Title: 2018 ACA Marketplace Plan Selections Reach 97 Percent of 2017 Total
Feb. 7—Nationwide plan selections in government-run individual-insurance marketplaces reached 11.8 million during open enrollment for 2018, according to outside analysts.
Medicare Extenders and DSH Delay Face Uncertain Future
Feb. 6—Hospitals have faced a range of payment cuts since a regularly renewed package of Medicare funding lapsed at the end of 2017. But those cuts soon could be reversed.
CMS Offers Hospitals New Medicare Appeals Option
Feb. 6—A new settlement offer to resolve outstanding Medicare claims that have been denied on appeal is available for a limited time from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). The offer guarantees 62 cents on the dollar for claimed payment and payable on a faster timetable than previously available.
Proposal Calls for 1.84 Percent Rate Hike for 2019 Medicare Advantage Plans
Feb. 5—Medicare Advantage (MA) plans would receive a 1.84 percent pay boost in 2019 under a recently issued proposed call letter.
Few Physicians Support Value-Based Models: Survey
Jan. 31—Most physicians are unconvinced that high-profile value-based payment models will either control costs or improve patient health outcomes, according to a recent survey.
Did Prices Drive Recent Healthcare Spending?
Jan. 30—Healthcare prices were cited as the driver of the recent surge in healthcare spending, but that conclusion may be missing the whole picture, according to some researchers.
Insurers, Hospitals See Different Paths to Boosting Competition
Jan. 29—Hospital and insurer advocates urged the Trump administration to take differing approaches in its quest to increase competition in health care.
Global Hospital Budgets Don’t Cut Utilization: Study
Jan. 26—A potential national model for moving hospitals to global budgets was unable to reduce patient utilization during its first two years, according to recent research.
Medicaid Expansion Enrollees Increase Healthcare Costs
Jan. 25—Healthcare costs have continued to increase among those who enrolled in Medicaid under the healthcare reform eligibility expansion, according to a new analysis.
CHIP Deal Lifts Pressure on Hospital Margins
Jan. 24—Children’s hospitals got a big financial boost from the recent deal to fund the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) for six years as part of a short-term funding bill.