PRICE AND QUALITY TRANSPARENCY
Spotlight on State: Tennessee
Amy Y. Gu, Managing Editor September 11, 2021
This is part of a series of summaries that highlight notable legislation and initiatives in health policy and reform of all 50 states. Check back on The Source as we roll out additional states each week. See Tennessee page. The Tennessee Legislature has been active in promoting price transparency in health care. The state passed the Tennessee Right to Shop Act in 2019 to induce consumer price shopping. An insurance carrier is allowed to provide incentives for enrollees who elect to receive a comparable healthcare service from a network provider, for …
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Spotlight on State: Arkansas
Hannah Park, Student Fellow and Amy Y. Gu, Managing Editor September 9, 2021
This is part of a series of summaries that highlight notable legislation and initiatives in health policy and reform of all 50 states. Check back on The Source as we roll out additional states each week. See Arkansas page. Arkansas maintains a statewide all-payer claims database, established under the Arkansas Healthcare Transparency Initiative Act of 2015 which mandates collection of medical, dental, pharmacy, and other insurance claims information, including enrollment and provider data, from various entities. Arkansas was also among the first states to recognize the benefits of telemedicine when it …
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The Source Roundup: September 2021 Edition
Hannah Park, Student Fellow September 1, 2021
This month, our round-up proudly features a new issue brief written by our Source colleagues that discuss what state regulators need to strengthen state antitrust laws and prevent further healthcare provider consolidation. Also highlighted in this month’s round-up are studies on the potential impact of the federal No Surprises Act on health care prices, state-level strategies to reduce health care spending, better methods to assess policy-relevant financial information of hospitals, a grassroots push towards the public option, and industry trends and implications in the pharmacy market. Market Competition/Consolidation In …
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[Sutter Case Watch] Court Approval of Final Settlement Concludes State Antitrust Action Against Sutter Health
Amy Y. Gu, Managing Editor August 30, 2021
See case page: UFCW & Employers Benefit Trust v. Sutter Health On August 27, nearly two years after the parties reached a proposed settlement agreement, Judge Anne-Christine Massullo of the San Francisco Superior gave the final approval to the settlement of the high profile antitrust case against Sutter Health. The final settlement was stalled several times along the way, first due to the coronavirus pandemic, then the court’s rejection of the compliance monitor, and most recently disputes over attorney fees, which was the subject of the preliminary approval hearing on July …
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Spotlight on State: Arizona
Hannah Park, Student Fellow August 25, 2021
This is part of a series of summaries that highlight notable legislation and initiatives in health policy and reform of all 50 states. Check back on The Source as we roll out additional states each week. See Arizona page. Arizona is active in promoting price transparency in health care. The state has some protections in place that address surprise billing for emergency services and services from out-of-network providers. This includes creating a solution for settling payment disputes between out-of-network providers and insurers by limiting patients’ liability and allowing for arbitration …
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Spotlight on State: Utah
Amy Y. Gu, Managing Editor August 20, 2021
This is part of a series of summaries that highlight notable legislation and initiatives in health policy and reform of all 50 states. Check back on The Source as we roll out additional states each week. See Utah page. Utah was one of the first states to operate an APCD, and claims to be the first to begin tracking and analyzing episodes of care, an important feature of risk-sharing based payment systems for states looking to reduce private payer and Medicaid expenditures. The state also enacted a right to shop …
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Spotlight on State: Vermont
Amy Y. Gu, Managing Editor August 17, 2021
This is part of a series of summaries that highlight notable legislation and initiatives in health policy and reform of all 50 states. Check back on The Source as we roll out additional states each week. See Vermont page. Vermont has been active in cost containment and transparency through a number of state planning initiatives, rate and premium control, and the VHCURES all-payer claims database. Most notably, Vermont attempted to be the first state to operate a single-payer healthcare system, Green Mountain Care, in 2011; however, the state gave up on the …
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Spotlight on State: Minnesota
Amy Y. Gu, Managing Editor August 12, 2021
This is part of a series of summaries that highlight notable legislation and initiatives in health policy and reform of all 50 states. Check back on The Source as we roll out additional states each week. See Minnesota page. Minnesota’s active legislative efforts aimed to increase healthcare price transparency and cost containment demonstrate the state’s commitment to improve its health care system. A leader in price transparency, the state has an active All-Payer Claims Database (APCD), which has been expanded to study cost, quality, and utilization. The state mandates that …
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The Source Roundup: August 2021 Edition
Hannah Park, Student Fellow August 2, 2021
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused the American healthcare system to undergo drastic changes in a matter of months. Coupled with a new presidential administration, the health care system is likely to evolve. The Biden administration has already taken action on a number of key health policy areas in which significant changes might occur. In light of these changes, health policy experts are thinking about what health care will look like in the post-pandemic world. This month’s Roundup covers new research on 1) the impact and benefits of the No Surprises …
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Spotlight on State: Oregon
Michele Ellson, Student Fellow July 23, 2021
This is part of a series of summaries that highlight notable legislation and initiatives in health policy and reform of all 50 states. Check back on The Source as we roll out additional states each week. See Oregon page. Oregon is a leader in efforts to provide affordable, high-quality health care to every state resident. State lawmakers approved a proposed constitutional amendment that would provide Oregon residents the right to cost-effective, appropriate, and affordable health care, which will go to the voters. Lawmakers have also tasked the state health authority …
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