Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Government's Decision To Cut Cost-Sharing Reduction Payments Paid Off For Rural Consumers
Rural enrollees receiving subsidies on Affordable Care Act exchanges gained more from the Trump administration terminating cost-sharing reduction payments and subsequent state actions than their urban counterparts, according to a new study. While urban areas had cheaper plans than rural exchanges for subsidized enrollees from 2014 to 2017, that flipped in 2018 and 2019 when the cost-sharing reduction payment cuts affected premiums, according to a Health Affairs study published Monday. (Cohrs, 12/3)
New bundled-payment arrangements by Maine and Connecticut for their state employee health plans could accelerate the current sluggish growth of that value-based model in the private sector. Carrum Health announced Tuesday that Maine has started to offer state employees, early retirees and dependents access to the company's center-of-excellence program, which pairs patients with selected providers for more than 100 musculoskeletal, bariatric and cardiovascular procedures. (Meyer, 12/3)
One of California鈥檚 largest health insurance plans has distinguished itself, and not in a good way. The state Department of Managed Health Care hit Anthem Blue Cross with $9.6 million in fines from January 2014 through early November 2019, according to a California Healthline analysis of agency data. That is about 44% of the $21.7 million in penalties the department issued against full-service health plans during that period. (Rowan, 12/3)
Two health care entities ordered to stop doing business in the state will get to appeal that decision during a public hearing in December. In October, the N.H. Insurance Department issued a cease and desist order against Aliera Healthcare and Trinity HealthShare, two Georgia-based entities that partner to offer and market a health care sharing ministry. (Bookman, 12/2)
UnitedHealth Group plans this month to open its 500th pharmacy that鈥檚 focused on the behavioral health care needs of certain clinic patients. The pharmacy is part of a business that UnitedHealth Group acquired last year and exemplifies how the Minnetonka-based health care giant has diversified beyond UnitedHealthcare, the core health insurance business that remains the largest carrier in the county. (Snowbeck, 12/3)
