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Blog
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| News for Engaging Colorado Employers in Health Care Reform |
Sept. 11, 2008
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Meeting of interest
Western Colo. HR Assoc
Fall Conference
Wednesday, Sept. 17 2008
All-day event begins at 8 a.m
Two River Conference Center
Grand Junction
Afternoon workshops feature Ralph Pollock from the Business Health Forum and Kelly Esselman
from Mountain States Employers Council. The first afternoon workshop
allows us an opportunity to let out voice be heard as we participate in
a discussion titled "Colorado Health Care Reform - What is the Employer's Response?"
Kelly
and Ralph really want to know! They will be reviewing legislative
proposals and recent initiatives and will take feedback to the
Capitol. The second workshop is titled "Assessing Assessment: An
Examination of Pre- Employment Testing." Come prepared to interact!
Attendance at the day's events can earn up to 5 recertification credits!!
Register for the event online.
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The Business Health Forum is funded by several foundations, including The Colorado Health Foundation and The Colorado Trust.
Stay tuned for info. about upcoming business health care forums in your community.
To learn more about the Forum, contact Amy Fletcher at afletcher@bizhealthforum.org or call 303-866-9659.
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Dear Amy,
As
health insurance premiums continue to soar and Colorado examines
wide-scale health care reform, there has never been a more important
time for the business community to engage in the debate. The Forum is a
new project to help you connect the dots and weigh in on solutions.
|
Ranks of Colorado uninsured continue to grow
Contrary to national trends, the number of Colorado's uninsured grew
slightly last year, according recent data from the U.S. Census Bureau.
According to the Denver Business Journal,
the Census Bureau's August report shows that 16.8 percent of Colorado's
4.7 million people lacked health insurance in 2007 - up one-half
percentage point from the previous year. About 15.4 percent of 296
million people in the country lacked health insurance coverage in 2007
- down 0.5 percent (or roughly 1 million people) from 2006.
"In addition to jeopardizing the health of our neighbors, there are
grave economic consequences for Colorado when one almost one in five
people is uninsured," said Denise de Percin, on behalf of Colorado
Voices for Coverage. "Reducing the number of uninsured in Colorado will
take strong leadership, bipartisan cooperation and swift action from
all sectors of our state."
Colorado Voices for Coverage (CVC) is a collaboration among the
Colorado Consumer Health Initiative, the Business Health Forum, the
Colorado Progressive Coalition and the Colorado Council of Churches,
made possible through a joint project of the Robert Wood Johnson
Foundation and Community Catalyst.
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Top health care news
Employers encourage workers to travel for health care
In a new twist on medical tourism, U.S. employers are encouraging workers to travel domestically for medical care.
Some employers are looking to take advantage of geographical variations
in the quality and cost of health care within the U.S., while others
are leveraging deals they've struck with foreign hospitals in order to
secure better rates with U.S. hospitals that are eager to keep American
patients here. Most of the activity is focused on surgical procedures,
such as hip and knee replacement, and cardiac bypasses.
Employers
are offering financial incentives, such as no out-of-pocket costs --
which can save workers thousands of dollars -- money for travel
expenses, and access to concierge services that schedule appointments
and organize travel arrangements, as enticements. Wall Street Journal
Fewer U.S medical students choosing primary care
Only
2 percent of graduating medical students say they plan to work in
primary care internal medicine, raising worries about a looming
shortage of the first-stop doctors who used to be the backbone of the
American medical system.
The results of a new survey published
Wednesday suggest more medical students, many of them saddled with
debt, are opting for more lucrative specialties.
Just 2 percent of
nearly 1,200 fourth-year students surveyed planned to work in primary
care internal medicine, according to results published in the Journal
of the American Medical Association. In a similar survey in 1990, the
figure was 9 percent. Associated Press
'State of the state' meetings on health care financing
Health care reform is one of the battle cries of this year's
presidential, federal and state elections. The recent federal debate
over the Medicare payments pitted physicians against health plans. In
Colorado, the state Legislature responded to the Blue Ribbon Commission
for Health Care Reform report with more than health care-related bills.
What's next?
At the 2008 Colorado State of the State session, Jim Hertel of Colorado
Managed Care will lay it out for you, and you'll get feedback from
industry leaders. These sessions are an opportunity for you to join in
the discussion and network with industry representatives, providers,
government officials and friends.
For more information, go to www.hmo-info.com.
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| News for Engaging Colorado Employers in Health Care Reform |
Sept. 4, 2008
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Meeting of interest
Western Colo. HR Assoc
Fall Conference
Wednesday, Sept. 17 2008
All-day event begins at 8 a.m
Two River Conference Center
Grand Junction
Afternoon workshops feature Ralph Pollock from the Business Health Forum and Kelly Esselman
from Mountain States Employers Council. The first afternoon workshop
allows us an opportunity to let out voice be heard as we participate in
a discussion titled "Colorado Health Care Reform - What is the Employer's Response?"
Kelly
and Ralph really want to know! They will be reviewing legislative
proposals and recent initiatives and will take feedback to the
Capitol. The second workshop is titled "Assessing Assessment: An
Examination of Pre- Employment Testing." Come prepared to interact!
Attendance at the day's events can earn up to 5 recertification credits!!
Register for the event online.
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The Business Health Forum is funded by several foundations, including The Colorado Health Foundation and The Colorado Trust.
Stay tuned for info. about upcoming business health care forums in your community.
To learn more about the Forum, contact Amy Fletcher at afletcher@bizhealthforum.org or call 303-866-9659.
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Dear Amy,
As
health insurance premiums continue to soar and Colorado examines
wide-scale health care reform, there has never been a more important
time for the business community to engage in the debate. The Forum is a
new project to help you connect the dots and weigh in on solutions.
|
Study: Workers to pay more for health care
Get ready for another hike in copays and deductibles.
The Associated Press reports that a survey being released Thursday by
the Mercer consulting firm found 59 percent of companies intend to keep
down rising health care costs in 2009 by raising workers' deductibles,
copays or out-of-pocket spending limits.
On average, health care
costs will go up by an estimated 5.7 percent next year for both workers
and their employers, the study found. That repeats this year's 5.7
percent hike and a 6.1 percent jump in 2007.
Mercer's complete
survey results won't be released until later in the year, but for the
1,317 employer health plan sponsors that have responded so far, the
total cost to renew their current health plans - if they were to make
no changes - would grow by nearly 8 percent on average. Small employers
(those with 10-499 employees) would see an even higher increase, of
about 10 percent. However, the majority of respondents say they will
take action to lower their actual cost increases.
The growth of
health care costs has hovered at around 6 percent since 2005, according
to Mercer. While that's down from the double-digit growth in previous
years, it's still moving at a faster clip than inflation or workers
wages.
The results were preliminary findings, which have historically been in line with final results. Associated Press
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Top health care news
Pueblo business school to join health care network
Colorado State University-Pueblo's Hasan School of Business will join
with three other Southern Colorado organizations in developing a
network to promote improved and expanded access to health care.
Hasan School of Business will join with the Center for Leadership and
Community Development, Action 22 Foundation, Center for Immigrant and
Community Integration of Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Pueblo
and the San Luis Valley Immigrant Resource Center to advocate for
residents of 22 counties in the region to gain access to health care.
The Colorado Trust recently awarded the partnership a $200,000 grant to get the network started.
The partnership will focus on helping community members identify their
health needs and collecting and analyzing data that will aid with the
community-based planning and program development. Pueblo Chieftain
Health care pacts strain pacts between employers and labor
The skyrocketing cost of health care is increasing conflict between
employers and unions, and as costs continue to rise, the tensions
likely will too.
Over the next year, health-care costs are
expected to rise more than 10 percent, according to a survey of
insurers by Aon Consulting Worldwide. That's the smallest increase the
consulting firm has seen in the past six years.
As a result of
such soaring costs, employers have been turning to their employees to
defray the expense. In Arizona, according to the Arizona Daily Star,
Qwest Communications International Inc. is turning to members of its
largest union to contribute to their monthly premiums for the first
time, and the defense contractor Raytheon Co. is involved in a federal
lawsuit regarding health costs for early retirees.
Last month,
contract negotiations between Qwest and its largest union, the
Communications Workers of America, stretched past the expiration of
their previous contract.
Denver-based Qwest struck a tentative
agreement Aug. 18 with CWA members getting wage increases of slightly
more than 9 percent compounded over three years, Toevs said. But for
the first time, those members would have to make a small contribution
to their monthly health-care premiums, he said. Arizona Daily Star
Obama accepts presidential nomination, discusses health care
Sen.
Barack Obama (D-Ill.) on Thursday at the Democratic National Convention
in Denver accepted the presidential nomination and discussed his
proposals for health care and other issues, the San Francisco Chronicle
reports.
In comments about his health care proposal, Obama said,
"If you have health care, my plan will lower your premiums," adding,
"If you don't, you'll be able to get the same kind of coverage that
members of Congress give themselves." He added, "Now is the time to
help families with paid sick days and better family leave."
The
Service Employees International Union and Families USA on Wednesday
hosted a forum in Denver as part of "their lobbying efforts to get
health care reform passed in the next administration's first 100 days,"
Roll Call reports. During the forum, former Democratic presidential
candidate Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) cited the need to "move
any legislation in the very beginning of a new president's term,"
adding, "We cannot wait." Kaiser Family Foundation
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| News for Engaging Colorado Employers in Health Care Reform |
August 21, 2008
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Meeting of interest
Western Colo. HR Assoc
Fall Conference
Wednesday, Sept. 17 2008
All-day event begins at 8 a.m
Two River Conference Center
Grand Junction
Afternoon workshops feature Ralph Pollock from the Business Health Forum and Kelly Esselman
from Mountain States Employers Council. The first afternoon workshop
allows us an opportunity to let out voice be heard as we participate in
a discussion titled "Colorado Health Care Reform - What is the Employer's Response?"
Kelly
and Ralph really want to know! They will be reviewing legislative
proposals and recent initiatives and will take feedback to the
Capitol. The second workshop is titled "Assessing Assessment: An
Examination of Pre- Employment Testing." Come prepared to interact!
Attendance at the day's events can earn up to 5 recertification credits!!
Register for the event online.
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|
The
Business Health Forum is funded by several foundations, including The
Colorado Health Foundation and The Colorado Trust. The BHF is a project
of the CACI Educational Foundation.
Stay tuned for info. about upcoming business health care forums in your community.
To learn more about the Forum, contact Amy Fletcher at afletcher@bizhealthforum.org or call 303-866-9659.
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Dear Amy,
As
health insurance premiums continue to soar and Colorado examines
wide-scale health care reform, there has never been a more important
time for the business community to engage in the debate. The Forum is a
new project to help you connect the dots and weigh in on solutions.
|
National execs in Denver to discuss wellness
The Denver 2008 Convention Host Committee has launched a series of 10
issue-oriented, non-partisan discussions, including one on health care
that will be held Monday, Aug. 25.
Tickets are $12 and are still
available for the discussion, which will be 9:30 a.m - 11:45 a.m. at
Denver Center for the Performing Arts Complex. For more information,
click here.
The discussion will focus on wellness and prevention and the impact
chronic illnesses -- including diabetes, heart disease, cancer -- have
on millions of Americans and businesses. The roundtable will discuss:
Is creating a culture of wellness through lifestyle choices and
private/public policies critical to sustaining a growth-oriented
economy? Is there sufficient capacity within the U.S. medical system
to provide sufficient care?
Participants include top executives
from Pitney Bowes, Denver Health, Wellpoint and UnitedHealth Group,
Safeway Inc., the Mayo Clinic, the cities of Sanf Francisco and Boston,
Pfizer, the state of Colorado and more. Rocky Mountain Roundtable
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Top health care news
Report: Colorado ranks lowest for obesity, but rate is increasing
Colorado is the least obese state in America, according to a new report
from the Trust for America's Health and the Robert Wood Johnson
Foundation.
However, the state's adult obesity rate is 18.4 percent, an increase for the second year in a row.
Nationally, adult obesity rates rose in 37 states in the past year. No
state saw a decrease. Though many promising policies have emerged to
promote physical activity and good nutrition in communities, the report
concludes that they are not being adopted or implemented at levels
needed to turn around this health crisis.
More than 20 percent of
adults are obese in every state except Colorado. An estimated
two-thirds of American adults are overweight or obese, and an estimated
23 million children are either overweight or obese (the report does not
include new state-level data for children this year).
Rates of
type 2 diabetes, a disease typically associated with obesity, increased
in 26 states last year, including in Colorado. Trust for America's Health
Harry and Louise are back, this time promoting health reform
Harry and Louise, the iconic couple featured in ads to defeat the
Clinton health plan in 1993-1994, are back on television. This time
they will lend their voice to strongly encourage health care reform.
The new multi-million dollar ad campaign will air on national
television throughout the Democratic and Republican conventions. In
light of ever increasing health care costs and increasing numbers of
people without health insurance coverage, Harry and Louise will urge
the next President and Congress to put health care at the top of the
domestic agenda.
The ad campaign is sponsored by five prominent
national organizations. Those organizations - the American Cancer
Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN), the American Hospital
Association (AHA), the Catholic Health Association (CHA), Families USA,
and the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) - represent
diverse constituencies with historically different views on health care
reform, but they have come together to promote urgent action to resolve
the growing health care crisis. HarryandLouiseReturn.com
Health care no longer primary ailment for voters, candidates
What happened to health care? In the daily rat-a-tat-tat between Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama, the silence is deafening.
In the drawn- out Democratic primary fight between Sen. Hillary and
Obama, the cost and availability of health care were daily fodder in
the debate over which candidate would do a better job as president.
And now, there is ... not much.
The continual tussle between the two presumptive presidential nominees
- Obama and McCain - has largely centered recently on national security
and the high price of gasoline. Public opinion polls have shown that
among the top issues of concern to Americans, health care is
languishing far behind the economy, the war and the price of gas. One
CBS poll from July put voter interest in health care at just 3 percent.
In August, it was at 8 percent.
"For a lot of people who have
health insurance, they are paying more for health care, but it may not
show up as concretely as paying $70 to fill their gas tank," said Anna
Greenberg, a Democratic pollster. Chicago Tribun |
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Business Health Forum
Business Health Forum Newsletter |
| News for Engaging Colorado Employers in Health Care Reform |
August 14, 2008 |
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Meeting of Interest
12th Annual Meeting of the Colorado Coalition for the Medically Underserved
Friday, Sept. 26, 2008
8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Red Lion Hotel
Denver Southeast
3200 S. Parker Road at I-225
"Keeping the Momentum"
The
12th Annual CCMU Conference will examine strategies from Colorado and
across the country to maintain progress in health care reform.
Invited
speakers include Gov. Bill Ritter; Dr. Neal Halfon, Director, UCLA
Center for Healthier Children, Families & Communities; Dr. Mark
Levine, Chief Medical Officer - Region VIII, Centers for Medicaid and
Medicare Services; and others.
The
Colorado Coalition for the Medically Underserved is a coalition of
public, private and non-profit organizations committed to access to
affordable, timely, quality health care for everyone in Colorado.
For more more information and to register, click here.
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The Business Health Forum is funded by several foundations, including The Colorado Health Foundation and The Colorado Trust.
The BHF is a project of the CACI Educational Foundation.
Stay tuned for info. about upcoming business health care forums in your community.
To learn more about the Forum, contact Amy Fletcher at afletcher@bizhealthforum.org or call 303-866-9659.
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Dear Amy,
As health insurance premiums continue to
soar and Colorado examines wide-scale health care reform, there has
never been a more important time for the business community to engage
in the debate. The Forum is a new project to help you connect the dots
and weigh in on solutions.
|
|
Health reforms' impact on employers debated
Advisers
to the two major presidential candidates during an online debate on the
Wall Street Journal Web site discussed how their health care proposals
would affect the employer-sponsored health insurance market.
The Kaiser Family Foundation provided the following summary:
Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.)
proposes having private health plans and a new public plan compete in
the health insurance market.
Presumptive Republican presidential
nominee Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) proposes replacing a tax break for
employees who receive health insurance from employers with a refundable
tax credit for families to purchase private coverage.
David
Cutler, health care policy adviser to Obama, said that the Obama
proposal would "shore up the employment-based system, not tear it down:
lower premiums that firms face through investments in information
technology and prevention; create a setting where individuals and small
firms can buy insurance the way that large firms do; make sure that
insurers cannot exclude firms because one employee is sick."
Jay
Khosla, health care policy adviser to McCain, said that the McCain
proposal "simply aims to bring equity and choice to our health care
system, including allowing American families to keep their current
coverage." He added, "The McCain plan gives American families a $5,000
refundable tax credit ($2,500 for individuals) to give them more
choices to purchase portable coverage that would stay with them from
'job to job' or 'job to home.'" Health Blog, Wall Street Journal |
Top health care news
Montrose workshop to analyze affordability of health care
This week, residents have the opportunity to see how affordable health care is for them.
On Thursday and Friday, Montrose County Health and Human Services is
holding six different "health care affordability workshops." The
workshops' objective is to help households budget for health insurance.
The program is part of Colorado Voice for Coverage's goal to increase access to health care by making it more affordable.
During the sessions, participants will fill out a confidential
household budget survey on what they can afford for health insurance.
Child care is provided at no cost and participants receive a $10 gift
certificate. Montrose Daily Press
Study: Many Hispanics shut out of U.S. health care system
An estimated 25 percent of Hispanics in the United States don't have a
regular health care provider to treat their medical needs. And these
people tend to be the newest documented and undocumented immigrants and
those without health insurance, a new survey found.
The survey,
conducted by the Pew Hispanic Center and the Robert Wood Johnson
Foundation, is important because it paints a picture of health care
among Hispanics, the largest minority group in the United States,
comprising 45 million people and growing.
One key finding of the
survey was how many Hispanics lack a "medical home" -- a regular
provider to supply medical care. Latinos are more than twice as likely
to lack a usual health care provider, Gretchen Livingston, a senior
researcher at the Pew Hispanic Center, said during a teleconference.
And that could pose problems because rates of diabetes are high among
Hispanics. But nearly one-third of the survey respondents said they
know little about the disease or how to prevent or manage it. Washington Post
Denver symposium to explore health and fitness in schools
This day-long symposium, to be held Sept. 9, is the first step in a
movement to develop public schools in Colorado that will integrate
healthy eating, increased physical education and activity, healthy
school environments, and a comprehensive curriculum. The goal is to
create environments where healthy and active children will achieve
their academic potential.
National and Colorado experts will share
their insights and experiences in creating and sustaining innovative
and high-impact school programs. There will be opportunities throughout
the day for interaction and dialogue about strategies for innovation
and overcoming barriers to changing current systems.
This symposium will connect school teams, health and wellness
professionals, legislators and community leaders who want to make sustainable change in Colorado's schools. Metro Denver Health and Wellness Commission
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| News for Engaging Colorado Employers in Health Care Reform |
July 31, 2008
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Meeting of interest
12th Annual Meeting of the Colorado Coalition for the Medically Underserved
Friday, Sept. 26, 2008
8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Red Lion Hotel
Denver Southeast
3200 S. Parker Road at I-225
"Keeping the Momentum"
The
12th Annual CCMU Conference will examine strategies from Colorado and
across the country to maintain progress in health care reform.
Invited
speakers include Governor Bill Ritter; Dr. Neal Halfon, Director, UCLA
Center for Healthier Children, Families & Communities; Dr. Mark
Levine, Chief Medical Officer - Region VIII, Centers for Medicaid and
Medicare Services; and others.
The Colorado Coalition for the
Medically Underserved is a coalition of public, private and non-profit
organizations committed to access to affordable, timely, quality health
care for everyone in Colorado.
Register for the event online starting Aug. 1.
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The
Business Health Forum is funded by several foundations, including The
Colorado Health Foundation and The Colorado Trust. The BHF is a project
of the CACI Educational Foundation.
Stay tuned for info. about upcoming business health care forums in your community.
To learn more about the Forum, contact Amy Fletcher at afletcher@bizhealthforum.org or call 303-866-9659.
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Dear Amy,
As
health insurance premiums continue to soar and Colorado examines
wide-scale health care reform, there has never been a more important
time for the business community to engage in the debate. The Forum is a
new project to help you connect the dots and weigh in on solutions.
|
Colo. leaders call for comprehensive reform
A panel of leading health care experts called Wednesday for
incremental, but comprehensive, health care reform, including improving
information sharing among providers and incentives created by the
current payment system.
Sky Ridge Medical Center CEO Maureen
Tarrant says her "jaw drops every day" when she understands how
irrational and full of fragmented rules the current system is.
"I
get paid best when you are the sickest," Tarrant said, noting that
certain procedures, including spine surgery, end up subsidizing the
cost of providing newborn and obstetrics care, as well as subsidizing
care for patients with substance abuse problems.
"We operate like a Robin Hood system," she said.
The panel, part of a community forum, was hosted by the Colorado
Hospital Association. The hospital association was promoting its
"Health for Life" framework for change, which emphasizes five elements
in health care reform: health coverage for all, paid for by all; a
focus on wellness; efficient, affordable care; high-quality care; and
the best health care information. Click here to learn more about "Health for Life."
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Top health care news
Hospice services returning to Roaring Fork Valley
The Roaring Fork Valley will again have a local hospice care provider by early fall.
Just one month after the Valley View Hospital in Glenwood Springs
closed Roaring Fork Hospice Program (RFHP), the valley's only provider
of hospice care, an independent hospice organization has been formed by
the Aspen Valley Medical Foundation, Aspen Valley Hospital and Valley
View Hospital.
The three parties have agreed to contribute money
toward the formation of an independent hospice program, and an
anonymous donor recently contributed $1 million to ensure the program's
long-term sustainability. Glenwood Springs Post Independent
Editor's
note: Spending for hospice care, which provides an alternative to
hospitalization, has a "marginal effect" on slowing health care costs.
That's according to the Dartmouth Atlas Project, which uses Medicare claims to measure the use of health care services.
U.S. House votes to let FDA regulate tobacco industry
The House approved legislation yesterday that would for the first time
empower the Food and Drug Administration to regulate the tobacco
industry, a measure long sought by anti-smoking advocates.
After
about 40 minutes of sometimes passionate debate, the House voted 326 to
102 to approve the measure, which would give the agency broad authority
over cigarette makers, including the power to ban marketing of
cigarettes to children, require disclosure of tobacco ingredients and
mandate larger, more specific health warnings. It would also enable the
agency to require tobacco companies to reduce or eliminate harmful
ingredients and ban candy- and fruit-flavored cigarettes.
The
White House has signaled that President Bush will veto the legislation
if it is approved by the Senate, which may not have a veto-proof
majority in support of it.
"This is truly an historic day in the
fight against tobacco," said Rep. Henry A. Waxman (D-Calif.), who
co-sponsored the measure with Rep. Tom Davis (R-Va.). "Regulating
tobacco is the single most important thing that we can do right now to
protect the public health of all Americans, especially our children." Washington Post
Advocacy group recruits participants for affordability study
State
lawmakers are studying how to make health care more affordable.
However, for this to become a reality, we must understand what
Coloradans can spend on health care.
Here's how you can help.
From Aug. 6-22, Colorado Voices for Coverage will be conducting an
affordability study in conjunction with the Colorado Center on Law and
Policy. CVC will host workshops in communities statewide, where
participants will fill out a confidential household budget survey on
what they can afford for health insurance. This is an opportunity for
ordinary Coloradans to help inform policymakers and the public about
affordability as Colorado moves toward reform.
If you are interested in helping organize a workshop in your
community or recruiting workshop participants, please contact Kelli
Keck at cvcaffordability@yahoo.com or 303-839-1261. |
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Business Health Forum
Business Health Forum Newsletter |
| News for Engaging Colorado Employers in Health Care Reform |
August 7, 2008 |
|
Meeting of Interest
12th Annual Meeting of the Colorado Coalition for the Medically Underserved
Friday, Sept. 26, 2008
8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Red Lion Hotel
Denver Southeast
3200 S. Parker Road at I-225
"Keeping the Momentum"
The
12th Annual CCMU Conference will examine strategies from Colorado and
across the country to maintain progress in health care reform.
Invited
speakers include Gov. Bill Ritter; Dr. Neal Halfon, Director, UCLA
Center for Healthier Children, Families & Communities; Dr. Mark
Levine, Chief Medical Officer - Region VIII, Centers for Medicaid and
Medicare Services; and others.
The
Colorado Coalition for the Medically Underserved is a coalition of
public, private and non-profit organizations committed to access to
affordable, timely, quality health care for everyone in Colorado.
For more more information and to register, click here.
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The Business Health Forum is funded by several foundations, including The Colorado Health Foundation and The Colorado Trust.
The BHF is a project of the CACI Educational Foundation.
Stay tuned for info. about upcoming business health care forums in your community.
To learn more about the Forum, contact Amy Fletcher at afletcher@bizhealthforum.org or call 303-866-9659.
|
|
|
Dear Amy,
As health insurance premiums continue to
soar and Colorado examines wide-scale health care reform, there has
never been a more important time for the business community to engage
in the debate. The Forum is a new project to help you connect the dots
and weigh in on solutions.
|
|
Ex-Medicare chief criticizes reform proposals
In order to make health care affordable,
the system needs more efficiency - not just more cash or tax credits,
Mark McClellan, former administrator of the Centers for Medicare and
Medicaid Services, told a crowd of more than 200 statisticians in Colorado on
Monday.
McClellan,
a former associate professor of economics at Stanford University who
has studied health care costs, was the keynote speaker for the five-day
Joint Statistical Meetings conference. The annual conference, which
attracted more than 5,000 statisticians in a variety of fields from
across the country to the Colorado Convention Center, was organized by
the American Statistical Association.
Neither presidential
candidate's proposed health care reform will pay for itself, but the
real long-term solution to making health care more affordable is to
make the system more efficient, a goal shared by both presidential
candidates, said McClellan, brother of former White House Press
Secretary Scott McClellan.
McClellan envisions an "electronic
infrastructure," built by private-public partnerships, that could
collect data and make it available for analysis about which treatments
are most effective for which patients. Colorado Independent
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Top health care news
Some Colorado brokers criticize new law affecting rates
Some
Colorado insurance brokers who work with small businesses plan to renew
health insurance policies earlier than usual, saying a law that goes
into effect Jan. 1 will increase premiums.
Colorado Insurance
Commissioner Marcy Morrison is criticizing the practice, saying it is
an attempt to "circumvent" House Bill 1355, which was passed by the
General Assembly and signed by Gov. Bill Ritter in 2007.
HB 1355
removes claims experience and health status as factors that can be used
by an insurance company to set premiums for small employers.
Supporters of the law say it will stabilize premiums because employers
can no longer be penalized for unhealthy employees or rewarded for
healthy employees. Critics say it will increase premiums for some small
businesses.
For more information: Denver Business Journal
Old, frail nursing home residents at risk of getting evicted
Across the country, nursing homes are forcing out frail and ill
residents. While federal law permits nursing-home evictions in some
circumstances, state officials and patient advocates say facilities
often go too far, seeking to evict those who are merely inconvenient or
too costly. Residents with dementia or demanding families are among the
most vulnerable, particularly if they depend on Medicaid to pay their
bills, the officials and advocates say.
Those on Medicaid bring
facilities as little as half what they can get from residents who pay
out of pocket, with private health insurance or through Medicare, the
federal-state health program for the elderly.
No one counts
evictions nationwide. But formal complaints about nursing-home
discharge practices have doubled over a decade, to 8,500 nationally in
2006, making it the second-biggest category tracked by the federal
Administration on Aging, trailing only complaints about unanswered
calls for assistance.
Officials in more than a dozen states say
involuntary discharges have risen even as the number of nursing-home
beds has declined. In the District of Columbia, for example, officials
contest roughly one in seven evictions as improper, and say still more
go unchallenged. Wall Street Journal
Colorado household survey to help inform health policy
The rising cost of health care is a major concern of Coloradans, and
many agree it's time for a change. From Aug. 8-22, 2008 Colorado Voices
for Coverage (CVC), a group of four organizations, will conduct an
affordability study in conjunction with the Colorado Center on Law and
Policy.
CVC will host workshops in communities statewide, where
Coloradans will fill out a confidential household budget survey on what
is affordable for health insurance. Participants are compensated with
a $10 gift certificate, and childcare and snacks are provided. This is
a great opportunity to help inform policy makers and the public about
health care affordability as Colorado moves toward reform.
If you
are interested in helping organize a workshop in your community or
recruiting workshop participants, please contact Kelli Keck at
cvcaffordability@yahoo.com or 303-839-1261.
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| News for Engaging Colorado Employers in Health Care Reform |
July 24, 2008
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Meeting of interest
12th Annual Meeting of the Colorado Coalition for the Medically Underserved
Friday, Sept. 26, 2008
8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Red Lion Hotel
Denver Southeast
3200 S. Parker Road at I-225
"Keeping the Momentum"
The
12th Annual CCMU Conference will examine strategies from Colorado and
across the country to maintain progress in health care reform.
Invited
speakers include Governor Bill Ritter; Dr. Neal Halfon, Director, UCLA
Center for Healthier Children, Families & Communities; Dr. Mark
Levine, Chief Medical Officer - Region VIII, Centers for Medicaid and
Medicare Services; aND others.
The Colorado Coalition for the
Medically Underserved is a coalition of public, private and non-profit
organizations committed to access to affordable, timely, quality health
care for everyone in Colorado.
Register for the event online starting Aug. 1.
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The Business Health Forum is funded by several foundations, including The Colorado Health Foundation and The Colorado Trust.
Stay tuned for info. about upcoming business health care forums in your community.
To learn more about the Forum, contact Renee' Mowers at rmowers@bizhealthforum.org or call 303-866-9658.
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Dear Amy,
As
health insurance premiums continue to soar and Colorado examines
wide-scale health care reform, there has never been a more important
time for the business community to engage in the debate. The Forum is a
new project to help you connect the dots and weigh in on solutions.
|
Colo. business group releases diabetes report
The Colorado Business Group on Health (CBGH) has released its fourth
annual report on the prevalence, cost and quality of care for Type 2
diabetes patients in Colorado's largest markets. This report also
provides state and national benchmarks that can help employers identify
better ways to serve the needs of their employees.
New to this
year's publication is the addition of comparison data between diabetes
statistics in Denver and similar markets across the nation including
Boston, Seattle, Dallas and Minneapolis/St. Paul.
Compared to
the national average, charges for patients are generally lower in
Colorado for inpatient, outpatient and emergency department visits.
Denver had lower average charges than Seattle, Dallas, and Minneapolis
for emergency and outpatient claims. Within Colorado, Pueblo charges
are higher than other metropolitan areas for patients who have
Medicaid, Medicare or commercial insurance.
The complete report will be available in electronic format and may be downloaded free of charge by clicking here.
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Top health care news
Health plan from Sen. Barack Obama spurs hot debate
In
speech after speech, Senator Barack Obama has vowed that he will lower
the country's health care costs enough to "bring down premiums by
$2,500 for the typical family." Moreover, Obama, the presumptive
Democratic nominee, has promised that his health plan will be in place
"by the end of my first term as president of the United States."
Whether Mr. Obama can deliver is a matter of considerable dispute among
health analysts and economists. While there is consensus that the
American health care system is bloated with waste, eliminating enough
to save $2,500 per family would require simultaneous and synergistic
solutions to a host of problems that have proved intractable for
decades.
Even if the next president and Congress can muster the
political will, analysts question whether significant savings would
materialize in as little as four years, or even in 10. But as Mr. Obama
confronts an electorate that is deeply unsettled by escalating health
costs, he is offering a precise "chicken in every pot" guarantee based
on numbers that are largely unknowable. Furthermore, it is not
completely clear what he is promising. New York Times
Trying to save money by paying physicians more
Cutting health costs by paying doctors more?
That is the premise of experiments under way by federal and state
government agencies and many insurers around the country. The idea is
that by paying family physicians, internists and pediatricians to
devote more time and attention to their patients, insurers and patients
can save thousands of dollars downstream on unnecessary tests, visits
to expensive specialists and avoidable trips to the hospital.
Nationally, Medicare and commercial insurers pay an average of only
about $60 a visit to the office of a primary-care doctor and rarely if
ever pay for telephone or e-mail consultations. Many health policy
experts say the payments are not enough to let the doctors spend more
than a few minutes with each patient.
Insurers are conducting
pilot projects in at least a half-dozen states, in experiments
involving thousands of doctors and nearly 2 million patients. Many more
are in the planning stages, at the urging of health policy experts and
employers that provide medical benefits.The big government health care
programs, Medicaid and Medicare, are also studying the concept. New York Times
Health insurance association launches national campaign
The health insurance industry wants you to know it feels your pain before the next president makes it feel some pain.
To get ahead of the election debate on health-care reform, the nation's
main health insurance trade group kicked off a nationwide grassroots
campaign Tuesday. America's Health Insurance Plans' campaign is
designed to "build support for workable health care reform based on
core principles shared by the American people: coverage, affordability,
quality, value, choice and portability," the organization said, CQ
HealthBeat reports.
Health-care reform ranks just behind the
economy and Iraq war as the most important issue to voters, according
to a nationwide poll released last week by Quinnipiac University.
Health care advocates believe the next president will make changes,
which is why, the Cleveland Plain Dealer says, the health-insurance
lobby wants to get a head start. Fifteen years ago, insurers helped
sink reforms proposed by President Clinton, but now the industry is
more conciliatory. Its first newspaper ads say: "Health care costs too
much. We agree." Cleveland Plain Dealer
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| News for Engaging Colorado Employers in Health Care Reform |
July 10, 2008
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Meetings of interest
Hosted in Aspen and in Carbondale
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Colo. Health Care Reform:
What's the Employer Response?
9:00 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Mountain Chalet (upstairs meeting room)
333 E. Durant Ave., Aspen
1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m.
Aspen Glen Club
0545 Bald Eagle Way, Carbondale
There is no charge for either event.
We'll
update employers on health care reform efforts and capture their
responses to proposed changes. The Business Health Forum will lead the
discussion.
Join us to review legislative proposals &
recommendations from a blue ribbon commission on health care, and give
us your feedback to take back to the Capitol. The latest survey
technology will capture your opinions - and those of your peers - for
on-the-spot sharing and discussion.
RSVP info
Aspen Chamber Resort Association: 970-925-1940.
Carbondale Chamber: 970-963-1890 or email chamber@carbondale.com.
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The Business Health Forum is funded by several foundations, including The Colorado Health Foundation and The Colorado Trust.
Stay tuned for info. about upcoming business health care forums in your community.
To learn more about the Forum, contact Renee' Mowers at rmowers@bizhealthforum.org or call 303-866-9658.
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Dear Amy,
As
health insurance premiums continue to soar and Colorado examines
wide-scale health care reform, there has never been a more important
time for the business community to engage in the debate. The Forum is a
new project to help you connect the dots and weigh in on solutions.
|
Small business is latest focus in health fight
As the number of people without health insurance continues to rise,
many states and Congress have begun to focus on one of the biggest
causes: the growing number of small business owners and their workers
who are unable to afford coverage.
The states are taking a variety
of approaches. To help ease the burden of insurance premiums that have
roughly doubled since 2000, some, like Arizona, are extending tax
credits to small employers that provide medical coverage.
Some
states, like Colorado, have passed tougher laws governing what insurers
can charge small companies. Others, including New Mexico and Montana,
are exploring ways to let small businesses band together to amass the
purchasing power of big employers. Massachusetts plans to let small
businesses benefit from its state-supervised insurance program.
"States are being aggressive experimenters, and those lessons learned
are going to be invaluable to us in looking at national health reform,"
said Michelle Dimarob, manager of legislative affairs for the National
Federation of Independent Business. New York Times
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Top health care news
Pricey cancer drugs put squeeze on physicians
The
Wall Street Journal on Tuesday examined how "hyperexpensive cancer
drugs" are causing oncologists to go into debt and potentially
interfering with treatment decisions. According to the Journal, a "new
generation of cancer drugs," including Genentech's Avastin and ImClone
Systems' Erbitux, are "transforming cancer care" by giving oncologists
their first new treatment options in decades for "desperately ill
patients."
However, the price of the drugs -- up to $100,000 per
year -- is pushing doctors into "weighing costs alongside a drug's
potential effectiveness," the Journal reports.
Because cancer
drugs are administered intravenously in a doctor's office, oncologists
often must front the cost of the treatments and are "on the hook until
patients or insurers pay the bill," the Journal reports.
Arthur
Caplan, a bioethics professor at the University of Pennsylvania, said
this is "one of the toughest issues in oncology," especially when drug
prices can mean exchanging "family assets for the possibility of a few
more months of life." A survey of 167 cancer doctors published last
year in the Journal of Clinical Oncology found that 42% said they
regularly raised the issue of cost when discussing treatment options
with patients, 23% said costs influenced their treatment decisions and
16% said they choose not to discuss certain treatments when they know
the cost would place strain on patients' resources. Kaiser Family Foundation
Business coalition says bill would cause large-scale disruption
A proposed bipartisan bill in Congress that seeks to make "sweeping
changes" to the existing U.S. system of employer-based health insurance
could pose significant problems and make it more difficult to reduce
the number of uninsured, members of the National Coalition on Benefits
wrote in a letter sent to legislators Monday, CQ HealthBeat reports.
Sens. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Bob Bennett (R-Utah) co-sponsored the
bill, known as the Healthy Americans Act, with a bipartisan group of 14
other senators in an effort to establish a universal health care system.
The legislation would effectively eliminate the employer-sponsored
health care system and replace it with a system in which individuals
would purchase private health coverage through state-run purchasing
pools. All residents would be required to obtain coverage. Wyden in
April modified the measure to allow employers to continue providing
health coverage.
The coalition -- including America's Health
Insurance Plans, Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, Business
Roundtable, General Electric and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce -- wrote
that the bill "would cause large-scale disruption in the source,
financing and regulation of the employer-sponsored health coverage that
now serves most Americans." Kaiser Family Foundation
Colorado groups press for national health care reform
Groups representing doctors, nurses and organized labor were expected
to gather July 8 at the state Capitol to press for national health care
reform.
"We're talking about giving people choices," said
Francoise Mbabazi, health care program director for Colorado
Progressive Coalition. "We're looking at how we can stand together in
solidarity and cover the 47 million uninsured across the country."
The Colorado coalition is part of a national campaign, and similar events were planned in 40 states.
The coalition wants a health care plan that would not deny coverage to
people who have a pre-existing condition or raise rates for those who
get sick. The coalition will provide online and community forums to
discern what people want and need in a health care plan. Rocky Mountain News
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| News for Engaging Colorado Employers in Health Care Reform |
July 3, 2008
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Meeting of interest
 Hosted in Carbondale
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m.
There is no charge for event.
Aspen Glen Club
0545 Bald Eagle Way, Carbondale
Colo. Health Care Reform:
What's the Employer Response?
We'll
update employers on health care reform efforts and capture their
responses to proposed changes. The Business Health Forum will lead the
discussion.
Join us to review legislative proposals &
recommendations from a blue ribbon commission on health care, and give
us your feedback to take back to the Capitol. The latest survey
technology will capture your opinions - and those of your peers - for
on-the-spot sharing and discussion.
RSVP by contacting the Carbondale Chamber at 970-963-1890 or email chamber@carbondale.com.
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The Business Health Forum is funded by several foundations, including The Colorado Health Foundation and The Colorado Trust.
Stay tuned for info. about upcoming business health care forums in your community.
To learn more about the Forum, contact Renee' Mowers at rmowers@bizhealthforum.org or call 303-866-9658.
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Dear Amy,
As
health insurance premiums continue to soar and Colorado examines
wide-scale health care reform, there has never been a more important
time for the business community to engage in the debate. The Forum is a
new project to help you connect the dots and weigh in on solutions.
|
Mixed reviews on new state health care laws
Democratic state lawmakers proclaimed victory for health care consumers
Tuesday, the first day several health care laws passed earlier this
year took effect.
In a news conference on the state Capitol's west
steps, the lawmakers highlighted bills requiring medical insurance
companies to get state approval before raising premiums and three other
bills they said will improve access to medical treatment for the poor
and elderly and those living in rural areas.
They were among the approximately 50 bills dealing with health care that the legislature passed this year, lawmakers said.
Rep. Morgan Carroll, D-Aurora, said the bills will help close the gap
between those who are insured and those who aren't. "We have made more
historic gains arguably this year than we have in decades in closing
that gap," Carroll said..
But House Assistant Minority Leader
David Balmer said the Democrats' plans likely will backfire. The added
regulatory hurdles for insurance companies, he said, will likely result
in higher health care costs across Colorado. Denver Post
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Top health care news
Colorado doctors fear costs of cuts to Medicare reimbursements
Local
doctors who treat Medicare patients have found themselves in the middle
of a federal fight that could strain their budgets and make it more
difficult to treat older patients.
At issue is a two-week delay in
Medicare payments ordered by the Bush Administration that went into
effect Tuesday. During the delay, doctors will see a gap in
reimbursement payments for patients on Medicare, the federal insurance
program for people aged 65 and older.
Ultimately, the dispute
could lead to a crisis for physicians who can't withstand the financial
hit from their Medicare patients, said Dr. Cory Carroll, a solo
practitioner in Fort Collins. Medicare issues checks every day giving
doctors a steady flow of income, Carroll said.
The Bush
Administra-tion ordered the delay so the Senate could consider
reversing a scheduled 10..6-percent cut in Medicare reimbursements. The
House voted to halt the 10.6-percent cut.
Only Congress can block
the cut to doctors' payments. The proposed legislation, which passed
the House 355-59 and fell one vote short in the Senate, has broad
support from doctors, hospitals and pharmacists but is strongly opposed
by the insurance industry. Fort Collins Coloradoan
State hospitals score average or better in infection survey
All but one of Colorado's hospitals are average or better in preventing
central line infections, compared to hospitals nationwide, the first
results stemming from a new mandatory reporting law shows.
State
lawmakers in 2006 passed the law that mandates reporting of infection
rates, and a public reporting of those rates each six months. The law
went into effect on July 31 of last year, so this is the first
report.Two more reports will be developed this year.
Central lines
are catheters that snake through veins ending close to the heart where
they can infuse fluids or draw blood from patients. When they get
infected they can cause the growth of dangerous bacteria, including
staphylococcus.
The University of Colorado Hospital in Aurora fared worse than average with 12 infections out of 1,568 central-line days.
Jackie Montgomery, spokeswoman for the CU hospital, said the hospital
took immediate steps to improve practices when it saw the numbers. The
improvements seem to have worked. The CU hospital had no infections in
February, March or April, the first three months in which the new
protocols were in place.
"This is exactly how health care improves
- by getting this type of data out there and comparing hospitals and
making changes," Montgomery said." Rocky Mountain News
State awards $2.2 million to Colorado health care providers
The Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing announced
July 2 that it has awarded $2.2 million to 10 health care providers,
from Boulder to Alamosa. The program provides funding to health care
providers to expand primary and preventive services to Colorado's
low-income residents.
The program funding "will allow us to
provide at least 1,296 dental visits for 540 uninsured clients this
year," Jerry Brasher, executive director of Salud Family Health Centers
in Brighton, said in a press release. "Oral health has been proven to
affect the health of the whole person. Providing oral health services
decreases emergency room visits, keeps kids in school and employees on
the job."
Since the first CPPC grant awards were made in April
2001, more than $26.9 million has been distributed to health care
providers. This funding has provided medical, dental, mental health and
pharmaceutical services to at least 122,746 residents. Department of Health Care Policy/Financing |
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| News for Engaging Colorado Employers in Health Care Reform |
June 26, 2008
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Meeting of interest
 Hosted in Carbondale
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m.
There is no charge for event.
Aspen Glen Club
0545 Bald Eagle Way, Carbondale
Colo. Health Care Reform:
What's the Employer Response?
We'll
update employers on health care reform efforts and capture their
responses to proposed changes. The Business Health Forum will lead the
discussion.
Join us to review legislative proposals &
recommendations from a blue ribbon commission on health care, and give
us your feedback to take back to the Capitol. The latest survey
technology will capture your opinions - and those of your peers - for
on-the-spot sharing and discussion.
RSVP by contacting the Carbondale Chamber at 970-963-1890 or email chamber@carbondale.com.
|
|
The Business Health Forum is funded by several foundations, including The Colorado Health Foundation and The Colorado Trust.
Stay tuned for info. about upcoming business health care forums in your community.
To learn more about the Forum, contact Renee' Mowers at rmowers@bizhealthforum.org or call 303-866-9658.
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Greetings!
As
health insurance premiums continue to soar and Colorado examines
wide-scale health care reform, there has never been a more important
time for the business community to engage in the debate. The Forum is a
new project to help you connect the dots and weigh in on solutions.
|
Grand Junction biz leaders weigh in on reform
Nearly 30 members of the Grand Junction business community told
representatives from the Business Health Forum, a nonprofit
organization, they would like to see the Legislature mandate that all
Coloradans secure some basic form of health insurance.
Those
business leaders also agreed - by a nearly two-to-one margin - that
policymakers should avoid mandating that businesses provide health care
coverage for their employees. The results were part of surveys conducted Tuesday at a meeting hosted by the Grand Junction Area Chamber of Commerce
The quality of available health care shouldn't depend on the type of
job a person has, said Steve Hurd, executive director of the Marillac
Clinic.
Amy Fletcher, associate director of the Business Health
Forum, said even though the health care issues confronting Mesa County
are similar to Colorado's rural areas, the polls showed area businesses
to be in agreement with their peers on the Front Range.
"In terms of mandates ... I'd say (the concerns) are very similar," Fletcher said. The Daily Sentinel
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Top health care news
Kaiser Permanente returning $155 million to Colo. customers
Kaiser
Permanente Colorado has reached an agreement with the state, announced
Wednesday, to return $155 million to its customers over the next two
years.
"It is a win for Colorado consumers and for health care in
the state," Gov. Bill Ritter said of the agreement with the state's
largest HMO, which took more than a year to hammer out.
Kaiser
Permanente will provide a credit of $287 per individual subscriber in
2009 and again in 2010. That amount is about the average monthly
premium to cover a single adult. Employers also will receive a credit
for $287 in each of those years per enrolled employee. They can keep
the credit, pass it on to their employees or boost the benefits offered
in their plans.
As a nonprofit, Kaiser Permanente doesn't have to
pass on a dividend to shareholders. It has built up reserves of about
$700 million, an amount state insurance commissioner Marcy Morrison
considered excessive. "It is up to my discretion when reserves exceed
those minimums to step in," Morrison said. Denver Post
Wellpoint employees rewarded for improved patient care
WellPoint Inc. employees earned a bump in their annual bonuses this
year thanks to a new program that monitors care for the health
insurer's patients.
WellPoint met or surpassed most goals for
improvement in the first year of its Member Health Index program. That
means employees saw their bonuses increase by about 10 percent, the
company announced Wednesday.
The nation's largest health insurer
by membership introduced its index program in April 2007. It measured
whether more members were receiving recommended care in 20 clinical
areas. Those were broken into four categories: care management,
clinical outcomes, screening and prevention, and patient safety.
WellPoint set goals for each clinical area and then decided that the
numbers it saw had to increase at least 5 percent toward those goals
for their employees to earn a higher bonus.
The company hit or
surpassed that targeted increase in 17 of the 20 areas it measured. It
missed in compliance for diabetes and hypertension care and in asthma
emergency room visits." Associated Press
Walgreens adding 13 health clinics in Colorado by year's end
Take Care Health Systems is expanding in Colorado from three clinics to 16 by year-end.
The new clinics in the Denver area, Boulder-Longmont and Colorado
Springs will make Colorado one of Take Care Health's largest states in
number of clinics. The company, a Walgreens subsidiary, manages 181
clinics in 22 markets throughout 14 states,
Three clinics in the
Denver area now are walk-in, professional health care centers open
seven days a week with extended evening and weekend hours.
"Take
Care Health Clinics have been very well-received in the Denver area -
our first Colorado market - since opening in May," said Peter Miller,
Take Care Health Systems' president and CEO.
Clinics are staffed
by board-certified nurse practitioners who treat patients 18 months and
older for common illnesses such as strep throat, ear and sinus
infections, pink eye and poison ivy. They are licensed to write
prescriptions. Rocky Mountain News |
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| News for Engaging Colorado Employers in Health Care Reform |
June 19, 2008
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Meeting of interest
LAST CHANCE TO REGISTER!
Hosted by Grand Junction Chamber of Commerce
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
7:30 a.m. to 9 a.m.
Krey/Zeigel Room of the Mesa State College Student Center
Grand Junction
Colo. Health Care Reform:
What's the Employer Response?
We'll
update employers on health care reform efforts and capture their
responses to proposed changes. The Business Health Forum will lead the
discussion.
Join us to review legislative proposals and
recommendations from a blue ribbon commission on health care, and give
us your feedback to take back to the Capitol. The latest survey
technology will capture your opinions - and those of your peers - for
on-the-spot sharing and discussion.
Register for the event online or by calling 970-242-3214.
|
|
The Business Health Forum is funded by several foundations, including The Colorado Health Foundation.
Stay tuned for info.. about upcoming business health care forums in your community.
To learn more about the Forum, contact Renee' Mowers at rmowers@bizhealthforum.org or call 303-866-9658.
|
|
|
|
Greetings!
As
health insurance premiums continue to soar and Colorado examines
wide-scale health care reform, there has never been a more important
time for the business community to engage in the debate. The Forum is a
new project to help you connect the dots and weigh in on solutions.
|
Health costs of illegal immigrants unclear
Agencies that provide health care in Eagle County say they don't know
how much providing their services to illegal immigrants costs.
Many undocumented residents seek health care at either the Eagle Care
Clinic in Edwards or the Vail Valley Medical Center's emergency room,
health providers say. The county is prohibited by state law from
providing most health care benefits to illegal immigrants.
The
county must give immunizations, prenatal care, emergency care, and
labor and delivery, said County Health and Human Services Director Jill
Hunsaker.
The other option for illegal immigrants is the emergency
room. The top emergency room ailments are ear infections, sore throats,
respiratory infections and fevers, Hunsaker said.
That could mean
that the uninsured are using the emergency room as a walk-in clinic,
but the hospital does not know how many of those patients are illegal
immigrants, she said.
When the patient cannot pay, the hospital and Eagle County split the costs. Vail Daily
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Top health care news
Nation's smallest businesses battling health care costs
Amid
rising health care costs, there has been a sharp drop in the percentage
of micro-businesses owners offering coverage to full-time employees.
That's according to Washington, D..C.-based National Association for
the Self-Employed, which recently released results of a survey of
nearly 4,000 micro-businesses. About 19 percent of the respondents said
their health care plans are covering full-time employees this year,
which is down from 46.2 percent in 2005.
A micro-business has 10 or fewer employees. There are 24 million micro-businesses in the U.S., according to the organization.
More than 65 percent of the respondents cited health care costs as the
most significant barrier to offering their employees insurance.
The survey also found that 10 percent of micro-businesses spend 25
percent or more of their revenue on health insurance. That's compared
to the 10.1 percent of revenue the small business owners said they
spent on health care in 2005. National Association for the Self-Employed
U.S. Rep. John Salazar talks long-term health care in Conejos
U.S. Representative John Salazar joined Conejos County Commissioners,
state officials and long-term health care professionals on Monday for a
discussion on providing the southern San Luis Valley with long-term
health care.
Those people attending the session held at the
Conejos County Courthouse were working to find a replacement facility
for the Conejos County Hospital Long Term Care Unit, which has
announced it would be closed by June 30.
Reimbursement was the
main issue that Conejos County Hospital officials cited in announcing
the closure of its Long Term Care Unit. Its patients relied on
Medicaid, which, according to those officials, paid only 23 percent of
the cost, while Medicare payments for hospital patients amount to 101
percent of costs.
Salazar said he would pledge the resources of
his office in the effort to obtain a long term care facility for
Conejos County." Valley Courier
9News puts Polis TV ads on health care through 'truth test'
As part of his campaign for Rep. Mark Udall's seat in Congress,
Democrat Jared Polis is running TV ads on health care. 9News put the ad
through a 'truth test;' below is part of the analysis.
QUOTE:
He'll stand up to the drug companies to lower the cost of prescription
drugs for seniors. And Polis will stand up to the insurance companies
to reduce the cost of health care for everyone
TRUTH: This is
opinion, but it brings up an interesting question. Who's to blame for
rising health care costs? Depending on your experiences with the health
care system, your economic status in life, your professional status and
your age, the answer might be different.
Consumer Reports
recently tried to answer that question in its March issue and found six
different entities culpable for the seemingly inevitable double-digit
increase in health care prices each year. They are: hospitals and
doctors, drug companies, insurers, politicians and government
regulators, lawyers and health care consumers. 9News
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| News for Engaging Colorado Employers in Health Care Reform |
June 12, 2008
|
|
Meeting of interest
Hosted by Grand Junction Chamber of Commerce
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
7:30 a.m. to 9 a.m.
Krey/Zeigel Room of the Mesa State College Student Center
Grand Junction
Colo. Health Care Reform:
What's the Employer Response?
We'll
update employers on health care reform efforts and capture their
responses to proposed changes. The Business Health Forum will lead the
discussion.
Join us to review legislative proposals and
recommendations from a blue ribbon commission on health care, and give
us your feedback to take back to the Capitol. The latest survey
technology will capture your opinions - and those of your peers - for
on-the-spot sharing and discussion.
Register for the event online or by calling 970-242-3214.
|
|
The Business Health Forum is funded by several foundations, including The Colorado Health Foundation and The Colorado Trust.
Stay tuned for info. about upcoming business health care forums in your community.
To learn more about the Forum, contact Renee' Mowers at rmowers@bizhealthforum.org or call 303-866-9658.
|
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|
Dear Amy,
As
health insurance premiums continue to soar and Colorado examines
wide-scale health care reform, there has never been a more important
time for the business community to engage in the debate. The Forum is a
new project to help you connect the dots and weigh in on solutions.
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Health care measures remain on ballot
The United Food and Commercial Workers Local 7 said Wednesday that it
is withdrawing two of four proposed ballot initiatives, but two health
care measures troublesome to the business community remain.
The withdrawal is part of an effort to get business interests to pull their right-to-work measure.
The union is pulling measures that would have mandated annual cost of
living increases for employees at companies with more than 10 workers
and raised businesses' property taxes.. The remaining proposals would
require businesses with 20 or more employees to provide health
insurance for workers and allow injured people to sue employers outside
the workers' compensation system.
In a statement, Denver chamber
President Joe Blake said, "I am delighted that the UFCW Local 7 has
taken the first step away from mutually assured destruction. But Dan
Pilcher, a spokesman for the Colorado Association of Commerce and
Industry, was less conciliatory, saying "they're taking out two, but
the business community is still facing four, and that's not an
attractive position." Rocky Mountain News
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Top health care news
Colorado health program for kids in disarray, auditors say
The
state program that delivers health care to more than 53,500 needy
children and pregnant women is in administrative disarray, state
auditors said Monday.
A report on the Children's Basic Health Plan
found that 10 percent of patients were classified incorrectly - either
as eligible when they weren't or as ineligible when they were entitled
to services.
Hundreds of people were kept on the program after their eligibility expired - for up to two years in some cases.
The report to the Legislative Audit Committee did not estimate a total
cost of errors in the $106-million-per-year program. However, a
sampling of 203 patients in seven counties produced errors valued at
$48,300 in determining eligibility.
The Department of Health Care
Policy and Financing, which oversees the program, has no controls to
detect fraud and abuse in the 64 county offices that perform most of
the task of enrolling patients, the report found. Nor does the
department monitor the counties as they determine eligibility. Rocky Mountain News
Federal proposal would help small biz with affordable coverage
A wide-ranging coalition of lawmakers and outside interest groups
unveiled a new proposal in Washington Tuesday they said could
kick-start efforts to address the spiraling health care crisis.
The federal legislation would:
- Provide a tax credit to small-business owners who pay 60 percent or more of their employees' premiums.
- Encourage the creation of statewide and nationwide purchasing pools for small businesses and the self-employed.
- Reduce the ability of insurers to raise premiums for small businesses when one employee becomes seriously ill.
The measure has the support of the National Federation of Independent
Business, the National Association of Realtors and the Service
Employees International Union. Those three powerful interest groups
have driven the health care debate in past years - usually in opposite
directions. St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Legislators, others to discuss health care at Fort Collins summit
The 2008 Northern Colorado Business Report HealthCare Summit, scheduled
for June 26, will discuss state legislative efforts around health
insurance and what's ahead for health insurance and medical care in
Colorado.
One panel will be moderated by Pamela Hanes, president
of the Colorado Health Institute, and will include Mark Wallace, M.D.,
Weld County health director, founder of the Northern Colorado Health
Alliance and a member of the Governor's Blue Ribbon Commission on
Health Care Reform or 208 Commission; state Sen. Bob Bacon, D-Fort
Collins, and Mark Cauthen, risk manager for the city of Colorado
Springs.
The summit will be held at the Fort Collins Marriott, 350
E. Horsetooth Road, from 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The cost is $49 per
person in advance -- $59 per person at the door. Companies may purchase
discounted blocks of five tickets for $220.50 by calling 970-221-5400,
ext. 202.
For online registration, visit www.ncbr..com and click on Events on the left-hand side of the homepage. Registration deadline is June 21. |
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Greetings!
Greetings! Happy June!
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We're on vacation
Our
newsletter editor is on vacation. We look forward to providing you with
more health care news next week. However, in the meantime, please visit
our Web site to view the new brochure Health Care and Business: The
Bottom Line. Simply click on the brochure below.
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Thank you for your continued interest and support.
Sincerely,
Amy Fletcher
Business Health Forum
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| News for Engaging Colorado Employers in Health Care Reform |
May 29, 2008
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Meeting of interest
Hosted by Grand Junction Chamber of Commerce
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
7:30 a.m. to 9 a.m.
Krey/Zeigel Room of the Mesa State College Student Center
Grand Junction
Colo. Health Care Reform:
What's the Employer Response?
We'll
update employers on health care reform efforts and capture their
responses to proposed changes. The Business Health Forum will lead the
discussion.
Join us to review legislative proposals and
recommendations from a blue ribbon commission on health care, and give
us your feedback to take back to the Capitol. The latest survey
technology will capture your opinions - and those of your peers - for
on-the-spot sharing and discussion.
Register for the event online or by calling 970-242-3214.
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The Business Health Forum is funded by several foundations, including The Colorado Health Foundation.
Stay tuned for info.. about upcoming business health care forums in your community.
To learn more about the Forum, contact Renee' Mowers at rmowers@bizhealthforum.org or call 303-866-9658.
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Dear Amy,
As
health insurance premiums continue to soar and Colorado examines
wide-scale health care reform, there has never been a more important
time for the business community to engage in the debate. The Forum is a
new project to help you connect the dots and weigh in on solutions.
|
Rising costs hammer Colorado business
Between 2000 and 2005, Colorado
businesses saw their health premiums
increase nearly 60 percent. Premiums have grown, on average, more than five times faster than the rate of inflation.
So it's no wonder the cost of coverage eats up an increasing share of business expenses and employees' wages.
If your small business is hurting due to rising insurance costs, you
are not alone. Between 2000 and 2005, the proportion of Colorado
employers with 50 or fewer employees offering health benefits dropped
from 53 percent to 42 percent. At the same time, the percentage of
small business employees who take coverage, when offered, dropped from
57 percent to 51 percent.
"Lack of affordable health care is a
major barrier to business development for some entrepreneurs and
contributes to an estimated 35 percent of delinquencies and defaults on
our micro-loans," said Kersten M. Hostetter, CEO and President of Micro
Business Development in Denver. To learn more, click here.
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Top health care news
Study: Colorado near bottom for kids' access to health care
States
vary widely in the quality of health care children receive, and when it
comes to children's access to care, Colorado ranks 48th nationwide.
However, Colorado is No. 5 when it comes to kids' potential to lead
long, healthy lives.
That's according to a new scorecard issued by
The Commonwealth Fund, who says differences across states add up to
real consequences for children and their families. The report estimates
that if all states performed as well as the top states:
- 4.6 million more children nationwide would have health insurance;
- 11.8 million more children would get their recommended yearly medical and dental check-ups;
- 1.6 million fewer children would be at risk for developmental delays;
- 10.9 million more kids would have a medical home; and
- Nearly 800,000 more children would be up-to-date on their vaccines. The Commonwealth Fund
More spending doesn't improve patients' perception of care
Higher levels of spending on medical care don't improve patients'
perceptions of the care they receive, according to researchers who
conducted a survey of Medicare recipients.
Per capita spending on
Medicare beneficiaries varies widely nationwide and differences in
health don't account for this variations, said the study authors, who
added that little is known about whether beneficiaries in
high-expenditure areas receive better care than those in
low-expenditure areas.
There was a strong link between per capita
spending and receiving more medical care, such as average number of
ambulatory visits to physicians in the past year and more cardiac
tests. But seven of the 10 measures of patients' perception of health
care quality -- such as unmet needs for tests and treatment, and
spending enough time with doctors -- were unrelated to expenditures,
said the study. Washington Post
Glenwood Chamber hosts June 23 meeting on health reform
Ralph Pollock, member of the 208 Commission, and Amy Fletcher,
associate director of the BHF, will lead a discussion on health care
reform.
Join us to review legislative proposals and
recommendations from a blue ribbon commission on health care, and give
us your feedback to take back to the Capitol. The latest survey
technology will capture your opinions - and those of your peers - for
on-the-spot sharing and discussion..
The event will be held from
7:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. Stayed tuned for details on the meeting location
and on how to register. For more information, call Angie Anderson at
970-945-6589.
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| News for Engaging Colorado Employers in Health Care Reform |
May 22, 2008
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Meeting of interest
Hosted by Grand Junction Chamber of Commerce
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
7:30 a.m. to 9 a.m.
Krey/Zeigel Room of the Mesa State College Student Center
Grand Junction
Colo. Health Care Reform:
What's the Employer Response?
We'll
update employers on health care reform efforts and capture their
responses to proposed changes. The Business Health Forum will lead the
discussion.
Join us to review legislative proposals and
recommendations from a blue ribbon commission on health care, and give
us your feedback to take back to the Capitol. The latest survey
technology will capture your opinions - and those of your peers - for
on-the-spot sharing and discussion.
Register for the event online or by calling 970-242-3214.
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The Business Health Forum is funded by several foundations, including The Colorado Health Foundation.
Stay tuned for info.. about upcoming business health care forums in your community.
To learn more about the Forum, contact Renee' Mowers at rmowers@bizhealthforum.org or call 303-866-9658.
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Greetings!
As
health insurance premiums continue to soar and Colorado examines
wide-scale health care reform, there has never been a more important
time for the business community to engage in the debate. The Forum is a
new project to help you connect the dots and weigh in on solutions.
|
Center for improving health value begins work
Colorado's Center for Improving Value in Health Care, created by an
executive order by Gov. Bill Ritter earlier this year, has formed a
steering committee and hired a national consultant to help guide its
formation.
According to an article in The Commonwealth Fund
newsletter, the center will identify and develop cost control and
quality improvement strategies. It will bring together businesses,
consumers, health care providers, insurers, and state agencies to
develop long-term strategies for ensuring better value for the $30
billion spent on health care in Colorado each year.
Funding of
$51,000 for the initial planning phase has been secured from The
Colorado Trust and approved by the governor's office. The state has
hired national health care consulting firm John Snow Inc., based in
Boston with a Denver office, to help create the center.
Current
steering committee members include the Colorado Business Group On
Health and other groups already working on quality improvement and cost
containment. John Snow Inc. will research statewide quality forums in
other states, identify best practices and make recommendations for the
structure and scope of the center. The Commonwealth Fund
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Top health care news
In hospitals, simple reminders reduce deadly infections
Timeouts
to wash hands and put on hairnets, a simple checklist to ensure that
such seemingly obvious precautions are done, and advertising campaigns
directed at everyone from the most senior doctors to the poorest of
patients have been credited with drastically reducing the number of
serious infections at New York City's public hospitals.
Since
2005, central-line bloodstream infections, which stem from bacteria
invading a catheter leading to the heart and can often be fatal, have
fallen 55 percent in adult intensive care units at the city's 11 public
hospitals, according to statistics released last week.
Ventilator-associated pneumonia, caused by bacteria in breathing tubes
and which also can be fatal, declined by 78 percent.
Before the
hospital system began cracking down on them in late 2005, preventable
infections were considered part of the collateral damage of advanced
lifesaving techniques. In fact, there had been a perverse financial
upside to hospital-based infections, since they filled beds that might
otherwise be empty.
But changes in government reimbursements
have driven New York's public hospitals, which serve the city's poorest
patients, to tackle the problem. As part of a pay-for-performance plan,
the federal government and many private insurers are planning to stop
reimbursing hospitals for harm caused to patients by certain
preventable errors. New York Times
Google offers personal health records on the Web
Google began offering online personal health records to the public on Monday.
The service, Google Health, at www.google.com/health, is the latest
entrant in the growing field of companies offering personal health
records on the Web. The companies all hope to capitalize eventually on
the trend of increasingly seeking health information online, and the
potential of Internet tools to help consumers manage their own health
care and medical spending.
In a two-month trial this year, the
Cleveland Clinic found that its patients were eager to use the Google
health records. The pilot project, limited to 1,600 patients, was
quickly oversubscribed, said C. Martin Harris, the Cleveland Clinic's
chief information officer.
The ability of patients to send
information, in particular, can be helpful to clinic doctors, Dr.
Harris said. For example, if a person sees specialists outside the
clinic and receives a drug prescription from an outside doctor, it
raises the risk of harmful drug interactions. "Until now, if a patient
doesn't remember to tell me," he said, "I don't know about drugs
prescribed outside the Cleveland Clinic system." New York Times
Nonprofit Association hosts May 28 meeting on health reform
Join Bill Lindsay, chair of the 208 Commission, for a discussion on
health care reform. He will speak about the state of health care in
Colorado, the commission's recommendations to address shortfalls in
accessibility, implications of the Governor's Building Blocks for
Health Care Reform, next steps for nonprofits to consider and what you
can do to make a difference.
The event, at the Doubletree Hotel Denver, is hosted by the Colorado Nonprofit Association. Click here for more information and to register.
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