First let me introduce myself. My name is Erica Brode, and I am the new ITUP health policy intern. I am currently pursuing my MPH in Health Policy and Management at UC Berkeley while taking a year off between my third and fourth years of medical school at UC San… more

We hope you had a great Thanksgiving stuffed with family, friends, good food, and lots of relaxation. But enough of that… with the new 1115 Waiver now signed, health reform implementation in full swing, a new administration ready to take over and a $25 billion budget deficit to resolve, there… more

Last Tuesday, CMS officially launched the new Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI). Created under Section 3021 of the Affordable Care Act, the CMMI is charged with testing models of care to improve quality and control health care costs. The CMMI will examine new ways of delivering health care… more

The National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) is holding a six-part webinar series to help state legislators and legislative staff navigate the complex nature of health reform and implementation. YOU can earn more about and register for these webinars here. The next webinar, entitled Consumer Assistance and Insurance Oversight, will… more

Federal HHS just issued an interim final rule governing the Medical Loss Ratio (MLR) portion of the ACA. Generally, MLR is the restriction on the proportion of premium dollars that insurance companies can spend on profits and administrative expenses. Put the other way, MLR is the requirement that insurance companies… more

On Thursday, Dec. 2, our friends at the Center for Health Improvement and the California Health Policy Forum will be hosting a panel discussion entitled, Enhancing the Health Care Safety Net: Innovative Care Models. Thursday, December 2, 2010 1:00 – 3:00 pm State Capitol, Room 3191 1303 10th Street Sacramento,… more

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) just issued a request for information from physicians and others as it develops a proposed rule for accountable care organizations (ACOs) under the Medicare Shared Savings Program, and considers testing other innovative payment and delivery system models through its Center for Medicare… more

In August, our friends at the California Primary Care Association (CPCA) began a health reform education and advocacy training initiative called the Health Care Ambassador Program. The campaign is focused on training community clinics, health centers, their staff and clinicians, about the provisions of the PPACA that affect their patients… more