Several prominent health industry segments have issued a follow-up statement identifying more specifically where they believe health care cost savings can be achieved.
A not-for-profit group that has been a vigorous proponent of health care reform has released a report, Hidden Health Tax, on the costs of the uninsured and who ultimately bears that cost.
Massachusetts has become such a bellweather for health reform that every report analyzing the program’s outcomes is eagerly anticipated. Health Affairs, vol. 28, page w578 (May 2009), looks at some of the results as of the fall of 2008.
Several of the country’s largest health plans have recently issued reports or statements relating to health care reform. While the source needs to be considered in reading any discussion of health reform, these plans do have a significant body of experience regarding coverage, cost and quality issues and they retain formidable lobbying weight.
A recent story in the Boston Globe raises intriguing questions about the effect of health coverage expansions on physician visits and other services and consequently, costs.
In informal responses to inquiries about the use of health risk assessments and wellness incentives, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has indicated that it will use the Americans with Disabilities Act and its general powers to limit the ability of employers to enact programs designed to improve the health of employee populations and control health care costs.