Virginia Health Insurance Cost

"Medical home" model emphasized in Anthem initiative [Richmond Times-Dispatch ...

"We also know from our health plans across the country, where we have worked with patient-centered medical homes, that we've been able to reduce acute inpatient admissions by 18 percent and decrease total (emergency room) visits by 15 percent," Schukman said.

Federal health-care reform emphasizes patient-centered medical homes, a team-based model of care that relies on primary-care providers to oversee and coordinate patient-care needs.

WellPoint has operated medical home pilot projects in some markets.

Primary-care doctors such as family physicians and internists emphasize preventive care such as routine screening and disease management, which can keep medical problems from developing or worsening. Primary-care doctors typically are paid less than specialists such as cardiologists and endocrinologists, however.

"Our attempt is to increase reimbursement for primary-care physicians in terms of their regular fees, particularly as it relates to preventive care, care for chronic disease like diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease," Schukman said.

"Those are the areas where you can have the most significant impact. Eighty percent of (health-care) costs are usually driven by 10 to 20 percent of individuals. That's the first thing we are going to do."

Schukman said Anthem also will reimburse primary-care physicians for preparing care plans for patients with multiple and complex conditions, something that isn't done now.

"They are doing a lot of the work. They are doing the case management, the disease management. They are reaching out to these folks to make sure they are taking their medicines, to make sure they are keeping their doctors' visits, to make sure they are following the proper diet," Schukman said..

Anthem health plan members, he said, will have more contact with their doctors.

"They'll be getting more reminders from their doctors. They'll see more seamless care, hopefully better quality of care.

Virginia Should Fight the Federal Health Care Takeover - Reason ...

If you're married to a gambling addict, you don't do him any favors by lending him money or telling the bank you were the one who blew the mortgage at the track. Likewise, Virginia should not enable Washington's addiction to big government, epitomized by the federal takeover of health care, by setting up a state insurance exchange.

State lawmakers across the country are debating whether, and how, to set up such exchanges, which are encouraged by the 2010 federal health-care overhaul, or let the feds do it for them. The exchanges will act as clearinghouses where consumers can compare health insurance policies, a bit like the way you can compare travel deals on Expedia.com.

Here in Virginia, legislators differ on whether the exchange should be an entity unto itself, or an arm of the State Corporation Commission. The correct answer is: neither. Virginia should not set up such an exchange at all. The commonwealth has nothing to gain by doing so, and a lot to lose.

For one thing, the Supreme Court might rule the

As Virginia Democrats have argued about some of Gov. Bob

Of course, the high court might rule in favor of ObamaCare. If

Any state exchange will have to abide by the Obama

Those mandates will drive up premiums. And high premiums have

What happens if a state creates an exchange that Washington

That bill almost certainly will be far higher than anyone has

But at least residents up there are getting better care, right?

ObamaCare could soon produce the same higher costs and poorer

Naturally, federal officials would love to sit back and give

A. Barton Hinkle is a columnist at the Richmond originally appeared . #

I work in Massachusetts. When I started my job in 2009, I paid

Everyone thinks it's great most of the people in Mass have #

Samuel Clemens said " I have never met a man I could not learn

In science, even failed experiments have value.