February 27, 2020 | Americans turn to crowdfunding to pay medical bills

INDUSTRY NEWS

McKinsey on ACA: Increased choice, decreased premiums 

Insurer participation in the individual ACA exchanges rose in 2019, after three years of decline, according to a McKinsey & Co. report. In the 2019-2020 plan year, 245 individual carriers participated across federal and state exchanges, compared to 218 last year and 194 in the 2017-2018 plan year. Coverage and choice expanded: The number of counties with only one insurance provider shrank from 36% in 2019 to 25% in 2020. Premiums for all tiers except platinum declined. (Healthcare Dive; McKinsey)

HHS releases strategy to reduce EHR burden

Acknowledging that EHRs contribute to administrative burden, HHS last week released a strategy to address the problem. It identified four key areas that contribute to that burden: clinical documentation; health information technology usability; public health reporting requirements; and federal health IT and EHR reporting requirements. The strategy, published by CMS and the ONC, was mandated by the 21st Century Cures Act. A draft strategy released in late 2018 elicited more than 200 comments from the public. (Modern Healthcare)

INNOVATION & TRANSFORMATION

A seal of approval for pricing tools?

The Alliance of Community Health Plans (ACHP) has proposed a certification framework for digital health care pricing tools that makes quality and pricing information accessible, understandable and actionable for consumers. It offers a core set of standards for meaningful price transparency. It also lays out a roadmap for independent certification of these tools: In short, ACHP is proposing a “seal of approval” for the price transparency tools that provide consumers timely, accurate and relevant information. (ACHP issue brief; announcement)

Survey: Providers plan to add patient-facing digital tools

Most health care professionals responding to a survey from the Center for Connected Medicine and HIMSS said implementing more patient-facing digital tools is a top priority at their organizations. Most have at least one digital tool available to patients, but fewer than a third said their tools offer the best possible consumer digital experience. Current tools help patients with relatively simple tasks, such as accessing their health records or paying bills. Respondents said their organizations are planning to invest in more sophisticated tools, such as patient check-in and arrival management and monitoring, and managing chronic conditions. (Healthcare Dive; HIMSS-CCM report)

CONSUMERS & PROVIDERS

Survey: Americans turn to crowdfunding to pay medical bills

Roughly 8 million Americans have started a crowdfunding campaign for themselves or someone in their household, and more than 12 million started a campaign for someone else, according to a survey from NORC at the University of Chicago. Approximately 50 million—or 20%—of American adults reported donating to a crowdfunding campaign to help raise money for a medical bill or treatment. The survey also found that 60% of Americans think the government should bear “a great deal” or “a lot” of responsibility for providing health care to people who need free or reduced-cost medical care—more so than hospitals, doctors or charities. (The Hill)

Emerging tactic: Patients set own payment terms

Instead of simply signing a financial and treatment consent form, some people are crossing out the section that requires them to pay whatever the hospital charges and writing in a more acceptable rate. But can patients set their own terms? Legal experts are divided. Some question whether the financial consent forms even constitute a valid contract, because in contract law “mutual assent” is something patients can’t really give because they are seldom told the true price of care before signing, according to Barak Richman, law professor at Duke University Law School. “There’s something deeply exploitive about the process.” (Kaiser Health News)

NEW & NOTED

Hearing loss contributes to dementia? Hearing loss is typically considered a normal part of aging and, in the U.S., only about 14% of adults with hearing loss wear hearing aids. But research suggests that diminished hearing may be a significant risk factor for dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease—and that association may begin at very low levels of hearing impairment. (New York Times)

Golden State ACA wins: Covered California, the state’s ACA marketplace, saw a 41% jump in new sign-ups. Support from the state, including a state-level individual mandate and more subsidies, contributed to the improvement. (Sacramento Bee)

Patient-facing cancer prognosis tool: Patients with cancer often want to know their chances for survival. A new online prognosis tool, CancerSurvivalRates.com, lets them find out for free. They can plug in cancer type and stage along with various other characteristics, such as age and gender. (Medscape Medical News)

MULTI-MEDIA

Alternatives to opioids: Barriers abound

Kaiser Health News Midwest correspondent Lauren Weber talks to KBIA’s Sebastián Martínez Valdivia to discuss the challenges Missouri faces in managing patients’ pain amid the opioid epidemic. Alternatives exist, but they don’t seem to be reaching patients. (KBIA)

MARKETVOICES...QUOTES WORTH READING

“We don’t want people to pay a penalty. We want Californians to get insurance.”—Peter V. Lee, executive director of Covered California, quoted in the Sacramento Bee.