Advocates for Evidence-Based Health Policy Speakers
Category: Affordability & Delivery System
The Doc Fix
Medicare compensates physicians via a universal fee schedule. To limit costs, the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) was adopted in 1997 to allow for increased Medicare expenditures based on national economic growth. The sustainable growth rate (SGR) is a statutory formula Continue Reading …
The Appropriateness of Age Rating
National Health Expenditure Data (NHED) obtained from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) allows for the comparison of personal health spending based multiple factors. Considering the debate surrounding the appropriateness of age rating variation, this analysis seeks a Continue Reading …
What if every Doc was paid Medicare rates?
Currently, physicians earn reimbursement from multiple different payers such as Medicaid, Medicare, and private insurers. If doctors were paid only according to Medicare rates, most would be losers – specialists more than others.
Spillover of Mandated Benefits
The power to regulate health insurance companies rests with the States, with important exceptions. Federal health programs and ERISA plans are exempt from state regulation.
Does Defensive Medicine Exist?
Despite the common thought that most physicians perform defensive medicine on a regular basis, the evidence bearing this out has been inconsistent at best. Ninety-three percent of physicians report practicing defensive medicine; that is, performing tests or therapies that provide Continue Reading …