Latest Commentary

Population health management propels hospitals into insurance market

Competition is inevitably everywhere in the business world. Insurance companies are well aware that their counterparts are always trying to one-up each other, attempting to attract members for...

Happy to be wrong: Millions of consumers check out exchanges

Not only will I admit I was wrong, but I'm also pleased to do so. Last week, I suggested the health insurance exchanges would likely open to pin-drop silence. But that certainly wasn't the...

Will exchanges open to pin-drop silence?

Do you ever get really excited to try out that new restaurant in your neighborhood only to get there and be the only people occupying a table? It's happened to me several times, and yes,...

Deductibles, out-of-pocket maximums, oh my! How insurance jargon stirs up fears

When word got out at my husband's office a few weeks ago that the company was changing its health insurance plan, many of his colleagues were understandably concerned. Some worried their...

Cigna's Dick Salmon shares collaborative care insights

When payers and providers collaborate, they often achieve positive results. Patient care becomes coordinated, costs drop and quality enhances. That's what Cigna's Dick Salmon (pictured...

Aetna: Empower providers with data for ACO success

Aetna has achieved a high level of success through its accountable care organizations in the last few years--but that accomplishment hasn't come by accident. The insurer is keen on implementing...

Payers must decide how much data to share with ACO providers

You know how when you go on a first date, you're careful not to divulge too much nitty-gritty information about yourself? Instead, most experienced daters prefer to reveal tidbits of their personal lives slowly, so as not to scare their dates off too early with tales of rough childhoods and embarrassing habits. They key to successful dates and early relationships often is a delicate give-and-take balance of sharing some information, but not too much.

That's kind of how payers and providers are acting toward each other as they navigate the accountable care waters. Payers don't always want to spill all their beans, disclosing too much information too quickly, closely guarding their long-held secrets. And providers don't want to move forward with their dates if they remain tight-lipped about important information.

Well-known insurers could lose competitive edge in exchanges

The big-name players in the private insurance industry shouldn't let their guards down as they enter the homestretch before the health insurance exchanges begin open enrollment in October. Sure,...

With a new state, comes new health coverage

A few months ago, my family moved to California from Louisiana. We love it. Some of the reasons are obvious and expected--we are minutes from the beach, we can feel the calm of small town living, we...