Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Ohio Hospital A Microcosm Of Health Law Implementation Successes And Struggles
At Cleveland Clinic, the onset of the Affordable Care Act prompted a massive cost-cutting effort that has trimmed $600 million in expenses over the last three years. University Hospitals has responded to the law by re-engineering the way it does everything from hip replacement surgeries to appointment booking. And MetroHealth Systems is shifting its entire model of care, delivering more preventive care to outpatients to keep them, whenever possible, from becoming hospital inpatients. (Ross, 7/13)
Opt-out payments offered by employers may be used to determine affordability under the Affordable Care Act, depending on whether they are conditional or unconditional, according to IRS proposed rules. Under the proposed rules, opt-out payments, cash payments given to employees who opt-out of their employer-sponsored health insurance, will be treated as a salary reduction for the purposes of determining health insurance affordability if they are considered unconditional. (Elgatian, 7/13)
Consumers who purchase their insurance through the public exchanges will likely see prices rise again next year, according to a new analysis of proposed premiums for next year. The Avalere Health analysis of 14 states where data is available finds that premium increases for average silver plans would go up by 11 percent. Lower-cost silver plans would increase a bit less, by 8 percent. The average price of silver premiums for a 50-year-old male non-smoker would increase 11 percent to $508, according to the report. (Braverman, 7/13)
