Explore Events

Almost three in ten Medicare beneficiaries are enrolled in the Medicare Advantage (MA) program, which offers a choice of competing private health plans – typically managed care plans such as HMOs and PPOs. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) made significant changes to the way Medicare Advantage plans are paid, including tying a portion of payments […]

Please join the Atlanta chapter of the Association of Health Care Journalists and the nonpartisan Alliance for Health Reform for a special event Tuesday, December 2, in the evening. The Affordable Care Act’s second open enrollment period runs through mid February, and millions of people are already looking for help to find the best insurance […]

With the launch of the Affordable Care Act’s second open enrollment period this week, millions of people are again expected to flood marketplace websites to enroll or reenroll in health plans. At the same time, insurance commissioners are announcing draft regulations to help their states respond to an issue that was the subject of major […]

The World Health Organization (WHO) recently declared a public health emergency due to the Ebola virus outbreak in West Africa, which has accounted for over 13,000 reported cases and 4,800 deaths. Some imported and locally acquired cases in health care workers have also been reported in the United States. As a result, concerns about the […]

One day after this briefing, on November 15, the second open enrollment period begins for health plans sold in federal and state marketplaces. More than 7 million people who bought insurance for 2014 can shop around for new plans or stay where they are. Those who received federal subsidies will face a redetermination process to […]

The United States spends more than $125 billion annually on cancer care. By 2022, there will be 18 million people with cancer and by 2030 cancer incidence is expected to rise by 2.3 million new cases per year. The high cost of cancer drugs and the “buy and bill” model of paying for them under […]

Every day, health care professionals make complex decisions that directly affect the cost and quality of care. Increasingly, both private and public payers are implementing payment reforms to motivate quality improvement, reward providers for delivering high quality care, and, in some cases, impose penalties for sub-par performance, while bipartisan policy proposals to reform Medicare physician […]

**CHANGE IN BRIEFING TIME, 10-11:30 AM, REFRESHMENTS AVAILABLE AT 9:45**According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), drug overdose is the leading cause of injury death in the United States. In 2010, opioid pain relievers accounted for approximately 17,000 of overdose deaths— more than twice the number of deaths from cocaine and heroin […]

Some new health plans sold in the insurance marketplaces are offering consumers networks that exclude certain doctors, hospitals and other medical providers. While some claim that these networks hamper provider access and choice, others contend that this approach, if done the right way, helps consumers by creating competition and controlling costs. The federal and state […]

Approximately 10.6 million people were aided by more than 4,400 in-person assistance programs in searching and applying for coverage in the first six-month enrollment period. Brokers also played a role in helping consumers sign up for coverage. Some believe that in-person, enrollment assistance programs are key to future enrollment success, while others voice concerns about […]