Health Affairs

Immunizing the world’s children against infectious diseases has dramatically cut childhood death and suffering in recent decades.  In 2010, philanthropists Bill and Melinda Gates called for a new “Decade of Vaccines” to vault the progress dramatically forward. The June 2011 issue of Health Affairs, sponsored by the Gates Foundation, examines the strategies that will be... Read the rest of this entry »

Editor’s Note: This is the second installment of a series of blog posts by Ron Klar offering suggestions on how to make the Medicare Shared Savings Program a more viable vehicle for the creation of accountable care organizations. You can read the first installment here. In this posting I will address the three financial issues... Read the rest of this entry »

If you’re traveling over the long weekend, you’ll want to take along some reading material. While some might reach for a good novel by John Grisham or Dan Brown, the health policy blogs in this edition of the Health Wonk Review tackle equally compelling mysteries. Was the Medicare Trustees report really that gloomy? If Workers... Read the rest of this entry »

Editor’s Note: The post below discusses the recent announcement regarding accountable care organizations by the Center For Medicare and Medicaid Innovation. This is also the topic of another post, by Douglas Hastings, published today on Health Affairs Blog. For large entities that already successfully participate in managed care, the recently announced Center for Medicare and... Read the rest of this entry »

Editor’s Note: The post below discusses the recent announcement regarding accountable care organizations by the Center For Medicare and Medicaid Innovation. This is also the topic of another post, by Steve Lieberman, published today on Health Affairs Blog. In a speech on February 1, among other comments, Dr. Don Berwick, the Administrator for the Centers... Read the rest of this entry »

Editor’s Note: In addition to Brian Klepper and Paul Fischer (photos and bios above), this article is authored by Kathleen Anne Behan, a skilled trial and corporate lawyer who provides advice to a range of individual and corporate clients. She has 20 years of experience practicing law, including as a partner with Arnold & Porter LLP, and... Read the rest of this entry »

Editor’s note: The federal government’s Beacon Program provides funding to 17 communities that have already made inroads in the development of secure, private, and accurate systems of electronic health record (EHR) adoption and health information exchange. This is the fourth in a series of Health Affairs Blog posts in which leaders of several Beacon communities... Read the rest of this entry »

In the May Health Affairs issue, Sarah Vogel and Judy Roberts map out the disastrous history of the 1976 Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), the major legislation that regulates chemicals.  TSCA makes it difficult for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to restrict use of any of the 62,000 chemicals already in commerce.  It does not... Read the rest of this entry »

Suppose you need to drive from Boston to San Francisco, about 3200 miles, over the next 7 days.  At an average speed limit of 55 mph you could accomplish this by driving about 10 hours a day, including stops for rest and food breaks; a grueling but not impossible journey. Now suppose that gas stations... Read the rest of this entry »

Editor’s note: The federal government’s Beacon Program provides funding to 17 communities that have already made inroads in the development of secure, private, and accurate systems of electronic health record (EHR) adoption and health information exchange. This is the third in a series of Health Affairs Blog posts in which leaders of several Beacon communities... Read the rest of this entry »

Editor’s Note: This is the latest in a series of posts by Timothy Jost on the implementation of the Affordable Care Act.  Earlier posts have analyzed some important guidances, as well as provisions governing state waiver requests, student health plans, premium review, medical loss ratios, insurance exchanges, coverage for pre-existing conditions, appeals of coverage denials, coverage for... Read the rest of this entry »

Catherine Hess of the National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP) reports on how foundations are supporting efforts to foster dialogue between states and stakeholders during implementation of health reform. Facts, not ideology, should ground discussions was among the lessons learned at a meeting of state officials and advocates in southern states. Even in political... Read the rest of this entry »

The Affordable Care Act of 2010 is expected to extend health coverage to some thirty-two million previously uninsured Americans.  Two of the many challenges faced by both the private sector and the government are getting a handle on rapidly rising medical costs and providing care to the many new enrollees with chronic illnesses who are... Read the rest of this entry »

Editor’s Note: The federal government’s Beacon Program provides funding to 17 communities that have already made inroads in the development of secure, private, and accurate systems of electronic health record (EHR) adoption and health information exchange. This is the second in a series of Health Affairs Blog posts in which leaders of several Beacon communities... Read the rest of this entry »

The latest Health Policy Brief from Health Affairs and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation examines the Community Living Assistance Services and Supports (CLASS) Plan, a voluntary, publicly administered insurance program enacted as part of the Affordable Care Act in 2010. It is designed to help people should they become disabled and need long-term services and... Read the rest of this entry »

Editor’s Note: This is the first installment of a series of blog posts by Ron Klar offering suggestions on how to make the Medicare Shared Savings Program a more viable vehicle for the creation of accountable care organizations. This installment focuses on (1) the sharing model(s) for ACOs, and (2) the beneficiary issues of assignment,... Read the rest of this entry »

Editor’s note: The federal government’s Beacon Program provides funding to 17 communities that have already made inroads in the development of secure, private, and accurate systems of electronic health record (EHR) adoption and health information exchange. This is the first in a series of Health Affairs Blog posts in which leaders of several Beacon communities... Read the rest of this entry »

Health Affairs plans a thematic cluster for its November 2011 issue on the topic of community development and health. Manuscript submissions are due no later than July 5, 2011. Papers will be selected for the issue based on competitive review. The publication of this cluster is supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, which in... Read the rest of this entry »

The U.S. health care landscape is changing in a way that’s reminiscent of shifts that occurred during the Clinton Administration. As a former hospital CEO who experienced first-hand that earlier land rush, I’m struck by the similar dynamics that are at work again in health care. To be sure, there are great differences between the... Read the rest of this entry »

Are some primary care providers more equal than others in CMS’ proposed rule for accountable care organizations (ACOs)? As the June 6 deadline for comment approaches, we need to take a closer look at just how the proposed rule might shape the future of primary care. Here’s one big red flag: even though ACO participants... Read the rest of this entry »