California in the lead

Governor Schwarzenegger signed several bills that aim to implement and improve upon health reform here in California, including key bills AB 1602 and SB 900 that were signed today. Both of these bills will create the health insurance exchange in California, and we are the first state in the nation to enact such legislation.

I thought I would share this press release with those of you who, like myself, appreciate those "short-term wins" every now and then.

Gov. Schwarzenegger Signs Legislation Making California the National Leader on Health Care Reform

Urgent Care and Retail Clinics as Alternatives to ER

A recent RAND study found that many emergency visits could be handled through retail clinics or urgent care centers. The article claims that this could reduce US health care spending by over $4 billion a year.

This redirection of most acute issues to retail clinics and urgent care centers seems like an appropriate and great recommendation considering the lack of PCPs, timely access to care issues, and high inappropriate use of ER for non-emergency care. However, I wonder about the quality of care patients will receive at retail clinics. Does anyone know if there are current guidelines for these clinics and if not, will or should there be guidelines? Also, I think it is important to discuss the implications for lack of coordination of care that might arise if consumers become reliant on retail clinics and urgent care centers.

Business Week Article: http://www.businessweek.com/lifestyle/content/healthday/642813.html

Original Article: http://content.healthaffairs.org/cgi/reprint/29/9/1630

Medicare Advantage Premiums to Fall in 2011

Whoa, total surprise.

(Everyone seems to like the NY Times today... )

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/22/health/policy/22medicare.html?_r=2&emc=tnt&tntemail1=y

What do you think best explains this? Curious about your thoughts.

Did the Federal government really just do a great job negotiating?

Do insurers think that with more people enrolling in plans, overall costs will lower due to increased risk-spreading?

Did plans that that don't want to comply with the increased benefits drop out, leaving cheaper plans in the market?

. . .

Health Care Reform "Report Card" - Six Months Later

Hi All,

I came across this "progress card" for the provisions of health care reform. A quick read, nice graphics, but the grades seem a little optimistic to me.

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/09/23/opinion/20100923_opart.html?hp

Happy 6 months HCR!

-Dionne

Poverty, Addiction, and Prescription Drugs

Did anyone see this article in the New York Times?

"Officers See More Sick and Elderly Selling Prescription Drugs"
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/19/us/19bcdealers.html?ref=sanfranciscobayarea

We touched in class on the incredible benefits that closing the Medicare doughnut hole will have for elderly beneficiaries who previously couldn't afford their prescription drugs. But as with any good thing, there are bound to be a couple of downsides - such as possibly increasing access to drugs for resale.

In my mind, this points to the intersection between pharmaceutical coverage and nationwide illegal drug policy issues, something I haven't yet heard many health policy folks talking about. (Except for those awful commercials telling parents their kids might be getting high from the medicine cabinet...) The other intersection is of course with the impact of the recession on older adults, although the article makes it seem that addiction is as much of the story as poverty. Thoughts?

Welcome to Fall 2010 HPM Blog

Hi everyone - welcome to the Foundations of HPM class blog. You are welcome to review the past two years of posts (last one was early Dec 2009) and begin your own posting. Feel free to cite articles of interest, continue discussions from this class or others, ask questions, comment on each other's posts, etc

To kick it all off, as a follow up to last week's class, here is article from today's NYT (9/21/10) on what Republicans are likely to do to reform law if they get the opportunity http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/21/health/policy/21repeal.html?_r=1&hpw

Kim