Employer Healthcare Strategies

In the last days of the Obama administration, people around the world continue to scrutinize how well the Affordable Care Act is working.

Most of Obamacare's goals are noble, but are presented with great challenge when catalyzed by real world healthcare systems. The Administration calls upon doctors for feedback to better understand the implications of Obamacare's incentives.

Last year's King vs. Burwell was the biggest Supreme Court decision for American healthcare.

Even though 2016's Supreme Court healthcare debates haven't commanded headlines to the same extent, the six decisions still have had important ramifications.

The Republican-led House has released a comprehensive healthcare plan that would likely replace the Affordable Care Act in the event of a Donald Trump Presidency. Republican coalitions have set forth multiple attacks against Obamacare, some even requiring Executive Veto to stop.

The 37-page plan is the first complete Republican plan to change American healthcare.

The plan relies on an expansion of private health savings accounts, subsidized tax credits for private health insurance costs, a weakening of state-specific market boundaries, and many other ideas.

The New York Times hosts an interesting debate between opposing thinkers on the subject of privatization of veterans' health care.

Currently, vets receive state-sponsored healthcare from V.A. hospitals, which are either (depending on who you ask) excellent or substandard. Progressives have been calling for Medicare coverage for veterans.

In a national climate rife with public violence and private mental distress, support for mental health reform is at an all-time high.

The heavily contested Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act in a bipartisan bill aimed at increasing outpatient mental illness programs and helping families deal with the issues surround mental illness.

The bill has left committee and is finally going to the floor of the House.

Though there are legitimate complaints to be made about ACA health reform, the increase in public access to quality heath care is not one of them. Now, a new report underscores just how many people would lose insurance were the ACA to be repealed.

By 2021, 19.4% of Americans could be expected to live without insurance, an 81% increase from today. If the ACA stays on track, uninsured Americans would decrease to 10.7% by 2021.

During his last months as President, Barack Obama is using regulatory power built into the ACA to enact some important healthcare reform.

The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation has $10 Billion in funding, and is seen by some as the ACA's most powerful agency.

Already having initiated 34 different measures, the CMMI now turns its attention primary care provision, disease prevention, and lowering presecription drug costs.

America has only five major health insurance providers. With major mergers in the works, that number is likely to drop to three. This industry consolidation would have widespread effects, but its impact on Affordable Care Act consumer options is one of the most interesting.

All insurance providers are not available in all state exchanges. In some markets, customers only have one or two options.

Further consolidation would further limit choice, and industry analysts speculate that merger delays may be the result of federal regulations meant to preserve market diversity.

"Value-Based Care" has a great ring to it, but today's healthcare pricing method – charging by the procedure rather than by the outcome – can seem driven by anything but value.

Charging for healthcare procedures a la carte means that plenty of mistakes and unneeded services are mixed into the final bill – to the tune of $395 billion annually.

It's Mental Health month for the United States. You may have heard about the mental health reform bill which enjoys bipartisan support in the Senate, but has yet to be voted upon. 

With 1 in 5 Americans suffering from mental health troubles, and national suicide rates at a 30-year high, it's clear that reform is needed.