In two separate announcements from HHS, the agency said while the risk pool for the health insurance exchanges has improved, it’s “exploring options” to adjust the Affordable Care Act’s risk adjustment program to account for sicker, more expensive enrollees.

New conditions, participating states and telemedicine opportunities will be included in the second year of CMS’s Medicare Advantage (MA) Value-Based Insurance Model.

More than two million healthcare providers throughout the country will receive letters from U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, MD, MBA, later this month. It will include information for doctors about how to best help patients and families dealing with opioid addictions and how to prevent those at risk from becoming addicted in the first place. 

New research suggests that, since the Affordable Care Act has launched, Americans are less likely to have medical debt and postpone care because of cost, and more likely to have a regular doctor and receive preventive health resources, such as vaccines and cancer screenings.

A CMS analysis said its Independence at Home Demonstration program saved over $10 million in its second performance year, a decline from the $25 million in savings from its first year.

The Affordable Care Act’s restrictions on physician-owned hospitals (POHs) appear to have worked, as a new study published in Health Affairs said the law “effectively eliminated” the formation of new POHs.

Many in the Obama administration bemoan the fact that 19 states have opted out of Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act. But the program’s patchwork implementation might have helped prove the law’s value, according to the New York Times. 

ROCHESTER, N.Y., Aug. 9 — Carestream Health reduced energy consumption and enhanced recycling at its facilities in Oregon and Colorado as part of an ongoing effort to trim its environmental footprint.