Alaska Health Policy Review

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Alaska Rural Health Conference

We wanted to remind you that the Alaska Rural Health Conference is taking place on 4/24/2012 8:00 AM – 4/26/2012 1:00 PM at

Location:
Marriott Anchorage Downtown
907-279-8000
820 W 7th Ave
Anchorage, Alaska 99501
United States.

We expect the available registrations to fill up quickly. So, we would like to offer you the opportunity to reserve your spot at a reduced early bird rate! To RSVP, click here.
Download the agenda (PDF 164KB)

Visit the website at www.akrhc.org or contact Faith Allard at 907-929-8116.

Filed under: Alaska

New Study Finds Profound Income Divide in Health Care; Reform Law Will Help

Americans who have low or moderate incomes are more likely to lack health insurance and a regular source of health care, and more likely to struggle getting the care they need, according to the first Commonwealth Fund Health Insurance Tracking Survey of U.S. Adults.

As reported in the new issue brief The Income Divide in Health Care: How the Affordable Care Act Will Help Restore Fairness to the U.S. Health System, 57 percent of adults in low-income families (those earning less than about $30,000 for a family of four) were uninsured for some time in the past year, as were 36 percent of those in moderate-income families (earning between about $30,000 and $56,000). In contrast, just 12 percent of adults in families earning above $89,000 were uninsured during the year.

The survey finds that lack of insurance coverage, as well as income, is significantly associated with poor access to care, including receipt of crucial preventive screenings. And having insurance means the difference between having a regular source of care and not having one. “People with low and moderate incomes run the highest risk of lacking job-based health insurance, are least able to afford health insurance on their own, and are the most at risk of not being able to afford care in the absence of coverage,” said Commonwealth Fund vice president Sara Collins, Ph.D., the study’s lead author.

The authors say the Affordable Care Act is already helping to narrow the profound income inequities in the U.S. health care system—for example, by expanding health coverage for 2.5 million 19-to-25-year-olds and requiring insurers to cover preventive care without copayments. But the greatest impact will be felt in 2014, when the law greatly expands eligibility for Medicaid coverage, makes many more affordable, subsidized coverage options available through the new insurance exchanges, and prevents insurers from denying coverage or charging more based on gender or preexisting conditions.

This study is the first in The Commonwealth Fund’s new Tracking Trends in Health System Performance series, which will examine how health reform is affecting people’s health coverage and care over time.

Source: Redacted from The Commonwealth Fund 2/8/2012

Filed under: Insurance related

Meet with Director of Division of Insurance

The next meeting will be Thursday, February 23 from 7-9am at the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority located at 3745 Community Park Loop Ste 200. We will be joined by Josh Applebee, Deputy Director for Health Care Policy, Department of Health and Social Services & Linda Hall, Director, Division of Insurance. Mr. Applebee will discuss the State’s strategy to develop an Alaska health insurance exchange and Mrs. Hall will speak to how insurance rates for health care are set by the State of Alaska.

If you would like to participate via teleconference the call in number will be 907-276-4900.

Source: Redacted from www.commonwealthnorth.org 2/8/2012

Filed under: Alaska, Insurance related

Alaska Primary Care Association Resolutions Available Online

The Alaska Primary Care Association was founded in 1995 to achieve access to care – medical, dental, and behavioral health care – for every Alaskan.  Today they stand at over 81,000 members.  Each year in preperation for the State of Alaska Legislative Session the APCA’s Legislative Resolutions are drafted by the Advocacy & Legislative Affairs Committee, with input from APCA members, CHC staff and CHC Boards.   They are available online at the APCA website.

Source: AlaskaPCA.com  12/5/11

Filed under: Alaska

The Innovation Center at One Year

One year ago, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation was launched to find new ways to reduce costs and improve the quality of health care. In a new blog post, Mark Zezza, Melinda Abrams, and Stuart Guterman of The Commonwealth Fund review the Innovation Center’s performance to date and point to areas for future development. “The Innovation Center is off to a good start, but it needs to build on its momentum as it attempts to move the country toward a new health care delivery system,” the authors write.

You can also view the archive of a Nov. 30 webinar on the Innovation Center, cosponsored by The Commonwealth Fund and AcademyHealth, which looked at the Innovation Center’s priorities, explored how it can best conduct rigorous, rapid-cycle evaluation, and examined the role of health care providers in identifying and rolling out innovations.

Read More at the Commonwealth Fund

Source: Exerpted From The Commonwealth Fund 12/5/11

Filed under: Alaska, General

Other The New Wave of Innovation: How the Health Care System Is Reforming

The Affordable Care Act will transform the U.S. health care system in many ways. A new Commonwealth Fund–sponsored supplement in Columbia Journalism Review looks at how hospitals, physicians, employers, insurers, and states are preparing for the changes ahead and experimenting with approaches to improving access and quality and controlling rising health care costs.

With an emphasis on primary care, coordination of services, and chronic disease management, payment models that take a broader view of health management than traditional fee-for-service are being explored. The aim is to allocate more resources to upfront care and reduce the need for costly acute and emergency care services down the road.

By shining a light on emerging innovations across the country, this report will inform journalists and others of the ways the health system is reforming itself.

Source: Excerpted From www.commonwealthfund.org 11/3/11

Filed under: Insurance related, Women's Health

NEW AMA STUDY FINDS ANTI-COMPETITIVE CONDITIONS EXIST IN 4 OF 5 U.S. HEALTH INSURANCE MARKETS

Alaska is second among states with the least competitive commercial health insurance market, according to a new analysis by the American Medical Association (AMA). The anti-competitive climate in Alaska means consumers and employers have fewer choices during the current open enrollment period for health insurance than consumers and employers in any other state except Alabama.

These findings were derived from Competition in Health Insurance: A Comprehensive Study of U.S. Markets. The AMA study examined 2009 enrollment in health maintenance organizations and preferred provider organizations from 368 metropolitan areas and 48 states.

Premera and Aetna, the two largest health insurers in Alaska, together control 92 percent of the state’s commercial health insurance market. The new study examined Anchorage and Fairbanks and found that Premera controlled a commercial market share of about 75 percent in each metro area.

Read the rest of this entry »

Filed under: Insurance related

Statewide Prescription Drug Disposal Event

The Alaska Safe Medicine Alliance is joining the US Drug Enforcement Agency to host Alaska’s 3rd Statewide Prescription Drug Safe Disposal Event.  The event is free and open to the public.  Safely dispose of your unused/expired medications.  Anchorage at Mat-Su Fred Meyer Store disposal locations: Abbott Road near Lake Otis, DeBarr and Muldoon, Eagle River, Palmer and Wasilla.  Talkeetna Sunshine Clinic, Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson Base Exchange; and Veterans Administration Medical Center near Tikahtnu Commons, Statewide disposal locations supervised by local Police and Alaska State Troopers.

[Source: Excerpted From www.dea.gov

Filed under: Uncategorized

Denali KidCare Hearing Scheduled

Senate Bill 5 is a bill that seeks to expand Medicaid coverage for children from the current income eligibility of 175% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) to 200% of FPL. Expansion of Denali KidCare is also the number one legislative priority of APCA members. In 2010 125,800 non-elderly Alaskans were uninsured and 24,100 of those (19%) were children. Help to insure these children and lend your voice in support of SB 5! The bill’s sponsor is Senator Bettye Davis, and her office is currently looking for more supporters. There is a chance to show your support for this important bill and help kids get the coverage they need at an upcoming hearing and rally for SB 5 on October 13th. The public hearing for SB 5 – Denali KidCare - begins at 9AM (invited testimony) at the Anchorage Legislative Information Office (LIO). There will be a public rally at noon just outside the Anchorage LIO at 716 W. 4th Avenue. The rally will be followed by public testimony at 1PM in the LIO. If you cannot attend the hearing in person, you can call the teleconference at 1-855-463-5009. According to Senator Davis’ office, “Denali KidCare is part of the Alaska State Medicaid program providing enhanced federal funding for health insurance for children, teens through age 18, and pregnant women who meet income guidelines. SB 5 increases income eligibility in Denali KidCare from 175% to 200% of Federal Poverty Guidelines… Alaska is only one of four states below 200% FPL. Serving over 7,900 children annually, SB 5 will insure that an additional 1300 children and 200 pregnant women…can have the comprehensive health insurance they need for both prevention and treatment.”  If you would like additional information from the bill sponsor, you can call 269-4049.

For more information about APCA’s efforts to support SB 5, contact Mary Sullivan, APCA State Affairs Coordinator at mary@alaskapca.org or 907-727-8773.

Source: Excerpted From an email newsletter received from  Alaska Primary Care Association 10/3/11

Filed under: Alaska, Insurance related, Legislature related

Understanding the Rise in Health Insurance Premiums

Employer-based health insurance premiums increased unexpectedly, according to the widely reported latest Kaiser Family Foundation/Health Research and Educational Trust Employer Health Benefits Survey. Premiums rose 8 percent for single coverage and 9 percent for family coverage from 2010 to 2011, up from 3 percent for 2009–2010.

Some have attributed the increase to the cost of the 2010 insurance reforms included in the Affordable Care Act. But a new analysis finds that only 1.8 percentage points of the 8 to 9 percent rise in premiums are attributable to the insurance reforms.

The authors of the Commonwealth Fund–supported study, Jon R. Gabel of the National Opinion Research Center, and Roland McDevitt and Ryan Lore of the consulting firm Towers Watson, outline their findings in a new post on The Commonwealth Fund Blog.

Source: Excerpted From The Commonwealth Fund 10/3/11

Filed under: Insurance related

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