A net 15,000 health care jobs were created in October 2013, significantly below the two-year average of 21,000 jobs per month. For the first 10 months of 2013 we saw an average of 17,000 new health care jobs, compared with 26,000 over the same period in 2012. Due to moderately strong total employment growth of… Keep reading →
General Health
The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) will release its analysis of the latest quality results in its State of Health Care Quality Report 2013. Findings include: Overuse of antibiotics still a problem In findings that echo and corroborate recent CDC warnings about overuse of antibiotics leading to antibiotic resistance, we see no progress on… Keep reading →
The Healthcare Trends Institute Announces Landmark Healthcare Benefit Trends Survey and Study
By businesswireAn unprecedented national survey regarding healthcare benefits, health insurance exchanges, and related topics will provide benchmarks for employers, and insights into adoption of new healthcare benefits options. The Healthcare Trends Institute, an educational platform for employers, consumers and other healthcare benefits stakeholders, will be surveying thousands of employers of all sizes across North America this… Keep reading →
Healthcare Trends Institute Introduces Tools to Help Users Understand Public Insurance Exchanges
By businesswireThis week marked the historic launch of the health insurance marketplaces (also known as “public insurance exchanges”). The Healthcare Trends Institute, an educational platform for employers, consumers and other healthcare benefits stakeholders, has developed two tools for understanding public exchanges: ReformWatch interactive map, and an infographic titled The State of the Exchanges. The ReformWatch interactive… Keep reading →
Almost 85 percent of the health plans offered in the Exchange Marketplaces launching October 1 are accredited by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), a strong presence confirming NCQA’s role as a leader in health care quality. “The overwhelming preference for NCQA Accreditation is a gratifying reminder that NCQA is the gold standard in… Keep reading →
Health Care Spending Growth Slowed in 2012, But Consumers Continued To Spend More Out-of-Pocket, Says New HCCI Report
By businesswireFor the third consecutive year, the growth rate of health care spending among privately insured people under age 65 remained low at 4.0 percent, says the Health Care Cost Institute (HCCI). Health care spending averaged $4,701 per person with employer-sponsored coverage in 2012, up $181 from the year before. In addition, out-of-pocket spending rose more… Keep reading →
The Council for Citizens Against Government Waste (CCAGW) today sent letters to members of the United States Congress, urging members in both chambers to oppose H.R. 1250, the Medicare Audit Improvement Act of 2013, introduced by Reps. Sam Graves (R-Mo.), and Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), and the Senate version of the bill, S. 1012, introduced by… Keep reading →