Tuesday, May 27, 2003

Health Reimbursement Arrangements: Making a Good Deal Better
Brief analysis from the National Center for Policy Analysis, available through the Open Minds web site - "The proportion of health care paid directly by consumers has been falling for decades. In 1960, individuals paid directly for 50 percent of their health care. Today they pay for only 15 percent. The other 85 percent is paid by third parties, generally employers, insurance companies or the government. As their share of health expenses declined, so also did consumers’ interest in controlling health care costs...."  
  

Corporate Responsibility and Corporate Compliance: A Resource for Health Care Boards of Directors
Paper by the Office of Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and The American Health Lawyers Associations available at the Open Minds web site - "As corporate responsibility issues fill the headlines, corporate directors are coming under greater scrutiny. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act, state legislation, agency pronouncements, court cases and scholarly writings offer a myriad of rules, regulations, prohibitions, and interpretations in this area. While all Boards of Directors must address these issues, directors of health care organizations also have important responsibilities that need to be met relating to corporate compliance requirements unique to the health care industry..."  
  

Our wise investment in Medicaid pays off
Opinion piece by Arnold Robbins in the Boston Globe - "Thanks to a mental health revolution, powerful new medications (in conjunction with psychosocial treatments) now allow people with even serious disorders to maintain productive lives and to meaningfully contribute to society, living successfully in their communities, holding jobs, and raising families. The drugs are neither perfect nor cheap, but their strain on state Medicaid budgets is frequently exaggerated, generally amounting to no more than 4 percent of total Medicaid spending. Still, as state lawmakers weigh strategies to rein in Medicaid costs, they are tempted to try to achieve the appearance of short-term savings by restricting doctor and patient access to mental health medications."