Another quick week is done, altho after the two inches of snow Tuesday I’m not sure that’s a bad thing. So here’s what happened while we were digging out.
There’s a bunch of news re ACA enrollment and the impact thereof; I’ve picked out the key parts (as I see them) for your edification.
The latest projections on PPACA enrollment are out, and the Administration is touting a higher-than-even-originally-projected 8 million insureds. Notably, this does NOT mean all are newly insured, and does not exclude those who have not paid their premiums as of yet (for the newly-enrolled population, there’s no way to tell until their premium payment late period has expired.
Why aren’t GOP-led states jumping on the Medicaid block grant bandwagon? If they are so sure they can do a better job (and I don’t doubt that some can) than the feds, what’s with the reluctance? Bob Laszewski asks this vital question – and the answer is…
From investment research firm L.E.K. comes an excellent review of the impact of health care reform on hospitals. Yes, it’s a complex issue, and no, don’t say you don’t have time to read it. This is a very good piece, and relevant for work comp as hospital expenses are rising in many states. Of note – Medicare’s hospital expenses are projected to drop over the next decade – there may be an effort on the part of facilities to make that deficit up from…somewhere.
Health insurance premiums will be 15% less than predicted next year – so says a just-released study by the CBO, which did that initial prediction back in 2009, just before ACA became law. The CBO study also lowered the total cost projection for ACA by $105 billion over the next decade.
Finally, with RIMS coming up in just over a week, there may well be a couple big deals announced end of next week or at the show in Denver. I won’t be there (too much client work, and work comp isn’t a big part of the show) but many will. Expect at least one announcement; there may well be two deals completed by the time the show opens.
Here’s hoping the sun shines on your weekend.
Thanks for the “L.E.K.” monograph. It is thought provoking, and surely a worthy reference for those who believe that the ACA is an empty bag. On the other hand, the number and level of assumptions in the monograph, when considered, tend to vitiate L.E.K.’s conclusion … in my opinion. Having said that, good of you to bring it to our attention.