Heading to the hospital? Even with insurance, it may cost you $1,000 or more, new study finds

Even if you have good health insurance through your employer, a hospital stay might end up costing you $1,000 or more out of your own pocket, according to new findings from IHPI researchers published in JAMA Internal Medicine. And that amount is 37 percent higher now than it would have been just a decade ago ---- a rise that outpaces the growth in insurance premiums and U.S. healthcare spending. It's the first time anyone has been able to study what patients with private insurance are actually billed, made possible by data acquired by IHPI through the Health Care Cost Institute (a consortium of private insurance). The study received media coverage in the New York Times, the Washington Post, Forbes, and elsewhere.

A rising, but uneven, tide of in-home care for seniors with disabilities

Accounting for Social Risk Factors in Medicare Payment---- National Academies committee releases report

Joining 'The Conversation' on healthcare

In the last month, IHPI faculty members have launched new discussions on everything from the ethical considerations around what happens to donated biobank samples, to the measures needed to reduce hospital infections, to the "public option" included in Hillary Clinton's healthcare proposals, to physician pay-for-performance. They've even discussed the lessons about evaluating risks and benefits through the lens of public health messaging around eating raw cookie dough. These pieces ---- and many more ---- appear on The Conversation, a new web platform for research-based content.

Drink water, stay slimmer?

Parents more confident tweens could deal with fire, storms than guns

P arents are more confident their preteen child would know what to do if there were a house fire or tornado than whether the child would avoid playing with guns if home alone,  according to a new report  from the  C.S. Mott Children's Hospital National Poll on Children's Health.  Four out of five parents of kids age 9 to 12 say they are very confident their child would appropriately handle an emergency like a storm (82 percent) or a fire (78 percent). Sixty-four percent of parents are confident their child would know when to call 911. Fewer parents (53 percent) are very confident their tween would not play with guns when adults weren't home.

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Chronic disease management coverage could see boost through bipartisan bill

Newly introduced bipartisan legislation may offer some patients managing chronic conditions financial relief as well as increased access to healthcare services and medications. On July 7, Representatives Diane Black (R-TN) and Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) introduced (H.R. 5652) to allow high deductible health plans the flexibility to provide coverage for services that manage chronic disease prior to meeting the plan deductible. The "Access to Better Care Act of 2016" would amend Section 223(c)(2) of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Code to make this provision. Mark Fendrick, M.D., U-M professor of internal medicine and director of the U-M Center for Value-Based Insurance Design (V-BID), worked closely with Congressional staff on the proposed legislation. The American College of Physicians recently recommended the implementation of V-BID as a potential solution to make patient cost-sharing more equitable.

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Fetters receives Fulbright's top honor

Michael Fetters, M.D., M.P.H., M.A., professor of family medicine, has been named a 2016 Fulbright Distinguished Chair in Social Sciences. He will spend five months in Beijing teaching and leading a joint research project with colleagues at Peking University Health Science Center (PUHSC), U-M's partner school in the Joint Institute for Translational and Clinical Research.

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Ellimoottil named to CMS expert panel on resource use measures

Chad Ellimoottil, M.D., M.S., U-M assistant professor of urology, has been selected to serve as a member of the CMS MACRA Episode-Based Resource Use Measures Technical Expert Panel. These panels provide technical input on the development, selection, and maintenance of quality measures for which CMS contractors are responsible.

Ayanian presents to Midwest healthcare journalists

IHPI Director John Ayanian spoke to a group of healthcare journalists from Great Lakes states at a forum convened by the Association for Health Care Journalists on July 22 in Detroit. His presentation focused on the Affordable Care Act and health disparities.