Author Archive
NJ Businesses Sustain Widespread Health Coverage, Despite Rising Costs
Workers are paying for larger share of medical expenses, through higher contributions and deductibles, reduced benefits. Published in NJ Spotlight by Lilo H. Stainton The vast majority of New Jersey businesses continue to provide health insurance for their workforce, but as the cost of care continues to rise by double digits, employees are paying a…Read More…
As insurance companies bolt from Obamacare, lawmaker prescribes a fix for N.J.
Published on NJ.com by Susan K. Livio TRENTON — With insurance companies in New Jersey fleeing the health exchange created by the Affordable Care Act, a state lawmaker has introduced a bill to create a government-operated plan that he said will stabilize the volatile market. The “New Jersey Public Option Health Care Act” would require the…Read More…
Conversation of a Lifetime campaign spreads in NJ
Published in The Courier-Post by Kim Mulford David Mayer didn’t talk about death or funerals or end-of-life decisions with his mother. Didn’t want to. “Because it’s difficult — you don’t talk about it, ” the Gloucester Township mayor said. “People don’t talk about it. That’s not abnormal.” Instead of having that difficult conversation, the family faced difficult decisions. In her final days,…Read More…
A Story of Empathy and Kindness at the End of a Life
Think medical success stories and you may envision life-saving heroics in a trauma center. Or a brilliant diagnosis of a patient’s rare illness. Or maybe a laboratory researcher who finds a new cancer treatment. All valid successes. But recently I was reminded that success in health care can take more modest forms. Last week the…Read More…
Take Five with Megan Sheppard
The Quality Institute partners with the Cumberland County Department of Health and Inspira Health Network through a three-year partnership grant from the United Health Foundation to improve chronic disease management, health literacy, and access to healthy lifestyle initiatives. Inspira Health Network is a Provider Council member of the Quality Institute. Current Cumberland County Mayors involved…Read More…
Keeping Competition in the ACA Marketplace
Oscar Health Insurance just announced plans to withdraw from the Affordable Care Act marketplace in New Jersey next year. The company joins UnitedHealthcare, also exiting the marketplace in 2017. Aetna, meanwhile, has scrapped plans to provide coverage here next year. Are the exits a sign the ACA is failing? And what can we do to…Read More…
Take Five with Calvin H. Knowlton
Calvin Knowlton, BScPharm, MDiv, PhD, is the Founder and CEO of Tabula Rasa HealthCare, based in Moorestown. At Tabula Rasa HealthCare, you focus on ways to use technology to improve health care, particularly in the area of medication risk mitigation. How big a problem is this? The elephant in the room in pharmacy is adverse…Read More…
More New Jerseyans gaining health insurance coverage
Published by Michael Catalini in The Washington Times. TRENTON, N.J. (AP) – Gov. Chris Christie said Monday that more than 500,000 New Jersey residents now have health insurance coverage under Medicaid as part of the expansion under the Affordable Care Act. The Republican governor’s announcement came during a statehouse news conference and as Republicans across…Read More…
NJ Left with Three Obamacare Insurance Providers
Published by Brenda Flanagan on NJTV News. “I can’t afford it,” said Milagros Martinez. Martinez works temp jobs, part-time. She can’t swing $350-a-month premiums for health insurance through the Affordable Care Act. “Or else I can’t pay my rent and my bills. So the only thing I could afford is the penalty,” she said. But…Read More…
As Other States Explore Medicaid Innovations, What Can New Jersey Learn?
In New Jersey, Medicaid covers one in five residents and accounts for about 20 percent of the state’s budget. We know our state needs to explore innovations to contain costs while also improving care for beneficiaries. At the Quality Institute, our Medicaid 2.0 initiative, with support from The Nicholson Foundation, is working to create a…Read More…