Category: Editorials

The solution to “keep your health care plan”

The solution to “keep your health care plan”

Section 1251 of the Affordable Care Act does say you can keep your health care through as a “grandfathered plan” eliminating many of the ACA’s requirements. But the Department of Health and Human Services wrote a rule that undermines the ability of an insurer to really keep a plan grandfathered.  The solution is breathtakingly simple:…

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Denial of Multi-Visceral Transplants a Matter of Life or Death

Denial of Multi-Visceral Transplants a Matter of Life or Death

Since Julie Hamos, Illinois Medicaid Director, has decided to deny payment for multi-visceral transplants we can count three Medicaid patients who have expired. We will not give up and  will continue to seek a change so that, like the 33 states who approve the this procedure, Illinois will approve this rarely needed procedure without which…

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Doc Fix

Doc Fix

Before Congress left for it’s August recess we had a nice victory. A House Committee passed a bill commonly referred to as the Doc Fix and adopted an amendment that will allow Wisconsin to develop a best in the nation system of physicians being told privately how well or how poorly they perform both on…

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Solve Home Care Problem

Solve Home Care Problem

Please see the letter to the editor posted in today’s Journal Sentinel: The Obama administration decision to delay the imposition of an employer mandate is welcome. But it doesn’t solve the fundamental problem for Medicaid dependent home care providers. Home care companies that are dependent on Medicaid are only paid $16 per hour per patient…

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Smart Move from Obama Administration

Smart Move from Obama Administration

The Obama Administration has made a dramatic announcement that it is delaying by one year the employer mandate for health insurance coverage finessing it past the 2014 election. A very smart move. It was announced via the Treasury Department blog which is can be found here.

Heartbreak

Heartbreak

Illinois Medicaid has decided to reject a request for a multi-viscersal transplant for two Illinois patient–one a 23 year single mom African American and the other a downstate 67 year old Grandma It is trully heartbreaking. (See link to Crain’s story) Multivisceral transplant which have been pioneered at Indiana University involve a new liver, kidney,…

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