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EDINA, Minn. (July 17, 2012) A forward-thinking new initiative by a group of leading health care organizations has produced the industry's most consensus-driven guidance for the use of outcomes-based incentives in employer-sponsored wellness (or health management) programs. The guidance is intended to help ensure that worksite wellness programs utilizing such incentives are effective and ...

... Summit included a town hall meeting where volunteers and staff asked questions and discussed ongoing strategies for implementing the Affordable Care Act (ACA).  Later in the weekend, breakout sessions were held on the essential health benefits provision of the law and why it is so important to achieving adequate coverage for cancer patients and survivors. At the end of the discussion, participants had the chance to build their own essential health benefits package as part of a group exercise designed to parallel conversations being held in state governments with a variety of ...

... advances in their own efforts. On Thursday, Maryland became the first state to enact legislation that will help improve access to palliative care for people with serious illnesses and their families. It's a victory worth celebrating! The Hospitals Establishment of Palliative Care Programs in Maryland bill requires the establishment of at least five palliative care pilot programs - as selected by the Maryland Health Care Commission (MHCC) - in hospitals with at least 50 beds. The pilot programs must follow certain procedures and are required to collaborate with health care providers to measure whether the pilot programs impact health care costs, improve access to health care and enhance patient choice. The ...

2/3/11 Below is this week’s update on the Affordable Care Act. As always, thank you for all you do every day to support laws and policies that help cancer patients and their families   Update on ... Act   As I informed you on Monday, a federal judge in Florida ruled that the requirement in the Affordable Care Act that all Americans purchase health insurance is unconstitutional. Two federal judges have upheld the so-called “individual responsibility” or “individual mandate” ... that enables the implementation of critical provisions of the law to continue across the country. Read or listen to the audio of Kaiser Health News’ Q&A with legal expert Stuart Taylor on the ruling.   Despite the absence of an injunction, some state officials have said the law ...