While not all models developed and tested through the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) were successful, each provided valuable lessons for future experiments in care delivery and payment from both government and private payers, according to an article published by Health Affairs.

In a proxy statement filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Louisville, Kentucky-based Kindred Healthcare urged its shareholders to follow the recommendation of Kindred board members and vote yes on the proposed $4.1 billion sale of the company to insurer Humana and two private equity firms.

A legislative committee in California is hearing proposals about how to achieve the goal of universal healthcare in the state, with advocates looking for inspiration in Canadian, British and German models.

Andy Slavitt, the last administrator of CMS under President Barack Obama, has announced the launch of a new group bringing together former politicians, healthcare executives and regulators to advocate for bipartisan changes in health policy.

The Blue Cross Blue Shield Association said there’s an “urgent” need for Congress to fund additional reinsurance for companies offering coverage on the Affordable Care Act (ACA), saying with the individual mandate gone beginning in 2019, some action is required to keep premiums from increasing as insurers try to manage a sicker risk pool.

Thirty-seven percent of accountable care organizations (ACOs) had a management organization as a partner between 2013 and 2015. While the arrangement didn’t appear to improve an ACO’s ability to meet performance targets, their services and start-up funding may have enabled more practices to participate in accountable care.

The establishment of a primary care-led regional health improvement collaboration in the Cleveland area reduced hospitalizations attributed to conditions like heart failure and bacterial pneumonia, saving nearly $40 million, according to a study published in the February 2017 issue of Health Affairs.

Work requirements have been added to Indiana’s Medicaid program, making it the second state to mandate participation in “community engagement” activities since CMS issued guidelines to states on including those provisions in Section 1115 Medicaid waivers.