More than three years out from the end of the Great Recession, the economy's weak and fitful recovery has continued to deliver disappointing job growth. Hospitals have reported fewer patients and more uninsured since the recession, which stripped some households of health insurance as the economy shed jobs.
But here's some news that may be welcomed by hospitals. Newly released Census Bureau figures show that an erosion in employer-sponsored insurance, which accelerated during the downturn, halted in 2011.
Unsurprisingly, the percentage of people with health insurance through an employer dropped sharply in 2009 (56.1% from 58.9% the prior year) and continued to slide in 2010 to 55.3%. But last year's 55.1% was not a significant difference from the year before, the Census Bureau said. You can read more on the Census Bureau figures in this week's Modern Healthcare.
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The first two years of a Sacramento accountable care experiment cut spending by $50 million, including $13 million that was divided by the participating doctors, hospitals and insurer.
But in year three, those savings have grown more elusive. That's according to Kristen Miranda, vice president of provider network management at Blue Shield of California, which launched the project with Dignity Health, formerly Catholic Healthcare West, and Hill Physicians Medical Group. “It does get harder,” said Miranda.
The partners were scheduled to meet last week to review new strategies for further savings, such as development of patient-centered medical homes, she said.
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Here's how the Congressional Budget Office neatly explained its revised projection for insurance coverage and costs, now that the Supreme Court made optional one major provision to decrease the number of uninsured under the health reform law: More uninsured, more coverage through exchanges, less Medicaid growth.
States may ignore a provision in the health reform law to expand eligibility for Medicaid without the risk of a penalty after the Supreme Court's recent decision on the health reform law.
The CBO said compared with pre-Supreme Court decision projections, Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program will cover 6 million fewer people and spend $289 billion less through 2020 if some states, as predicted, do not expand the safety net under the health reform law.
The law's other major source of insurance expansion—subsidized health plans sold through state exchanges—are projected add 3 million additional people compared with prior estimates, should some states opt out of expanding Medicaid. The growth will increase spending by $210 billion through 2020.
And 3 million more will be uninsured.
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Health insurance did less and less to protect the finances of women as the last decade progressed, the Commonwealth Fund reports.
By 2010, nearly one out of five (18%) of insured women paid enough for medical care out of pocket that they could qualify as underinsured, says a newly released report by the Washington health policy outfit.
That's up from 16% in 2007 and 12% in 2003. The label of underinsured is awarded to households that spend at least 10% of their income on healthcare (5% for low-income families) or have deductibles that amount to at least 5% of income.
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As has been reported here previously, the cost of healthcare regularly creates financial stress for U.S. households. The Great Recession made matters more difficult. Even with insurance coverage, falling ill frequently means trouble with medical bills and debt.
For hospitals, that translates to write-offs for patients who cannot pay. Healthcare executives, analysts and actuaries have also said a noticeable slowdown in healthcare spending that accompanied the weak economy suggests that households may be delaying medical care.
Delays appear to be widespread among older adults who lack insurance. That's according to a new analysis of access to care and financial distress among adults age 55 and older. The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation analyzed survey data from the Center for Studying Health System Change for adults ages 55 to 64 and seniors covered by Medicare.
The analysis, published in a recent report, compared survey responses for uninsured and privately insured older adults too young for Medicare. Adults were asked if they had unmet medical needs, delayed seeking care, had difficulty paying for prescriptions or if their household struggled with medical bills.
Unsurprisingly, uninsured older adults were more likely to report access and financial problems. Nearly all uninsured adults who struggled with access said the reason was cost.
Here's a look at comparisons:
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