Grantees in the News

A recent Health Affairs blog post discussed states’ role in overseeing vertical health care integration. The authors note that while integration may reduce unnecessary use of services, it also risks further consolidation and price increases.

In the Health Affairs blog, Thomas Greaney, J.D., of Saint Louis University School of Law, discusses health insurance consolidation and two possible justifications for the proposed mergers of four of the big five competitors in the health insurance industry.

In a piece on retail health clinics, Heidi Godman of the Harvard Health Blog outlines the pros and cons of the emergence of this recent trend in health care. She notes that retail clinics offer convenient, accessible care for many people. Former HCFO grantee Dr.

As hospitals acquire physician practices, there has been increased attention to the effects on commercial healthcare prices. In a piece in Becker’s ASC Review, Laura Dyrda of Becker’s Healthcare featured findings from J.

Although the number of uninsured Americans has fallen significantly, those with health insurance are struggling to pay their medical bills. In a piece on medical bankruptcy, Margot Sanger-Katz of the New York Times discusses the financial problems faced by the insured under age 65.

As the new year unfolds, Bob Herman of Modern Healthcare highlights the pressing issues in the health insurance industry for 2016. In addition to the pending insurance mergers and the Affordable Care Act’s exchange market, he discusses provider network adequacy and out-of-network bills.

In the Health Affairs Blog, former HCFO grantee Donald Taylor co-authored a post on Medicare hospice and end-of-life policy. The piece discusses the three policy changes that the new year will bring (hospice reimbursement reform, payment for advanced care planning discussions, and the Medicare Care Choices Model) and features findings from Taylor’s HCFO study.