Contents tagged with health care reform
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House Select Committee on Health Care Reform hears testimony on rising costs, price transparency
By Jonathan Nelson
The House Select Committee on Health Care Reform wrapped up two days of hearings last week in pursuit of their interim charge to provide policy solutions before the January start of the next Texas Legislature. Committee chair Rep. Sam Harless, R-Spring, kicked off more than 15 hours of invited testimony by outlining the committee’s charge.
“We are directed to look at the rising cost of health care and health care plans as well as transparency of health care plans, confusing and unequal pricing and more,” Harless said. “Our goal is to increase access and improve affordability for medical care for all Texans including the uninsured and the underinsured.”
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Texas House Speaker appoints House Select Committee on Health Care Reform
By Jonathan Nelson
Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan announced interim committee charges for the 87th Legislature on March 10 including several items of interest to family physicians and their patients. The speaker also announced the creation of two special interim committees, one on health care reform and the other on criminal justice reform.
“The interim charges are the result of my conversations with House colleagues from across the state, many of whom have concluded there is more work to be done to reform the state's health care and criminal justice systems,” Speaker Phelan said in a press release. “That’s why I have formed two interim committees to devote special attention to these issues, which I consider of utmost importance heading into the next legislative session.”
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Inside the coverage gap maps
Texas and the Affordable Care Act: Key facts
1.5 million people would qualify for Medicaid were Texas to expand coverage to working-age low income adults. With the Medicaid expansion, the … more
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Texas Family Physician - Vol. 66 No. 3, Summer 2015
Go to the TFP archive
View the virtual issue
President’s letter
Perspective
CONTENTS
Inside the coverage gapTexas is the only state left with at least 20 percent of its population … more
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Inside the coverage gap
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Texas’ refusal to expand Medicaid leaves 1.5 million poor working-age adults without access to affordable health coverage
Almost two years after the Affordable Care Act took effect … more
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Court upholds subsidies in ACA
Health care organizations and millions of people across the country can breathe a sigh of relief. The Supreme Court has upheld the subsidies established by the Affordable Care Act that help about 6.4 million Americans purchase health insurance on the federal exchange. Had the court struck down those subsidies, more than one million Texans might have lost their coverage.
President Obama addressed the nation from the White House shortly after the ruling was announced, saying there could be no doubt that the ACA is working and that the law is here to stay.
“Today is a victory for hardworking Americans all across this country whose lives will continue to become more secure in a changing economy because of this law,” the president said.
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Report from TACHC, TAFP says Supreme Court ruling could worsen growing consequences to Texas’ refusal to expand Medicaid coverage
More than 1 million Texans might lose their health insurance if the Supreme Court rules against the Obama administration this month in King v. Burwell. Such a ruling would deny premium subsidies to Texans and residents of 35 other states that refused to establish state exchanges under the Affordable Care Act.
Texas’ decision not to expand Medicaid coverage under the Affordable Care Act already leaves more than a million low-income, uninsured Texans without access to Medicaid or to federal subsidies to help them purchase insurance. A new report, “How will Texas’ Affordable Care Act Implementation Decisions Affect the Population? A Closer Look,” written by health care law and policy experts at George Washington University and commissioned by the Texas Association of Community Health Centers and TAFP examines the effects of that decision and the compounded damage to the state’s economy and health care infrastructure that would accompany a Supreme Court ruling in favor of the plaintiff.
“The combined effects of not expanding Medicaid and the potential impact of King v. Burwell will hit Texas’ health care system hard,” according to the report. “County‐level estimates show that prior to implementation of the ACA, 38 counties experienced hospital annual uncompensated care levels of $50 million or greater, and four counties showed losses greater than $200 million. Texas’ failure to adopt the Medicaid expansion, coupled with the loss of premium subsidies as a result of a decision against the government in King would reverse the progress that has been made in reducing the number of uninsured Texans. Furthermore, hospitals could find that the demand for charity care actually rises, as thousands of previously‐insured people with serious health conditions turn to their hospitals for help.”
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Texas Family Physician - Vol. 66 No. 1, Winter 2015
Go to the TFP archive
View the virtual issue
President’s letter
Perspective
CONTENTS
Texas Family Physician of the Year 2014-15: Russell Thomas, Jr., DO, MPHThis year’s Physician … more
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Which way from here?
Health care reform in the United States
By Kim D. Slocum
President, KDS Consulting, LLCThree years ago, I was interviewed for an article in Texas Family Physician entitled “Payment reform—The next step toward an efficient high-quality health care system.” At that time, I said that the United States would see one of three futures for health care: one based on rapidly escalating consumer cost shifting, one making significant use of price controls, or one focused on measuring and rewarding “value.” So, where do we stand in early 2015 and what can we expect next?
At the moment, the concept of shifting costs to consumers is in high gear. The passage of the Medicare Modernization Act of 2003 created an opportunity for employers to move to high deductible health plans, which it was presumed would turn consumers into “happy economists” who would diligently study cost and quality ratings for various medical services, come to medical encounters fully prepared to argue the merits of each recommendation with their physicians, and only receive care that would optimize their clinical outcome.
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Primary care is the real “Medicare Advantage”
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By Bruce Bagley, MDTransforMED CEO
If you are not familiar with Medicare Advantage plans and how they work, it is time to get up to speed and follow this important trend in health … more