Connect for Health Colorado Announces Health Insurance Rates

This week, Colorado announced the state's rates using their marketplace, Connect for Colorado. The state is providing over 242 plans, and officials are advising consumers to shop around to see which plan best suits their health care needs. Just as no person is alike, either are the premiums, and the deductibles tend to vary, that's why it's important to educate and explore all possible plans before choosing the right one.

The companies will offer plans at four levels -- bronze, silver, gold, and platinum -- plus catastrophic coverage. However, not every plan is available at every level. On average, bronze plans will cover 60% of your costs. Silver, gold, and platinum plans will cover 70%, 80%, and 90% of costs. Catastrophic plans have lower premiums but higher deductibles and out-of-pocket expenses.

Consumers that are already insured or on Medicare wont be affected by the new marketplace. Which marketplace do you think will run smoother, federal or state?

Want to learn more about the future of the marketplace? At IIR's HIX Reloaded, we'll help you shape your strategy for the ever evolving marketplace. Crowdsource the agenda by voting on what you need to know to ensure success when coverage starts on January 1, 2014. To learn more, download our agenda.

As a reader of this blog you'll receive 15% off the standard rate when you use code XP1810BLOG to register. We hope to see you November 14-16 in Baltimore, MD!

BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee Launches New Educational Health Care Wesbite

BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee launched a new website to help educate and explain the benefits of health insurance to first-time purchasers. The site covers everything from selecting the right benefits to financial planning. Their target audience? Millennials.

"Our research showed that all ages and demographics valued health insurance and want to have it, but many have the perception that they can't afford it," said Carla Raynor, vice president of strategic marketing for BlueCross. "But millennials in particular wanted an online resource for education that they could access at their convenience. This website will help them prepare to make important coverage decisions in October when they can make their selections."

Researchers also found that consumers wanted more resources available. Aside from simplifying the language, what are some other ways state officials can improve the process of helping consumers choose the best health care?

Want to learn more about the future of the marketplace? At IIR's HIX Reloaded, we'll help you shape your strategy for the ever evolving marketplace. Crowdsource the agenda by voting on what you need to know to ensure success when coverage starts on January 1, 2014.

To learn more, download our agenda. As a reader of this blog you'll receive 15% off the standard rate when you use code XP1810BLOG to register. We hope to see you November 14-16 in Baltimore, MD!

Understand and Comply with State Processes, Operations and Requirements

We're pleased to announce a new content partnership Huron Life Sciences. Each week they'll be sharing their latest insights on the Medicaid Rebate Process, Government Pricing & much more. Want to join them at the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program 2013 taking place September 9-11 in Chicago, IL? Save 15% when you mention XP1858BLOG to register.  Today’s Author: Sam Woronoff 

The Final Rule release is delayed yet again. However, this gives an excellent opportunity to “brush up” on the overall Government Pricing knowledge, perform last minute GP housekeeping, and tighten up the internal GP compliance operations, paying specific attention to some of the often overlooked areas such as the State reporting, Medicaid Rebate Processing, Dispute Resolution, supplemental/SPAP programs, and other concerns that the states' may have. This year's MDRP conference offers various tracks to fill in any GP knowledge gaps, especially in the matters of states.

Medicaid rebate operations on the states’ side have undergone many changes in the previous year. With many of the states transferring their operations such as data processing, invoicing, disputes and payment processing to a Third Party Administrator, manufacturers face challenges of keeping up with new information and sometimes modifying their systems to meet the TPA’s administrative requirements. The “States Spotlight: How States Are Currently Processing Rebates and Intend to Move Forward into 2014”session will provide updates on the current changes, as well as give important insights into the states’ future plans to develop and implement industry standard claims level detail in order to improve efficiency, reduce administrative costs, reduce dollars tied up in disputes, and provide a compliance platform.

Another hot topic is the Texas Drug Vendor Program. Texas has enforced even more regulation on its reporting requirements. In addition to the quarterly AMP and BP price reporting, as of March 2013, Texas requires a reporting of the monthly price changes to the Wholesaler, Chain Pharmacy, Retail Pharmacy, and LTC pharmacy class of trade for the drugs sold to these customers in Texas. Meeting these requirements is a big challenge for many manufacturers and creates more strain on budgets and resources. Jansen Pharmaceutical will be sharing valuable knowledge and findings gained from their experiences with implementing their Texas calculation and reporting program.

States are becoming bigger players in the GP arena and are demanding compliance from manufacturers. Everyone benefits from being better informed so that they can build a robust GP operation and be malleable to the ever-changing GP world. Huron Life Sciences will be presenting on this very subject as well as providing live blogs for the main conference and all tracks.

Looking forward to seeing you there!

Sharpen Your GP Skills with Focused Pre-Conference Symposia

IIR’s 18th Annual Medicaid Drug Rebate Program is less than 4 weeks away. It's the main event for everything government pricing, rebates and regulation. Simply put, it is the place where 500+ MDRP executives will convene to identify solutions and create an implementation roadmap for 2014 and beyond. What is the best way to experience MDRP Chicago? Being there-for all three days.

Join us for the Pre-Conference Day on Monday, September 9th and get access to any of the five symposia and five special networking activities, including:

Full Day Symposia (part of the Platinum Pass)
• ALL-NEW! Pharmaceutical VA Contracting and Compliance Summit
• MDRP 101-Understand the Fundamentals of the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program
• The AMP Final Rule-Are You Prepared?

Half Day Symposia (part of the Gold Pass)
 • ALL-NEW! 340B Summit for Manufacturers
• ALL-NEW! Managed Care Changes and Effects Government Pricing

To learn more, download our brochure.

As a reader of this blog, you'll receive an exclusive discount of 15% off of the standard price by using priority code XP1858BLOG to register. Questions about the event? Feel free to contact Kate Devery at kdevery@iirusa.com or visit the webpage.

Sincerely,
The MDRP Team

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North Carolina creates Health Care Coaltion to prepare for Affordable Care Act

State officials in North Carolina may not agree with 'Obamacare', a segment of the health care reform act passed by Congress in 2010, but they are doing everything in their power to make sure they are prepared for October 1st. There are less than two months to organize, so what is the solution?

The resulting coalition is called the Federal Marketplace Stakeholder Leadership Group and its members are brainstorming ways that will make the upcoming health care reform roll-out go as smoothly as possible. Four insurance companies will be offering South Carolina residents options to purchase a plan through the federal marketplace.

The state is heading in the right direction, meeting with health insurance companies, as well as setting up a directory for residents to direct their questions to, but will that be enough?

Want to learn more about the future of the marketplace? At IIR's HIX Reloaded, we'll help you shape your strategy for the ever evolving marketplace. Crowdsource the agenda by voting on what you need to know to ensure success when coverage starts on January 1, 2014.

To learn more, download our agenda. As a reader of this blog you'll receive 15% off the standard rate when you use code XP1810BLOG to register. We hope to see you November 14-16 in Baltimore, MD!

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina create offices to educate residents for the ACA

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina opened the state's first office to help educate and eventually, enroll consumers who will be shopping for new insurance policies this October. Under the Affordable Care Act, all residents are required to have coverage, for some this will be the first time so the state is hoping that these offices will provide some guidance in choosing the right healthcare.

The North Carolina company also hauls an air-conditioned showroom trailer to fairs and farmers markets to reach out to the estimated 600,000 people who will be newly shopping for individual policies – some of them subsidized by the government for consumers who might have trouble affording a policy. Many of the individual policies will be sold on a statewide Internet marketplace designed to make buying coverage comparable to finding a hotel room or rental car.

The Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association launched an informational campaign last month with Walgreens to help provide people in other states with the material they need to help them make a decision. Many other health plans are setting up in malls, grocery stores, and pharmacies across the U.S. to help educate people. What do you think is the best way to connect?

Want to learn more about the future of the marketplace? At IIR's HIX Reloaded, we'll help you shape your strategy for the ever evolving marketplace. Crowdsource the agenda by voting on what you need to know to ensure success when coverage starts on January 1, 2014. To learn more, download our agenda.

As a reader of this blog you'll receive 15% off the standard rate when you use code XP1810BLOG to register. We hope to see you November 14-16 in Baltimore, MD!

Understanding the fundamentals of health insurance

According to recent studies, most Americans still don't understand what will happen to their health insurance when the Affordable Care Act (ACA) goes into effect this fall.  The ACA is meant to expand your current options of health care, not limit them, so which decision is the right one?

Previous research has shown that competition at the consumer level is only likely to result in reduced prices and improved quality when sufficient numbers of consumers make informed decisions. The study led by Loewenstein shows that consumers do not understand health insurance and therefore casts doubt on whether they will make the best decisions under the ACA.


Want to learn more about the future of the marketplace? At IIR's HIX Reloaded, we'll help you shape your strategy for the ever evolving marketplace. Crowdsource the agenda by voting on what you need to know to ensure success when coverage starts on January 1, 2014. To learn more, download our agenda.

As a reader of this blog you'll receive 15% off the standard rate when you use code XP1810BLOG to register. We hope to see you November 14-16 in Baltimore, MD!

Vote Now to Shape the HIX Reloaded Agenda

Get ready, get set—it’s crunch time! With enrollment beginning in October and coverage starting on January 1, there’s not much time for you to create a marketing campaign, build out your network as necessary, ensure your IT systems are compatible, and do everything else you need to do before exchanges are live. You need to prepare, but there are so many questions it’s hard to know where to start. Wouldn’t it be great to hear from HIX early entrants on all three model perspectives—and what they’ve learned so far—so you are fully prepared for what may lie ahead?

Look no further! IIR’s HIX Reloaded taking place November 14-15 in Baltimore, MD, is here to help.

WHAT YOU NEED
Answers to your most pressing questions, presented by health plans who are ahead of the rest when it comes to preparing for exchange implementation.

HOW YOU WILL GET IT
By telling us what you need to know and helping us crowdsource the agenda. Tell us—and the confirmed health plan and government speakers—what you need to know by voting on topics that overcome your company’s evolving marketplace challenges.

VOTE TODAY

Want to learn more? Download our agenda. As a reader of this blog, mentioned code XP1810BLOG when registering to save 15% off of the standard rate. Questions about the event? Feel free to email Kate Devery (KDevery@IIRUSA.com) or check out our homepage.

We look forward to seeing you November 14-15 in Baltimore, MD!

Cheers,
The HIX Reloaded Team

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The All-New HIX Experience

IIR is proud to introduce an all-new event experience HIX Reloaded formerly known as Health Insurance Exchange Congress, taking place on November 14-15 in Baltimore.

HIX RELOADED HAS EVOLVED. As health insurance exchanges evolved over the past year, so have your needs. Your peers told us that we needed to take our Health Insurance Exchange (HIX) Congress to the next level. Due to the many uncertainties surrounding the new marketplaces, your peers told us that you need answers to questions you may not have crystalized, but don’t have a reputable source to go to for the experts and insights you crave.

WHY ATTEND HIX RELOADED? HIX Reloaded directly addresses these concerns by involving health plan experts and government officials from 13 states to come together and discuss early lessons learned, anticipate future enrollment and tackle coverage challenges. And they’ll know what to discuss because you’re going to help us crowdsource the agenda. Based on your input, we’ll include topics that are the most relevant and timely so you can implement the best exchange strategy for your organization.

VOTE HERE

Want to learn more? Download our agenda.

As a reader of this blog, mention code XP1810BLOG when registering to save 15% off of the standard rate. Questions about the event? Feel free to email Kate Devery (KDevery@IIRUSA.com) or check out our homepage.

We look forward to seeing you November 14-15 in Baltimore, MD!

Cheers,
The HIX Reloaded Team

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Obama Administration Delays Employer Mandate

The Obama Administration announced that the employer mandate portion of the new law will be delayed one year, so the first question on everyone's mind, how much is this going to cost? On Tuesday the Congressional Budget Office reported that the delay would cost nearly $12 billion.

Federal revenue is expected go down next year because employers who don’t offer qualifying coverage won’t have to pay a tax penalty. Federal spending will go up because CBO projects that a half million more people will be getting subsidized coverage through the law’s exchanges and its Medicaid expansion.

The real issue at hand right now, although hard to believe, is not the cost, but the fact that it will take one year. However, the impact of the delay will not be major, nor will it affect most people's health insurance. What do you think of the delay?

Want to learn more about the future of the marketplace? At IIR's HIX Reloaded, we'll help you shape your strategy for the ever evolving marketplace. Crowdsource the agenda by voting on what you need to know to ensure success when coverage starts on January 1, 2014. To learn more, download our agenda.

As a reader of this blog you'll receive 15% off the standard rate when you use code XP1810BLOG to register. We hope to see you November 14-16 in Baltimore, MD! - See more at: http://healthcareinsights.blogspot.com/#sthash.yo2J5Nwa.dpuf