Rural Health Reform resources related to rural health and human services, with information provided by the Rural Assistance Center Copyright 2012 Rural Assistance Center http://www.raconline.org/topics/hot_topics/health_reform/ Presents results from a survey revealing data on uninsured adults and children living in poverty. Describes how the Affordable Care Act (ACA) will work to reduce these uninsured rates. -- Commonwealth Fund http://www.commonwealthfund.org/~/media/Files/Publications/Issue%20Brief/2012/Feb/1579_collins_income_divide_tracking_brief.pdf Tue, 07 Feb 2012 11:13:43 CST http://www.commonwealthfund.org/~/media/Files/Publications/Issue%20Brief/2012/Feb/1579_collins_income_divide_tracking_brief.pdf Adults in low - and moderate - income families are more likely to be uninsured, to lack a regular source of health care, and to struggle to get the health care they need compared to those in higher-income families, according to a new Commonwealth Fund survey. http://www.commonwealthfund.org/Publications/Issue-Briefs/2012/Feb/Income-Divide.aspx Tue, 07 Feb 2012 10:00:18 CST http://www.commonwealthfund.org/Publications/Issue-Briefs/2012/Feb/Income-Divide.aspx Describes ACA initiatives that will be implemented between now and the year 2016 and affect small businesses in terms of insurance exchanges, penalties for not providing affordable coverage, tax credits, and grants for wellness programs. -- Kaiser Family Foundation http://www.kff.org/healthreform/upload/8275.pdf Thu, 02 Feb 2012 15:38:38 CST http://www.kff.org/healthreform/upload/8275.pdf Nearly 3.6 million people with Medicare saved $2.1 billion on their prescription drugs in 2011 due to the Affordable Care Act according to data issued today by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). http://www.raconline.org/news/details.php?news_id=17268 Thu, 02 Feb 2012 10:15:36 CST http://www.raconline.org/news/details.php?news_id=17268 This proposed rule from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services would revise requirements pertaining to Medicaid reimbursement for covered outpatient drugs to implement provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010. This proposed rule would also revise other requirements related to covered outpatient drugs, including key aspects of Medicaid coverage, payment, and the drug rebate program. https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2012/02/02/2012-2014/medicaid-program-covered-outpatient-drugs Thu, 02 Feb 2012 09:27:33 CST https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2012/02/02/2012-2014/medicaid-program-covered-outpatient-drugs Provisions in the health care reform law, the Affordable Care Act, will save taxpayers and States an estimated $17.7 billion over five years on prescription drugs bought through Medicaid, according to estimates in a proposed rule issued today by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). http://www.raconline.org/news/details.php?news_id=17235 Mon, 30 Jan 2012 09:43:18 CST http://www.raconline.org/news/details.php?news_id=17235 Collection of common questions covering general information on the Medicaid RAC (Recovery Audit Contractor) and operational guidance to States. -- Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services http://www.cms.gov/MedicaidIntegrityProgram/downloads/Scanned_document_29-12-2011_13-20-42.pdf?utm_source=Rural+Route+January+27%2C+2012&utm_campaign=rural+route&utm_medium=email Mon, 30 Jan 2012 08:48:53 CST http://www.cms.gov/MedicaidIntegrityProgram/downloads/Scanned_document_29-12-2011_13-20-42.pdf?utm_source=Rural+Route+January+27%2C+2012&utm_campaign=rural+route&utm_medium=email Obama Administration officials and a breadth of representatives from across the health care system met in Washington yesterday for a day-long meeting to explore how they can collaborate and improve the quality of health care while at the same time lowering costs. http://www.raconline.org/news/details.php?news_id=17227 Fri, 27 Jan 2012 10:34:16 CST http://www.raconline.org/news/details.php?news_id=17227 Kaiser Health News article reports that in his State of the Union speech, President Barack Obama made just one explicit mention of the 2010 health law and offers a transcript of the few parts of his speech that mentioned health care issues. http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/Stories/2012/January/24/state-of-the-union-excerpts.aspx?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+khn%2Fstories%2Fheadlinesonly+%28Kaiser+Health+News+-+Stories+%28Headlines%29%29 Wed, 25 Jan 2012 10:09:49 CST http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/Stories/2012/January/24/state-of-the-union-excerpts.aspx?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+khn%2Fstories%2Fheadlinesonly+%28Kaiser+Health+News+-+Stories+%28Headlines%29%29 Health insurance premium increases in five states have been deemed unreasonable by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced yesterday. http://www.raconline.org/news/details.php?news_id=17167 Fri, 13 Jan 2012 09:33:33 CST http://www.raconline.org/news/details.php?news_id=17167 American Medical News article reports that a new Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services regulation sets a framework for electronic fund transfers that should cut down on administrative time and money spent on processing paper checks, officials said. http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2012/01/09/gvsd0112.htm Thu, 12 Jan 2012 10:14:08 CST http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2012/01/09/gvsd0112.htm Medscape Today News interviews Mary Wakefield, administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), on the Affordable Care Act and how it will impact Community Health Centers (CHCs), as well as discussing the National Health Service Corps and Teaching Health Centers. http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/755950 Wed, 11 Jan 2012 10:58:44 CST http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/755950 Kaiser Health News reports that Jonathan Gruber, an economist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, has published a book, "Health Care Reform: What It Is, Why It's Necessary, How It Works," that explains the ins and outs of the law in an innovative way: an adult comic-strip form similar to graphic novels. http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/Features/Insuring-Your-Health/2012/health-law-graphic-comic-book-Michelle-Andrews-Gruber.aspx Wed, 11 Jan 2012 10:17:56 CST http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/Features/Insuring-Your-Health/2012/health-law-graphic-comic-book-Michelle-Andrews-Gruber.aspx The National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services will hold a public meeting February 15-17, 2012, in Washington, D.C. to hear panel presentations on Affordable Care Act related provisions. http://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2012/01/10/2012-225/national-advisory-committee-on-rural-health-and-human-services-notice-of-meeting Tue, 10 Jan 2012 09:51:01 CST http://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2012/01/10/2012-225/national-advisory-committee-on-rural-health-and-human-services-notice-of-meeting This interim final rule with comment period from the Department of Health and Human Services implements parts of section 1104 of the Affordable Care Act which requires the adoption of a standard for electronic funds transfers (EFT). It defines EFT and explains how the adopted standards support and facilitate health care EFT transmissions. http://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2012/01/10/2012-132/administrative-simplification-adoption-of-standards-for-health-care-electronic-funds-transfers-efts Tue, 10 Jan 2012 09:42:20 CST http://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2012/01/10/2012-132/administrative-simplification-adoption-of-standards-for-health-care-electronic-funds-transfers-efts Provides interactive summaries of the Affordable Care Act, as well as other proposals put forward during the year-long reform debate in Congress. -- Kaiser Family Foundation http://www.kff.org/healthreform/sidebyside.cfm Tue, 20 Dec 2011 15:07:20 CST http://www.kff.org/healthreform/sidebyside.cfm Interactive tool designed to explain how and when the provisions of the health reform law will be implemented over the next several years. View provisions by year or topic. -- Kaiser Family Foundation http://healthreform.kff.org/timeline.aspx Mon, 07 Nov 2011 14:41:33 CST http://healthreform.kff.org/timeline.aspx Offers information about the Affordable Care Act, including state-level actions and stories. -- White House http://www.whitehouse.gov/healthreform Fri, 04 Nov 2011 16:22:18 CST http://www.whitehouse.gov/healthreform Loans to foster the creation of new consumer-governed, private, nonprofit health insurance issuers, known as CO-OPs. -- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services http://www.raconline.org/funding/details.php?funding_id=2667 Tue, 09 Aug 2011 12:20:36 CST http://www.raconline.org/funding/details.php?funding_id=2667 Examines health needs of rural populations, and how well the health care system addresses them. Presents new data on rural care quality; on theviews of people living in rural areas; rural networks; rural telemedicine; and what their physicians see as the major challenges to overcome. This is the sixth in a series of working papers by UnitedHealth Group focusing on health reform topics. -- UnitedHealth Center for Health Reform and Modernization http://www.unitedhealthgroup.com/hrm/UNH_WorkingPaper6.pdf Wed, 27 Jul 2011 11:11:23 CST http://www.unitedhealthgroup.com/hrm/UNH_WorkingPaper6.pdf Examines how the Affordable Care Act benefits young adults, specifically those in rural areas, with provisions that include the ability to remain on their parents policies, the creation of health insurance marketplaces, the elimination of pre-existing conditions, and incentives for employers to provide coverage. -- Center for Rural Affairs http://files.cfra.org/pdf/health-care-young-adults.pdf Thu, 07 Jul 2011 11:49:35 CST http://files.cfra.org/pdf/health-care-young-adults.pdf Shows how certain policy approaches would use the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) to achieve state goals and policy objectives, such as increasing the use of tele-medicine to serve rural Medicaid beneficiaries. -- Urban Institute http://www.achp.org/themes/ACPH_Main/files/SCI_Dorn_Report_2010_Updated_9.3.2010.pdf Tue, 21 Jun 2011 11:19:31 CST http://www.achp.org/themes/ACPH_Main/files/SCI_Dorn_Report_2010_Updated_9.3.2010.pdf Describes the history of telemedicine in the U.S. and examines the role telemedicine plays in health system reform efforts nationally and internationally, including how it reduces barriers to care in rural areas. http://assets1.csc.com/health_services/downloads/CSC_Telemedicine_An_Essential_Technology_for_Reformed_Healthcare.pdf Tue, 21 Jun 2011 10:44:48 CST http://assets1.csc.com/health_services/downloads/CSC_Telemedicine_An_Essential_Technology_for_Reformed_Healthcare.pdf Describes four policy challenges related to the Affordable Care Act's (ACA) health insurance exchanges and subsidies: adjusting premium and cost-sharing subsidies when incomes change; coordinating eligibility for premium credits, Medicaid, and the Childrens Health Insurance Program (CHIP); encouraging and facilitating continuous coverage; and minimizing transitions between individual and small-business exchanges. -- Commonwealth Fund http://www.commonwealthfund.org/~/media/Files/Publications/Issue%20Brief/2011/May/1503_Short_maintaining_coverage_affordability_reform_brief.pdf Thu, 19 May 2011 11:59:21 CST http://www.commonwealthfund.org/~/media/Files/Publications/Issue%20Brief/2011/May/1503_Short_maintaining_coverage_affordability_reform_brief.pdf Describes accountable care organizations (ACOs) and the Medicare Shared Savings Program, a provision of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Provides recommendations for ensuring the successful implementation and spread of ACOs to achieve the goals of a high performance health system. -- Commonwealth Fund http://www.commonwealthfund.org/Publications/Fund-Reports/2011/Apr/High-Performance-Accountable-Care.aspx Tue, 26 Apr 2011 11:12:54 CST http://www.commonwealthfund.org/Publications/Fund-Reports/2011/Apr/High-Performance-Accountable-Care.aspx Examines the challenges, including financial and workforce resources, facing rural hospitals as they implement the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. -- American Hospital Association http://www.aha.org/research/reports/tw/11apr-tw-rural.pdf Tue, 19 Apr 2011 09:10:14 CST http://www.aha.org/research/reports/tw/11apr-tw-rural.pdf Designed to help people understand the Affordable Care Act legislation and its implementation. Information is geared toward federal and state legislative and public agency staff, private organizations and interest groups involved in implementation, health policy researchers, and the press. http://www.healthreformgps.org/ Wed, 13 Apr 2011 11:15:23 CST http://www.healthreformgps.org/ Webinar, presented by Keith Mueller, discusses the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) or (ACA) and how it could affect rural residents, providers and their communities. -- Rural Assistance Center http://www.raconline.org/webinars/033011.php Wed, 06 Apr 2011 09:27:19 CST http://www.raconline.org/webinars/033011.php Provides a detailed look at the improvements in Medicare benefits, changes to payments for providers and Medicare Advantage plans, various demonstration projects and other Medicare provisions in the law. -- Kaiser Family Foundation http://www.kff.org/healthreform/upload/7948-02.pdf Wed, 23 Mar 2011 11:20:07 CST http://www.kff.org/healthreform/upload/7948-02.pdf Discusses the National Strategy for Quality Improvement in Health Care (the National Quality Strategy) plan, which is required by law. Report describes the initial strategy and plans for implementation. -- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services http://www.healthcare.gov/law/resources/reports/quality03212011a.html Tue, 22 Mar 2011 11:31:29 CST http://www.healthcare.gov/law/resources/reports/quality03212011a.html