A survey from Buck Consultants finds that in 2014 employer health plans are expecting about an 8.5% to 8.7% increase in medical costs, which likely would lead to at least similar-sized premium increases for the next year.
ww.buckconsultants.com/portals/0/publications/press-releases/2014/NR-National-HC-Trend-Survey-2014-0515.pdfA brief from the Urban Institute argues that the employer mandate in the reform law could be eliminated without causing much impact on employment related coverage. Might be the initial attempt at cover for the Administration to remove the mandate.
http://www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/413117-Why-Not-Just-Eliminate-the-Employer-Mandate.pdfAn article in Health Affairs finds that when hospitals buy physician practices, prices go higher.
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Post-acute giant Kindred Healthcare has made an unsolicited over to buy Gentiva, which provides home care and hospice services, for $1.6 billion.
http://www.modernhealthcare.com/article/20140515/NEWS/305159954?AllowView=VDl3UXk1TzhDL0dCbkJiYkY0M3hlMGFvaWtVZEQrST0=&utm_source=link-20140515-NEWS-305159954&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=mpdaily&utm_name=topNavigant Consulting is paying up to $100 million for Cymetrix, which helps providers collect from patients and payers.
http://www.modernhealthcare.com/article/20140515/INFO/305159926?AllowView=VDl3UXk1TzhDL0dCbXgzS0M0M3hlMGFvaWtVZENPQT0=&utm_source=link-20140515-INFO-305159926&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=hits&utm_name=topWorkers' Compensation increasingly pays as much for health care services as it does for loss of income. One technique to control those costs is fee schedules, but a new report…
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