It is not an exaggeration to say that choosing the right hospital is a “matter of life and death”. Learn about hospital safety and YOUR hospital’s safety score.

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It is regrettable that there is so much waste in the healthcare system. It doesn’t have to be that way. But you must choose your partners wisely and avoid those that may be feeding at the trough (the “exploiters”).

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We need health reform in the United States, and the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is the law of the land. But is it designed for success? We think it needs some further refinement, and make suggestions how.

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Primary care services in the US are undervalued, at the expense of specialty medicine and hospital care. There new a better models to pay for primary care services which are expected to improve overall patient care and lower specialty and hospital costs.

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I have been meeting with various groups to review and discuss the impact of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). In this presentation, I review the key elements and timelines associated with health reform. Specifically, I discuss the individual mandate, the employer mandate, and the various new regulations, subsidies, penalties and taxes associated with the ACA.

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There is a basic lack of understanding and confusion how a ‘Premium Support’ program under Medicare would work. This posting helps to clear up the matter.

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There is so much ‘noise’ in the debate over how to fix Medicare. This article defines the problem, and attempts to clarify the differences between the Republican approach and the Democratic approaches to solve the problem.

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Have you received a health insurance rebate check? Good news, right? No, because we have entered a vicious cycle of the 3 Rs of health reform: regulation, rebates, and rationing. It’s Christmas in July, and not a pretty picture.

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The Supreme Court has spoken, issuing its ruling yesterday (6/28/12) on the constitutionality of Affordable Care Act (a.k.a. Obamacare), in a case called NFIB vs. Sebelius. The verdict is in—Obamacare is constitutional. What happens next? Proceed with caution.

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Consumerism is changing the face of American health care. Sounds good, but so what? What can consumerism do to help me? If you are an employer, it may be the difference between your company’s profit and loss. By definition, consumerism measures the effectiveness of Consumer Driven Health Plans (CDHPs), comprised of Health Savings Accounts (HSA) and Health Reimbursement Accounts (HRA). Is one better than the other?

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Given the possibility, or perhaps the likelihood, that Obamacare will be declared unconstitutional in total or in part, what happens next? Returning to the status quo prior to Obamacare is unacceptable, so I want to suggest an approach and request your reactions. Health exchanges, when operated well to promote competition, are a good thing. Instead of starting from scratch, why not consider using an existing exchange, the FEHBP?

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It’s 2012 and a Presidential election year, and health care in the United States remains a mess. Do I like Obamacare? No. Should it be repealed? Yes. But, let’s be clear and let’s be honest. Even if Obamacare never existed, EVERY STATE IN THESE UNITED STATES NEEDS A WELL-DESIGNED HEALTH EXCHANGE. And, if Obamacare is declared unconstitutional this summer, or it is repealed in total or in part in the future, the same is true — your state should have a Health Exchange. Why?

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Most people do not understand the role of the Individual Mandate in the reform of our healthcare system–the pros, cons, and legality of the mandate. We hope to put this issue to rest (though it may have to wait until the Supreme Court makes a final ruling).

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This posting is about the role of the Individual Mandate within a health exchange. What exactly does it accomplish and is it essential to the proper functioning of a health exchange? If it is not essential, then is it desirable from an economic and/or public policy perspective? Your comments and suggestions are welcome.

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Change is coming to our healthcare system, and if you haven’t yet heard of health insurance exchanges, you soon will. As a consumer of healthcare services (and sometime patient), it is a concept that you should learn more about.

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