As I write this blog post, my final of 2009, the Senate has just passed the $871 billion health bill, 60-39. There is still reconciliation to be done, so it ain’t over ’til it’s over.Even as a health reform bill passes, remember Confucius – a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. [...]

The long end-tail of the recession and the rising costs of health care — both medical trend/clinical and administrative — are creating uncertainty for employers who cover retiree health benefits. This picture is even more cloudy for pre-retirement benefit plan design.The bottom line: how do employers balance burdensome health costs with legacy promises?This question is [...]

The 3 top-of-mind concerns for Americans at year-end are the economy, jobs, and health care. The top 3 hasn’t substantially changed since April, when the AP-GfK Poll collected data showing that other issues on Americans’ collective mind included terrorism, the deficit, taxes, energy, and relations with other countries. We’re ending up the year pretty happy [...]

The over-arching challenge facing health care in the U.S. for 2010 is managing costs, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers‘ forecast, titled appropriately, Squeezing the Juice Out of Healthcare. PwC says that health stakeholder organizations will have to redefine their roles given the ‘squeeze’ on incoming revenues, forcing focused management of operational costs. “Flat is the new growth [...]

The size of a primary care physician practice is a major factor in whether those physicians use care management tools for managing chronic conditions in patients.Care management tools are most widely used in groups with over 50 physicians and group/staff model HMOs. In Expectations Outpace Reality: Physicians’ Use of Care Management Tools for Patients with [...]