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	Medicare Spending and Physician Reimbursement With Congress again under pressure to pass a short-term âDoc Fixâ to avert cuts to physician reimbursements in Medicare, there is renewed interest in broader reforms to overhaul the way Medicare pays providers and controls spending. A RWJF/Health Affairs brief examines various proposals for revamping the Medicare payment system and their possible effects on federal spending and on health care providers. An Urban Institute brief provides a status report on the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, established by the ACA primarily to test new payment and delivery models. An RWJF/Health Affairs brief explores the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB), a new executive-branch entity created by the ACA that will have significant authority to curb rising Medicare spending.
	Controlling Health Care Costs A variety of recent reports examine proposals to reduce health care costs -- from limiting Medigap policies to improving care for dual eligibles to promoting consumer action. A Health Affairs/RWJF brief examines whether limits on Medigap policies would lower Medicare spending. A September Urban Institute brief looks at how Medicare could improve quality and reduce costs for dual eligibles. A Dartmouth Atlas report finds hospitals have wide room for improvement in readmissions. Avoidable readmissions cost an estimated $17 billion annually. A new study shows that consumers drive cost reductions in consumer-directed health plans.

Medical errors in the United States cost about $17.1 billion in 2008.
Source: Health Affairs

Changes in the Association Between Body Mass Index and Medicare Costs, 1997-2006
Archives of Internal Medicine, 02/13/12
The Financial Burden from Prescription Drugs has Declined Recently for the Nonelderly, Although it is Still High for Many
Health Affairs, 02/08/12
Health Status and Hospital Prices Key to Regional Variation in Private Health Care Spending
National Institute for Health Care Reform, 02/01/12
Four Health Care Organizations' Efforts to Improve Patient Care and Reduce Costs
Commonwealth Fund, 01/13/12
Romney's Charge That Most Federal Low-Income Spending Goes for "Overhead" and "Bureaucrats" is False
Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 01/12/12

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