Alaska Health Policy Review

In the newest “States of Innovation” blog series put together by Community Catalyst and CCF, new strides to help make Medicaid sustainable and accessible are highlighted from Camden, New Jersey:

Camden, New Jersey is one of the nation’s poorest cities and has one of the highest crime rates in the nation. Homelessness, drug trafficking, high unemployment, and sky rocketing health care costs are a fact of life in this city of just 79,000. Between 2002 and 2008, 978 patients made 3,882 visits to emergency departments in the city – a majority of the visits were for preventable conditions that could be treated by a primary care doctor.

In this dire situation a family practice physician, Dr. Jeffrey Brenner, pioneered a successful approach to reducing hospital readmissions and health care costs of the sickest and most vulnerable populations. A recent episode of PBS’s Frontline highlighted Dr. Brenner and his innovative work and praised his initiative as a new model of care. The work of the Camden Coalition of Healthcare Providers, the practice that Dr. Brenner set up, laid the groundwork for the “Garden State” to adopt this model, the Medicaid Accountable Care Organization (ACO) Demonstration Project, which was signed into law by Governor Christie last week.

[Read the rest of the article under the cut or in the original here.]

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Filed under: Insurance related, Of interest

A report released by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) shows that few families without health insurance have the financial assets to pay potential hospital bills.  On average, uninsured families can only afford to pay in full for approximately 12-percent of hospital stays they may experience – and even higher income uninsured families are unable to pay for most potential hospital stays.  Hospital stays for which the uninsured cannot pay in full account for 95-percent of the total amount hospitals bill the uninsured.  Other studies have estimated that the bills for all types of health care that the uninsured cannot pay – the uncompensated cost of care – is up to $73 billion a year, a significant portion of which is shifted into higher costs for Americans with insurance and their employers.

[Continue reading the full report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.]

Filed under: Insurance related, Of interest

Health care costs continue to rise, with no end in sight. But many people aren’t aware of what accounts for those costs and where the money goes. However, such awareness is key to finding ways to bring costs down.

Where does the money go?

Here are the major categories of health care costs in the U.S. as reported in 2007:

• Hospitals: 32%
• Health insurance administration and profits: 13%
• Medications: 10%
• Physician income: 9%
• Physician expenses: 7%
• Clinical laboratory services: 5%

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Filed under: Insurance related, Of interest

Even as Congress debates health care reform proposals, millions of Americans—with and without health insurance—struggle to pay medical bills, and their numbers continue to grow.

Today, Families USA released three new pieces to help consumers navigate the maze of medical debt. These new consumer guides offer strategies, tips, and warnings to consumers as they struggle to manage medical debt and to avoid bankruptcy.

Your Medical Bills: A Consumer’s Guide to Coping with Medical Debt, details the legal rights and primary actions consumers should take to deal with rising medical expenses. The consumer-friendly guide offers step-by-step instructions on dealing with medical bills, beginning with the vital first step of reviewing each bill and learning how to appeal charges that may be inappropriate or should be covered by insurance. Read the rest of this entry »

Filed under: Insurance related, Of interest