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By:
HealthierMIBeth
On:
9/1/2010
The national health reform law requires employers and health insurers that offer dependent health coverage to hold a special enrollment period to add or re-enroll dependents up to age 26 who are now eligible for health coverage due to health reform changes.
Individuals who previously reached their lifetime dollar limit can also be added or re-enrolled during the special enrollment period.
Click here to learn more. Questions? Ask them here or on Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan's F...
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By:
MarianneUP
On:
8/31/2010
There is an increasing consensus that many high tech radiology procedures are overused but no agreement on what to do about it.
An important review study reported in the Archive of Internal Medicine concluded that exposure to even one CT scan can produce cancer later in life. The editorial in the Archive notes that every day more than 19,500 CT scans are done in the U.S. and that almost 70 percent of non-elderly adults received a CT scan within a three year period. That amount is stunning,...
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By:
MHAKeystoneCenter
On:
8/26/2010
A key component in the continued effort by Michigan health care providers to improve patient safety is the involvement of physicians. The MHA Keystone Center for Patient Safety & Quality will be presenting at the Michigan State Medical Society Foundation’s 145th Annual Scientific Meeting (ASM) in October. The meeting will be attended by physicians of all specialties, residents, students, nurses, and all other health care professionals. The MHA Keystone Center will use this opportunity to eng...
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By:
MarianneUP
On:
8/16/2010
On August 1, 2010, the U.S. District Court in Virginia ruled that the lawsuit against the Affordable Care Act (ACA) can proceed. Judge Hudson defined the issue as: "whether or not Congress has the power to regulate – and tax – a citizen's decision not to participate in interstate commerce " A summary judgment hearing on the case will occur on October 18 and every state and the federal government will be watching closely to see how the judge rules on the merits.
I have no expertise to comme...
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By:
mightymom
On:
8/10/2010
Last week, the Center for Healthcare Research and Transformation (CHRT) released an issue brief showing just how much chronic conditions such as asthma, diabetes and heart disease add to the rising cost of health care in Michigan. For example, someone with no chronic condition may cost $2,788 each year for medical care. Someone with diabetes might cost $10,491, and someone with heart disease - $16,882.
Yeah, sure, you say. Of course it costs more to care for someone with one of these condi...
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By:
MHAKeystoneCenter
On:
8/9/2010
The success of the MHA Keystone Center for Patient Safety & Quality: Intensive Care Unit (ICU) collaborative in saving 1,830 lives and more than $271 million in health care dollars between March 2004 and March 2009 garnered the attention of the federal government. In early 2009, the On the CUSP Stop BSI project modeled after the work done in MHA Keystone: ICU launched in 10 states and was expanded to all 50 states in October 2009. Currently, more than 600 hospitals in 30 states participate i...
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By:
MarianneUP
On:
8/9/2010
This past week, our Center released a report on the cost of chronic disease in Michigan. As we noted in that report, nationally, five percent of the U.S. population accounts for almost half of all health care spending and 20 percent accounts for 80 percent. In addition, according to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, chronic disease accounts for 7 out of 10 deaths annually in the United States.
In our report, we noted that for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan in 2008, th...
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By:
HealthierMISven
On:
8/9/2010
If you’ve ever glanced at an Explanation of Benefits form, you know that it contains a confusing array of dollar figures, all for the same medical procedure.
The often wildly divergent figures illustrate how the modern health care system works.
For the sake of illustration, let’s say you go to the hospital, where you receive an outpatient colonoscopy procedure. And let’s say the hospital charges $2,000 (not necessarily a true average charge, but let’s use it for our purposes h...
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By:
PamBerry
On:
8/6/2010
In 1955, at the height of the baby boom, a caesarian section birth, without complications, cost less than $200. Today the total cost is about $14,000.
What accounts for such a huge jump in cost?
Most articles addressing the reasons for rising health care costs put technology at the top of the list.
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan President and CEO Daniel J. Loepp also cited technology as a major driver of rising health care costs at a recent employee Town Hall-style meeting....
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By:
MarianneUP
On:
8/3/2010
One of the provisions I particularly like in the Affordable Care Act is the section that provides $1.5 billion over five years to states for home visiting programs for new mothers.
Under the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program, nurses, social workers, or other professionals are expected to meet with at-risk families in their homes, evaluate the families’ circumstances, and connect families with help related to health care, developmental services for children, early ...
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