This message contains images. If you don't see images, click here to view. Click here to advertise in this news brief.   Mobile version    RSS    Subscribe    Unsubscribe    Archive    Media Kit Nov. 8, 2012 Home   About   Policy & Advocacy   Education & Resources   Events           MHPA vows to work with Obama administration to implement, improve Affordable Care Act MHPA    Share    Thomas L. Johnson, president and CEO of Medicaid Health Plans of America, issued the following statement on the re-election of President Barack Obama: "We congratulate President Obama on his election to a second term as our nation's president. We commend his commitment to expanding coverage for America's poor and underserved and look forward to working with the administration on the implementation of the Affordable Care Act. MHPA and its member health plans remain committed to a strong partnership with CMS and the states to ensure the needy receive the quality health care they deserve," he said. More Obamacare survives: Now what? POLITICO    Share    Obamacare lives. It has now survived two near-death experiences. The Supreme Court could have struck down the law, but it didn't. And with President Barack Obama in the White House for four more years, it's not going to be repealed — or even gutted. Now it has to work. If it does, more Americans might come to accept it — and even be glad it passed. If it doesn't, Obama's legacy will be tarnished. And Republicans will say "we told you so" for years to come. More Obama's healthcare overhaul turns into a sprint The Associated Press via TIME    Share    Its place assured alongside Medicare and Medicaid, President Barack Obama's healthcare law now is in a sprint to the finish line, with just 11 months to go before millions of uninsured people can start signing up for coverage. But there are hurdles in the way. Republican governors, opposed to what they deride as "Obamacare," will have to decide whether they somehow can join the team. And the administration could stumble under the sheer strain of carrying out the complex legislation, or get tripped up in budget talks with Congress. More MCNA Dental Plans MCNA Dental Plans delivers high quality dental care to traditionally underserved populations enrolled in Medicaid, CHIP, and Medicare programs. MCNA contracts with over 25,000 dental providers throughout 22 states. Our provider network and our focus on customer satisfaction are the foundation of our commitment to excellence. MORE Obama win boosts health law, but states still control its destiny Kaiser Health News    Share    President Barack Obama's re-election ensures the survival of his landmark healthcare law, but predominantly Republican state officials will get a big say in how it is carried out. State lawmakers will control whether millions of uninsured people get coverage through Medicaid beginning in 2014, as the law envisions. They'll also decide whether to set up online markets where individuals can shop for coverage and seek federal subsidies to lower their costs. Next year, 30 states will be led by Republican governors and 24 will have Republican-controlled legislatures. Most of those had challenged the law in the Supreme Court. Still, analysts believe the president's victory will prod those, as well as several reluctant Democratic-led states, to move forward. More State political shifts likely to affect health law Kaiser Health News    Share    In a power shift that could affect how the federal health law is carried out, Democrats took complete control of five additional state legislatures on Election Day, while Republicans added a governorship and control of three additional state legislatures. All told, Republicans will have 30 governors and control 24 state legislatures next year, compared to 19 Democratic governors and 18 Democratic-controlled legislatures. The rest are split or tied. More Exit polls: Obamacare remains a hot-button issue CNN    Share    President Barack Obama's healthcare reform law — Obamacare — continues to be very controversial, exit polls indicated on Election Day. In Florida, the exit polls showed 49 percent of voters say the 2010 law should be repealed completely or in part. Forty-three percent said it should be expanded or kept as is. Florida voters also had the opportunity to vote on amending the state constitution to prohibit individuals and businesses from being compelled to participate in any healthcare system. Exit polls show that vote is very close. More Post-election, insurance exchanges, other healthcare issues loom large in states Kaiser Health News    Share    Six public radio reporters — Martha Bebinger (Mass.), Elizabeth Stawicki (Minn.), Sarah Varney (Calif.), Erika Beras (Pa.), Lynn Hatter (Fla.) and Elana Gordon (Mo.) — talk about how ballot initiatives and state legislative elections could affect the future of the health law implementation and public health in their states. More Flexible solutions. Improved outcomes. Proven savings. McKesson VITAL Care Management provides high performing programs that help deliver better outcomes for members, while reducing cost for payers. With proven ROI and multiple awards, our Medicaid experience is second to none. We deliver practical expertise, effective solutions, and a trusted partnership to help you succeed. mckesson.com/caremanagement Avalere Health: CMS likely to grant flexibility on Medicaid expansion InsideHealthPolicy.com    Share    The consulting firm Avalere Health predicts that CMS will grant states the flexibility to expand Medicaid to people earning up to 100 percent — rather than 138 percent — of the federal poverty level and that most states will end up at that threshold. The debate over whether to expand the Medicaid program is expected to be one of the biggest healthcare fights ahead, with GOP lawmakers and some stakeholders planning to urge states not to cover the newly eligible population while many providers, advocates and other stakeholders are planning to press states to move forward, several insiders suggest. More Analysis: 20 states will run their health-law exchanges The Hill    Share    Twenty states will operate their own insurance exchanges in 2014 under President Barack Obama's healthcare law, according to a new analysis. Avalere Health released its estimate after Obama won a second term on Election Day, a victory that all but ensures the Affordable Care Act's future. Governors have a choice as to whether to implement the law's exchanges or leave the task to the federal government. A third option is a "partnership" model in which the state and federal government jointly manage the marketplace. More Oklahoma governor weighs Medicaid expansion, health insurance exchange Tulsa World    Share    A spokesman for Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin says she isn't rushing into a decision about accepting federal funding for a state Medicaid expansion under the provisions of the federal Affordable Care Act — although her own milestone for that decision has now come and gone. Meanwhile, her administration seems to be opening the door to the possibility that the state will establish a state-based health insurance exchange, an issue that had seemed to be resolved. More LIBERTY Dental Plan A national leader in providing dental benefits for Medicaid, CHIP and Medicare programs; • Nationwide Network • Comprehensive Dental Disease Management • Predictable Costs with Quality Programs Vision and prescription drug programs for health plans Get a better view. Learn More New Keeping You Healthy Video: 'Reduction of ER Visits' Horizon NJ Health    Share    Improper utilization of hospital emergency facilities by members enrolled in managed care plans continues to be an issue for health plans nationwide. Dr. Brian Bastecki and Dr. Philip Bonaparte discuss how Horizon NJ Health developed and implemented an initiative focused towards reducing member visits for nonemergency issues. Take action for World Diabetes Day: Attend MHPA's free webinar by Novo Nordisk on diabetes trends to 2025 and resources for policymakers, patients | noon EST Nov. 14 MHPA    Share    In an effort to help confront the epidemic of diabetes, Novo Nordisk commissioned and funded "United States' Diabetes Crisis: Today and Future Trends," the first study to provide detailed diabetes prevalence and cost forecasts individually for all 50 states out to the year 2025. The study not only provides insight into how the growing diabetes epidemic geographically will spread in the U.S., but also highlights how this demographic shift might affect local economies. This webinar will provide an overview of the study from lead researcher Dr. Bill Rowley and will introduce the Novo Nordisk Diabetes Barometer, an interactive tool and comprehensive resource that highlights important research about the current state of diabetes in the United States. Participants also will learn how to use the interactive map portion of the website to benchmark and compare diabetes prevalence and cost forecasts to 2025 for all 50 states. More Improve HEDIS Scores with CareCall. Want to improve your HEDIS scores by enhancing wellness outreach efforts? Specializing in managed care for over 20 years, CareCall can provide cost-effective solutions for targeted wellness outreach initiatives. Call Today to learn more! 1-866-730-0426 www.carecall.com Free webinar: 'Exchange Health Plan Management Functions: URAC Accreditation & Quality Measures for Health Insurance Exchanges' | 2 p.m. EST Nov. 14 URAC    Share    This complimentary webinar in which URAC will present an overview of its accreditation process and quality measures as they relate to qualified health plans that participate on Health Insurance Exchanges, will be held at 2 p.m. EST Nov. 14. For more information and to register, click here. Submissions for Diabetes Care Best Practices Compendium due Nov. 16 MHPA    Share    Medicaid Health Plans of America is calling for case studies from our member organizations that will help to highlight real-world examples of best practices related diabetes prevention and treatment. We invite member and partner organizations to submit information to be included in the MHPA Diabetes Care Best Practices Compendium, to be published in January. More The Experience and Technology to Help Fight Fraud Verizon’s Fraud Management services for healthcare automate prepayment fraud detection and monitor 100% of claims in near-real time - providing you the insight, actionable information, and expertise to manage risk, protect critical data, and combat fraudulent activity head-on. MORE Free webinar: 'Medication Adherence & Identifying Nonadherent Patients' by Merck | 1 p.m. EST Nov. 27 MHPA    Share    Merck cordially invites you to a medical education program for healthcare professionals only. Merck is sponsoring this program, and the speaker is presenting on behalf of Merck. The program is a non-CME event. The information presented in this program will be consistent with FDA guidelines. The format is an interactive live webcast titled A Profile of the Concept of Medication Adherence and Strategies to Identify Nonadherent Patients Learning Objectives: Define medication nonadherence and understand its prevalence among patients with chronic disease Recognize the drivers of nonadherence and understand the importance of appropriate communication Use the 10 Tenets model of medication adherence and the Adherence Estimator screening tool Click here for more information or register here for the live webcast. Free webinar: 'Optimizing Pharmaceutical Care and Measuring Outcomes in a Collaborative Drug Therapy Management Program' | 1 p.m. EST Nov. 28 MHPA    Share    Medication-related problems and medication mismanagement are massive public health problems in the U.S. Experts estimate that 1.5 million preventable adverse events occur each year that result in $177 billion in injury and death. In response to these problems, PerformRx, in collaboration with the AmeriHealth Mercy Family of Companies, successfully have developed a collaborative Drug Therapy Management program that has demonstrated significant reductions in emergency room visits and inpatient admissions, as well as significant costs savings. More Health Insurance Exchanges Summit; MHPA's Thomas Johnson guest speaker | Nov. 29-30 | Las Vegas Healthcare Education Associates    Share    Join Healthcare Education Associates Nov. 29-30 at the Tropicana Las Vegas Hotel for the Health Insurance Exchanges Summit. This health insurance exchanges conference will deliver real, actionable takeaways for effective exchange implementation. MHPA members are eligible for a 15 percent registration discount. Mention Priority Code HMP122 during registration to enjoy this offer. More Insights webinar: 'Reduce Outsourcing Risk' | 11 a.m. EST Dec. 20 MHPA    Share    Details here. Free webinar by LexisNexis 'Why Identity Management Matters to Medicaid' postponed to Jan. 9 MHPA    Share    The challenges of identity risk management can be boiled down to these two words: "Who's there?" At its core, this is the essence of security. Government efforts are driving much of the focus on identity management — a primary concern for the healthcare industry. Medical identity theft or improper access to sensitive records, as well as liability issues, are of paramount concern. Patients want to know what steps are being taken to ensure their privacy. As a Medicaid plan, you should not just be addressing the "what" of identity management — the technical side — but also the question of "who?" How do you know people are who they claim to be and what risks do they pose for the environments and systems they are attempting to enter? Clint Fuhrman, director of Government Health Care Programs for LexisNexis Risk Solutions, addresses these issues in a FREE 60-minute webinar. More MHPA on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook MHPA    Share    Follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook to get industry-related news and the latest MHPA announcements.   MHPA's Industry NewsBrief Colby Horton, Vice President of Publishing, 469.420.2601 Download media kit Elizabeth Zavala, Content Editor, 469.420.2676    Contribute news This edition of MHPA's Industry NewsBrief was sent to ##Email##. To unsubscribe, click here. Did someone forward this edition to you? Subscribe here -- it's free! 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