Projecting Medicare Advantage Enrollment: Expect the Unexpected?
This Policy Insight explores possible explanations for the continued rise in Medicare Advantage enrollment between 2010 and 2013 in spite of a projected decrease following payment changes in the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
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Beyond Rebates: How Much Are Consumers Saving from the ACA’s Medical Loss Ratio Provision?
The Medical Loss Ratio (MLR) provision of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) saved consumers an estimated $2.1 billion last year, in the form of lower premiums and rebates, according to a new analysis by the Kaiser Family Foundation. Under health reform, insurers must issue consumer rebates if they fail to spend a certain portion of premium income on health care claims and quality improvement expenses, thereby limiting what they may spend on administrative expenses or keep as profits.
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Covering The ACA May Be Almost As Hard As Implementing It
This Pulling It Together was adapted from a column I published earlier this week in Politico, with a new introduction added. You can read the original Politico column here. The implementation of the ACA is news and the public will demand information about it. Journalists and news organizations have an obligation…
Pulling it Together Read PostJAMA Forum: ACA Implementation Starts to Get Real
Larry Levitt’s latest post on ACA implementation is now available on the JAMA Forum.
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Poor People Have the Same Needs as Others
Drew Altman, President and CEO of the Foundation, was asked to contribute to the New York Times’ Room for Debate discussion on More Medicaid, More Health? In his piece, Dr. Altman concludes “Insurance — public or private — provides financial protection and access to medical care which low-income people need just as everybody else does. But it cannot by itself change behavior, alleviate poverty, or guarantee that the medical system is doing all it can to improve health.”
Op-Ed Read PostCan We Learn From ACA Implementation and Improve the Law?
Senator Baucus made headlines recently when he predicted a “train wreck” for Obamacare. David Brooks predicted “chaos” in a recent column. In a news conference, the President offered a different perspective. “There’ll still be, you know, glitches and bumps…. That’s pretty much true of every government program that’s ever been…
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