Wishing You A Happy 4th Of July!
“We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” -Thomas Jeffersonnn
Welter Healthcare Partners would like to wish you a Happy 4th of July! Our dedicated staff wants you to remember to relax and have a safe holiday.nnAccording to ADT, firework, grilling and water safety are collectively very important for the 4th of July. More than 50,000 fires are caused by fireworks every year and fun water activities have serious risks if the proper precautions aren’t taken! Please make sure to review safety procedures to keep you and your family safe.nnFrom all of us at Welter Healthcare Partners, we hope you take the opportunity to enjoy this day with loved ones and celebrate your freedom.nn
nnThere is so much talk in the medical community about the proposed “Patients over Paperwork” initiative that many providers have found themselves at a loss for what will happen next. Common questions surrounding this important topic include: What type of documentation changes will help reduce the amount of administrative burden our clinicians currently face? How will documentation changes affect their practice? How will this impact reimbursement? What does this mean for their patient interaction and day-to-day routine? Is there anyone I can talk to so that my concerns are heard?nnIn June of this year, CMS put out another request for information from providers to voice their concerns, suggestions, and comment on proposed changes. Do not delay however because the deadline for this round of comments closes on August 12th. Specific feedback that CMS is looking for can be found by visiting 
Health care dominated early, with Sens. Elizabeth Warren (Mass.) and Cory Booker (N.J.) using questions about the economy to take aim at pharmaceutical and insurance companies. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (Minn.) emphasized the difficulties many Americans face in paying premiums.nnBut the candidates broke ranks on the details and not all of their claims stayed strictly within the lines.nnOnly two candidates — New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and Warren — raised their hands in favor of banishing private insurance to install a government-sponsored Medicare for All approach.nnKlobuchar, a single-payer skeptic, expressed concern about “kicking off half of America off their health insurance in four years.” (That’s correct: In 2017, a majority of Americans had private coverage, with 49% getting that insurance through work, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.)nnFormer Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke, who also supports maintaining a private insurance system, outlined his own universal health care plan, based on a “Medicare for America” bill in Congress.nnThe single-payer talk set off other discussions about the role of health insurance and the cost of care. We fact-checked some of the biggest claims.nnWarren: “The insurance companies last year alone sucked $23 billion in profits out of the health care system. $23 billion. And that doesn’t count the money that was paid to executives, the money that was spent lobbying Washington.”nnWe contacted Warren’s campaign, who directed us to a report from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, a nonpartisan group of industry regulators. It supports her assessment.nnThe report says that in 2018, health insurers posted $23.4 billion in net earnings, or profits, compared with $16.1 billion a year prior.nnThis came up in the context of Warren’s support for eliminating private insurance under a Medicare for All system. However, the financing and price tag of such a system is unclear.nnBooker: “The overhead for insurers that they charge is 15%, while Medicare’s overhead is only at 2%.”nnThis is a flawed comparison. Booker said administrative overhead eats up much more for private carriers than it does for Medicare, the government insurance program for seniors and the disabled. But Medicare piggybacks off the Social Security Administration, which covers costs of enrollment, payments and keeping track of patients.nnAlso, Medicare relies on private providers for some of its programs, and overhead charges there are higher. Medicare’s overhead is less than that of private carriers, but exact figures are elusive.nnThe insurance companies’ trade group, America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), reported in 2018 that 18.1% of private health care premiums went to non-health care services. That includes taxes of 4.7% and profits of 2.3%. The Medicare trustees reported that in 2018, total expenses were $740.6 billion, with administrative expenses of $9.9 billion. That comes to 1.3%, less than Booker said.nnWarren: “I spent a big chunk of my life studying why families go broke, and one of the No. 1 reasons is the cost of health care, medical bills. And that’s not just for people who don’t have insurance. It’s for people who have insurance.”nnIs the No. 1 reason people go broke the cost of health care? We’ve rated similar statements Half True — partially accurate but lacking important context.nnOriginal 
UnitedHealth Group has purchased DaVita Medical Group after they reached a settlement with the Federal Trade Commission saying this deal was a long time coming. This was due to the concern about harm to medical competition in Nevada. The original deal in place would have resulted in a monopoly controlling more than 80% of the medical market.nnUnitedHealth Group announced Wednesday it has closed on its $4.3 billion purchase of DaVita Medical Group after the parties reached a settlement with the Federal Trade Commission that resolves the federal government’s concerns about harm to competition in Nevada.nnUnder the FTC settlement, UnitedHealth Group has agreed to sell DaVita Medical Group’s Las Vegas operations, known as HealthCare Partners of Nevada, to Salt Lake City, Utah-based Intermountain Healthcare within 40 days of the deal’s closing. Without that tweak, the FTC said the deal would reduce competition in the Las Vegas area for managed care provider organization (MCPO) services sold to Medicare Advantage insurers and Medicare Advantage plans sold to individual Medicare Advantage members.nnThe original FTC complaint against the proposed deal said it would result in a near monopoly controlling more than 80% of the market for services delivered by MCPOs to Medicare Advantage insurers.”The complaint alleges that elimination of this competition would increase healthcare costs and decrease competition on quality, services and other amenities in the affected area,” the FTC wrote.nnColorado Attorney General Phil Weiser separately announced his office had reached an agreement with UnitedHealth Group and DaVita that resolves its concerns about anticompetitive effects in the Colorado Springs area for people covered under Medicare Advantage plans.nnDaVita Medical Group owns two physician groups in Colorado Springs, and UnitedHealthcare, a sister company to Optum, is the largest Medicare Advantage operator in the region. Weiser filed a complaint independent of the FTC to challenge the Optum-DaVita deal.nnUnder that deal, UnitedHealthcare will lift its exclusive contract with Centura Health for at least 3.5 years, which will expand the network of providers available to seniors covered under Medicare Advantage, Weiser’s office said in a news release. Additionally, DaVita Medical Group’s agreement with Humana, UnitedHealth Group’s competitor in Colorado Springs, will be extended without change at least through the end of 2020.nn”As the people’s lawyer, I am committed to protecting all Coloradans from anticompetitive consolidation and practices, and will do so whether or not the federal government acts to protect Coloradans,” Weiser said in a statement.nnUnitedHealth Group will combine DaVita Medical Group with its Optum subsidiary, which provides primary and secondary care, consulting and data analytics. Optum spokeswoman Lauren Mijajlov wrote in an email that the company is pleased to have reached an agreement with Weiser’s office, and to have closed the deal. DaVita spokeswoman Courtney Culpepper said the same in an email.nnComplete and original