Schwimmer Script Blog
Let’s Get Real on Reducing Costs
It’s October. That means Halloween and something even scarier — insurance premium increases. This year, people in the individual market will face hikes even higher than usual thanks to the federal government’s concerted effort to undermine the marketplace. Small businesses in New Jersey also feel the fright. Plans now offered in the Small Employer market have…Read More…
ACA Enrollment Needs You
Open enrollment for the ACA Marketplace begins November 1 and runs through December 15. New Jersey residents will have three carriers to choose from: Horizon BCBSNJ, AmeriHealth, and Oscar. The 2018 rates should come out any day now and will be higher than they otherwise would have been if Congress or the Administration had authorized…Read More…
Best Care is Best Kept Secret
I recently visited my new physician, Dr. Randi Protter, at R-Health, which provides a new model of care — called Direct Primary Care — that could improve patient outcomes while also reducing costs. The state, seeking ways to reduce costs, began this model for people covered by the State Health Benefits Program (state and local government employees,…Read More…
Was that Bipartisan Cooperation on Health Care? Yes, and We Need More
I tuned in to watch the recent senate hearings on the actions Congress should take to stabilize the individual insurance market — and I saw something as rare as the solar eclipse: a thoughtful, bipartisan discussion on health care that focused on solutions, not polemics. Governors and Insurance Commissioners from blue states and red states talked…Read More…
An App to Guide You Toward Health Care That You Need and Away From Care That You Don’t
The next time you’re sitting in the waiting room of your doctor’s office, put down the People magazine and pick up your phone. Then download the Choosing Wisely app. Look up the reason for your visit and you’ll get clear, easy-to-understand information to guide your conversation with the doctor. Choosing Wisely is an initiative by…Read More…
Who’s Addressing Costs As Repeal Debate Rages On?
Nobody would blame you for mistaking a “skinny repeal” for the latest low fat latte or frozen dessert. The phrase that’s entered the lexicon of health care refers to the most recent approach to replace the Affordable Care Act. The plan is less “all-out-repeal” than earlier versions, but still largely guts the ACA. Under “skinny…Read More…
Will It Be “Summer of Hell” In Health Care, Too?
As I travel home from the nation’s capital on my delayed Amtrak train, I’m reminded that summer 2017 has been labeled the “summer of hell” for commuters in the Northeast Corridor. Much-needed fixes to our transportation infrastructure are causing agonizing delays, but the long-term repercussions of doing nothing will be far worse. That sounds close…Read More…
NJ Leaders Should Continue Work on Increasing Efficiencies and Reducing Waste in State Medicaid Program
Health care is essential to everyone in New Jersey. Today our uninsured rate (8.75%) is at a 30 year low. Proposals to decrease funding for Medicaid and political threats of eliminating subsidies for people to buy insurance are harmful to NJ’s insurance market and NJ residents. People want to go to work, enjoy their weekends,…Read More…
Help Us Expand ‘Conversation of Your Life’ And You’ll Improve Life — and Death — in New Jersey
Do you know anyone who wants to die in a hospital ICU, perhaps intubated and on dialysis, surrounded by strangers? I don’t. Most New Jerseyans want to die at home surrounded by the people they love. They want comfort and compassion. They don’t want interventions that have little value to patients with advanced illness. Yet…Read More…
Dear Next Governor …
Dear Lt. Governor Guadagno and Ambassador Murphy: This November, the people of New Jersey will likely elect one of you to lead our state. You will face both great opportunities and great challenges. I write to ask that you pay close attention to health care, which affects all of our citizens — and accounts for over…Read More…