
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The California Department of Health Care Services recently released its Waiver Implementation Plan, and you can you can read our brief overview here: §1115 Waiver Renewal Implementation Plan: Summary and Suggestions The Waiver focuses on four high cost populations in order to provide more coordinated and efficient care, including: 1.… more
Health Assistance in the Federal Tax Extenders Bill
| May 21, 2010 | Posted by ITUP under Blog |
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Yesterday, Congress released a summary of the American Jobs and Closing Tax Loopholes Act (HR 4213), which contains a number of provisions related to health programs, to be considered by both houses next week. Here are the major health-related aspects: -Extends eligibility for the 65% COBRA premium subsidy for individuals… more
From the Front Lines
| May 20, 2010 | Posted by ITUP under Blog |
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Here is a poignant, perceptive, and timely Health Affairs piece from a primary care physician’s struggle in the field. Though utilization rates, reimbursement structures, medical home models, and delivery reform pilots all make the case for the much-needed improvement of our primary care system, first hand accounts like this one… more
Guidance on Reform’s Small Business Tax Credit
| May 18, 2010 | Posted by ITUP under Blog, Small Business |
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Today, The IRS released a detailed guidance for small employers interested in taking advantage of the health care tax credits that go into effect this year as part of federal reform. In general, the credits are meant to encourage employers that DO NOT offer coverage to begin to do so,… more
The Governor’s Revised 2010-2011 Budget
| May 14, 2010 | Posted by ITUP under Blog |
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The Revised Budget was released today, with deficit reductions absent of new revenue and performed solely through program cuts. While major cuts to Healthy Families and Medi-Cal were avoided thanks to federal reform’s Maintenance of Effort (MOE) provisions regarding state health programs, both programs will be subject to new caps/cost… more
Joint Senate and Assembly Hearing: Implementation of Federal Health Care Reform
| May 13, 2010 | Posted by ITUP under Blog, Legislation/Policy, State |
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Yesterday, the California Senate and Assembly Health Committees held a joint hearing to discuss the opportunities and challenges that will be presented during the next few years of reform’s implementation. The session exhibited the proactive mindset that California is taking in regard to the new law, and is a promising… more
Health Reform’s Progress To Date
| May 11, 2010 | Posted by ITUP under Blog |
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Today, Secretary Sebelius issued a letter to Congressional leadership outlining the roll-out of reform’s early deliverables. Below is an overview: Dependent Coverage Expansion The law states that by September 23rd, insurance plans must allow children up to age 26 to be able to stay on their parent’s insurance plan; 65… more
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