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| Feds to put up $1.9B for Oregon health overhaul Date: May 03, 2012 03:53PM |
[news.yahoo.com]
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The Obama administration is buying into an ambitious health care initiative in Oregon, announcing Thursday it has tentatively agreed to chip in $1.9 billion over five years to help get the program off the ground.
Oregon hopes to prove that states can save billions on Medicaid without sacrificing the quality of health care. Gov. John Kitzhaber's plan would invest in preventive care to keep patients healthy so they don't need expensive hospitalizations.
"If this works, I think other states are going to be looking at this as a way to manage that patient population," said Kitzhaber, a Democrat and former emergency room physician who has worked for decades on reforming the health care system.
The federal government could save $1.5 trillion over the next 10 years if all 50 states adopted Oregon's approach, the governor has said.
Medicaid, which provides health coverage for low-income Americans, is jointly funded by the state and federal governments. Federal officials have not yet agreed to grant Oregon a waiver from standard Medicaid regulations, which is needed for the program to be implemented and the money to be spent.
The financial commitment from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, while tentative, is a clear public endorsement of the concept and an indication that the administration believes the initiative holds promise to save money. The state anticipates savings of $11 billion to state and federal budgets over the next decade by reducing duplicated treatments and avoidable hospitalizations.
Finding ways to deliver health care for cheaper is a critical challenge as baby boomers age and President Barack Obama's health care overhaul extends coverage to millions more Americans, many of whom will join Medicaid in 2014. Under Obama's Affordable Care Act, the federal government will pay most of the costs for the new patients.
In a statement, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said Oregon's plan "mirrors our plan at the national level under the Affordable Care Act."
"This is another example of how we are collaborating successfully with states in their efforts to find innovative health care solutions that work for their communities," Sebelius said.
The Oregon plan would create "coordinated care organizations" to manage all mental, physical and dental care for 600,000 low-income patients on the Oregon Health Plan, the state's Medicaid program. It would focus particularly on the sickest patients with the highest costs, especially people with chronic conditions such as diabetes and asthma or with mental health concerns.
The point, proponents say, is to provide money for services that keep people healthy but don't get much funding — such as paying caseworkers to make sure patients go to medical appointments and take their medications. The state Legislature overwhelmingly endorsed the idea this year and last, though some Republicans complained that it would increase the government's role in health care.
“Stay Hungry Stay Foolish"
"There are only two mantras yummm and yuk "
"There is a fine line between a rut and a groove"
"I got to that part and I knew there was going to be some weapons grade stupid to follow"Lux Interior
"When all the trees have been cut down, when all the animals have been hunted,
when all the waters are polluted, when all the air is unsafe to breathe, only then
will you discover you cannot eat money."
~ Cree Prophecy
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The Obama administration is buying into an ambitious health care initiative in Oregon, announcing Thursday it has tentatively agreed to chip in $1.9 billion over five years to help get the program off the ground.
Oregon hopes to prove that states can save billions on Medicaid without sacrificing the quality of health care. Gov. John Kitzhaber's plan would invest in preventive care to keep patients healthy so they don't need expensive hospitalizations.
"If this works, I think other states are going to be looking at this as a way to manage that patient population," said Kitzhaber, a Democrat and former emergency room physician who has worked for decades on reforming the health care system.
The federal government could save $1.5 trillion over the next 10 years if all 50 states adopted Oregon's approach, the governor has said.
Medicaid, which provides health coverage for low-income Americans, is jointly funded by the state and federal governments. Federal officials have not yet agreed to grant Oregon a waiver from standard Medicaid regulations, which is needed for the program to be implemented and the money to be spent.
The financial commitment from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, while tentative, is a clear public endorsement of the concept and an indication that the administration believes the initiative holds promise to save money. The state anticipates savings of $11 billion to state and federal budgets over the next decade by reducing duplicated treatments and avoidable hospitalizations.
Finding ways to deliver health care for cheaper is a critical challenge as baby boomers age and President Barack Obama's health care overhaul extends coverage to millions more Americans, many of whom will join Medicaid in 2014. Under Obama's Affordable Care Act, the federal government will pay most of the costs for the new patients.
In a statement, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said Oregon's plan "mirrors our plan at the national level under the Affordable Care Act."
"This is another example of how we are collaborating successfully with states in their efforts to find innovative health care solutions that work for their communities," Sebelius said.
The Oregon plan would create "coordinated care organizations" to manage all mental, physical and dental care for 600,000 low-income patients on the Oregon Health Plan, the state's Medicaid program. It would focus particularly on the sickest patients with the highest costs, especially people with chronic conditions such as diabetes and asthma or with mental health concerns.
The point, proponents say, is to provide money for services that keep people healthy but don't get much funding — such as paying caseworkers to make sure patients go to medical appointments and take their medications. The state Legislature overwhelmingly endorsed the idea this year and last, though some Republicans complained that it would increase the government's role in health care.
“Stay Hungry Stay Foolish"
"There are only two mantras yummm and yuk "
"There is a fine line between a rut and a groove"
"I got to that part and I knew there was going to be some weapons grade stupid to follow"Lux Interior
"When all the trees have been cut down, when all the animals have been hunted,
when all the waters are polluted, when all the air is unsafe to breathe, only then
will you discover you cannot eat money."
~ Cree Prophecy
| Re: Feds to put up $1.9B for Oregon health overhaul Date: May 04, 2012 08:25PM |
Something like 3% of near indigent the population accounts for 60% of the E.R. costs in some cities. If a service visits a 75 year old diabetic at home for $500 and figures out he can't see well enough to fill his syringe with insulin instead of air, you can prevent a few $25,000 hospital visits in the next six months. The payoff happens as fast as you keep people out of the E.R. and then can chart the costs. Like less than 12 months.
in tha 510.
in tha 510.| Re: Feds to put up $1.9B for Oregon health overhaul Date: May 05, 2012 03:35PM |
Politifact is anything but. They have investigated things that people say as 100% true without any contradiction and then give it a rating of 'mostly true.' It seems to depend on who wrote the story and if they were in the mood to kick their puppy when they left for work in the morning.
There is a huge bureaucracy that has been built up and is eating 18% of our GDP. It is going to be a very, very, very painful and slow process to cut that cost in half and end up with better care like the some of the rest of the world is getting now. The medical schools and medical insurance companies might effectively need to be destroyed and rebuilt from scratch on a new sustainable business model.
Hot Spotting Health Care
in tha 510.
There is a huge bureaucracy that has been built up and is eating 18% of our GDP. It is going to be a very, very, very painful and slow process to cut that cost in half and end up with better care like the some of the rest of the world is getting now. The medical schools and medical insurance companies might effectively need to be destroyed and rebuilt from scratch on a new sustainable business model.
Hot Spotting Health Care
in tha 510.Sorry, only registered users may post in this forum.