A new Commonwealth Fund report estimates that 11 million previously-uninsured Americans who gained coverage under the Affordable Care Act will result in 3.8% more primary care visits annually—although the rate will vary state by state, the report cautions.
The authors project a total of 20.3 million additional visits nationally, with those newly-insured through marketplace exchanges expected to make up one-third of those visits. Emergency room visits by the newly-insured are expected to grow by 1.1 million visits, with those covered under Medicaid accounting for over two-thirds of that figure.
Still, by and large the change in utilization is expected to be small. The report projects that only 17 states will see primary care visits increase by more than 4%, and only 7 will experience increases greater than 5%. Changes in medical and surgical specialty services are expected to be even smaller, ranging from less than 0.5% to under 2%.
Here are the biggest stories in the healthcare industry this week:
Cleveland Clinic considers launching insurance plan
Yet another big provider is considering a move into the payer market.
UPMC to market software platform that consolidates data
The hospital was not content with the industry's stand-still on interoperability.
CMS proposes 1% pay cut for Medicare Advantage
...but the agency says it will result in an average pay boost for issuers.
Are physician practices up-to-date on HIPAA compliance?
A new survey suggests "not so much."
Cleveland Clinic, Cox partner up for home health, telemedicine
The collaboration could open up the healthcare industry to Cox and its competitors.
And here's what we were reading:
- Modern Healthcare reports on the implications of the US Supreme Court decision against a North Carolina dental board on Wednesday.
- The Wall Street Journal asks, when CMS director's post opens—again—will Obama step up?
- 27 charts that explain how we die, in Vox, demonstrated the importance of population health.