News

Health Insurance Coverage for Children up in 2004; Number of Uninsured Adults Stable

Health insurance coverage for children showed continued improvement in 2004, and the percentage of working-age adults without insurance coverage, which had been climbing in recent years, did not increase last year, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

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BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee Selects Webify's Service-Oriented Business Applications

Webify Solutions announced that BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee has selected and begun to implement applications from Webify's Healthcare On Demand industry solution. By implementing this solution, BCBS TN should increase first pass and auto- adjudication rates, support provider-side claims correction, and deliver full claims visibility from submission to reimbursement.

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Priority Health Selects QCSI's Myhealthbank Finance for Consumer Engaged Healthcare Strategy

Quality Care Solutions, Inc. (QCSI) announced today that Priority Health, a West Michigan based health plan, has selected QCSI's myhealthbank Finance software to assist in the administration of its Health Reimbursement Arrangement plans (HRAs). The myhealthbank Finance product will offer Priority Health clients the ability to create customized plan designs and offer multiple restricted cash accounts.

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CDH Plans Turning Patients Into Consumers?

Health savings accounts (HSAs) are turning patients into consumers by replacing one-size-fits-all insurance plans with individually owned tax-exempt savings accounts. With HSAs, more people can afford to be insured and portable private savings accounts lower costs and encourage preventive care, says Investor's Business Daily (IBD).

During the first year (CY 2004) of HSAs:

• One-third of HSA purchasers were previously uninsured, according to eHealthinsurance, an online insurance brokerage

• About 70 percent paid less than $100 a month for coverage

• High-deductible policies are 15 to 40 percent less expensive than comprehensive policies and HSA savings greatly exceed deductibles

Source: Editorial, "Patients Should Also Be Consumers," Investor's Business Daily, February 8, 2005.

CDH Plans Driving Enrollment for Top Health Plans

In an AIS article, several publicly traded health insurers say their consumer-driven health plans helped drive enrollment growth last year and likely will continue to boost enrollment in 2005.

January 2005 IT Staffing Update

Three-quarters of IT executives surveyed in January CIO Magazine article describe their current environment as understaffed and having to do more with less. An interesting set of statistics and observations is provided!