AHIP18: CEO warns payers of urgency for 'change and innovation' (Healthcare Drive)

The annual meeting of America’s Health Insurance Plans kicked off with a warning.

AHIP CEO Matt Eyles said that consolidation and rising healthcare costs are reaching a breaking point.

Chronic diseases are difficult and costly to treat for a number of reasons. Effective treatment is important, catching them early is even more key and preventing them in the first place is ideal. Some emerging avenues for accomplishing those goals include population health management and motivating patients to understand and act on personal best practices.

Personal responsibility can go a long way, but Leana Wen, health commissioner for the city of Baltimore, said it isn't that simple.

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When I’ve asked experts about these approaches, it’s not that any of them are bad. It’s that they fall short. For instance, Leana Wen, the former health commissioner of Baltimore (and soon-to-be president of Planned Parenthood), said that the Support for Patients and Communities Act “is simply tinkering around the edges.”

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