This Month in the News
Glen P. Mays, Ph.D., M.P.H, Vice Chair and Associate Professor of Health Policy and Management at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, will be presenting at the 4th Annual Disease Management Future Challenges forum, July 31 – August 2, 2006, at the World Trade Center and Seaport Hotel in Boston. For more information please visit the Strategic Research Institute website.
Jack Hoadley, Ph.D., a research professor at the George Washington University Health Policy Institute, was quoted in a May 11, 2006 article in the Greater Dansbury News-Times that examined preparations being made for the Medicare Part D sign-up deadline. The article points out several critiques of the program, citing the enrollment deadline and the “doughnut hole” or gap in coverage that exists in most plans. Hoadley states that, “a lot of people who have signed up will save money.”
Meredith Rosenthal, Ph.D., a professor at the Harvard School of Public Health, was quoted in a May 10, 2006 article in the Boston Globe that examined increased use of performance incentives by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts. The article states that the insurer is “pressuring doctors and hospitals to provide better, lower-cost healthcare by doubling to $189 million the amount it will spend on performance incentives this year.” Rosenthal states that “once you start talking about 10 percent or more [being spent on incentives], its moving out of the realm of pilot programs.”
Bruce Stuart, Ph.D., a professor at the University of Maryland Baltimore, was quoted in a May 8, 2006 article in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel that explored potential changes in Medicare Part D. The article stated that “the program – and the 100-plus plans offered in South Florida by private companies contracting with Medicare – likely will change again as early as 2007 and will continue to evolve over the next few years.” According to the article, Stuart “thinks more dramatic changes will come in 2008, as plan rates initially may be unrealistically low in order to lure more customers.”
Jon Gabel, Vice President of the Center for Studying Health System Change, was quoted in a May 9, 2006 article on Medindia.com that examined variation among health insurance plans. The article states that “health insurance plans show wide variations among different states with urban states getting more for their premium dollar.” Gabel adds that, “higher administrative costs from marketing, medical underwriting (the process by which insurers assess medical risk), and greater risks are some of the factors that contribute to the difference in premiums.”
