Part III – Official goals and challenges of U.S. health care reform – A hope for better care, delivery, and costs

We have journeyed through the aspirations of the up-in-coming reform of the U.S. health care system with cost cutting tactics, preventative procedures, incentivizing medical industry and now, in part three, we will review the last set of guidelines through measure and patients rights. Helping individuals to take control over their own medical needs Hospital-Acquired Conditions (HAC) – beneficiaries will be able to obtain information on the incidence of serious HACs as they occur at various hospitals. Hospitals will experience a decrease in payments if they have a high rate of HACs…

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Colorado on board with new health care reform changes

Colorado is taking steps to create a health insurance exchange as Governor John Hickenlooper signs a bill that would make the effort possible. Colorado is the eighth state to voluntarily adhere to the health care reform law championed by President Obama. The bill will also set up a regulatory group to oversee the exchange. The group will be comprised of nine members, four of which coming from the insurance industry. The Governor is tasked with finding these members, a search he has already been doing nearly a month before he…

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South Carolina health care reform change on the way

South Carolina is taking the first steps to establishing a working health insurance exchange programs. The state is using money it received from the federal government, an initiative to assist in the formation of exchanges, to build a website that will monitor health insurance rate increases. According to state officials, the website will act as a way for consumers to obtain more information on policies. It will also be used to stem the tide of what state officials consider “unreasonable rate hikes.” The state received more than $1 million in…

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Hot debate over mandatory health insurance continues in court

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit began hearing arguments earlier this week in what many legal academics are calling a crucial case. This began the challenge of examining two lawsuits charging that Congress exceeded its authority when it passed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.  A board made up of three judges listened and debated basic points of constitutional law with attorneys for over two hours in the first appellate arguments.  The appeals are based on decisions made by federal courts in Virginia. One federal court ruled that…

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The battle over health care reform dominance continues with a few good swings

The newly enacted Health Reform law is taking hits again. The House Republicans voted to repeal grant funding for a part of the health care law that would create insurance exchanges across the states. These marketplaces would let individuals and (small) businesses shop and compare policies and their prices. The Republicans voted to deny the funding for the insurance marketplace plan, which is a key element of the reform law. The Republicans feel that it gives too much power to the government to set coverage and plan details. The Republicans…

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Health Care Reform Timeline – The clock is ticking!

Many states are currently locked in the legislative throes of establishing a new health insurance exchange, as mandated by the Affordable Care Act. While states are not required to have a fully functioning exchange in place until 2014, the government has issued a mid-term deadline. Kathleen Sebelius, secretary for the Department of Health and Human Services, says that the deadline is slated for some point in 2012. If states cannot show that they have made sufficient progress in establishing exchanges the federal government will take over the plan. Several states…

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