Health Beat: New analysis shows consumers to continue seeing affordable health care options next year

Editor’s note: Each Wednesday, Talk Business & Politics provides “Health Beat,” a round-up health-related topics.  –––––––––––––––

NEW ANALYSIS SHOWS CONSUMERS TO CONTINUE SEEING AFFORDABLE HEALTH CARE OPTIONS NEXT YEAR
After a week in which healthcare giant Aetna decided to leave Affordable Care Act exchanges in 11 states due to rising costs, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released a new analysis on Wednesday (Aug. 24) finding that consumers would continue to have affordable coverage options through the federal healthcare exchange, even if all Marketplace final health insurance premium rates were to increase by double digits next year. In a hypothetical scenario where all rates increase by 25%, the vast majority of consumers (73%) would be able to purchase coverage for less than $75 per month, according to the HHS report.

Since the Affordable Care Act became law, health care prices have risen at the lowest rate in 50 years, and premiums for the 150 million Americans with employer-sponsored insurance have grown at some of the slowest rates on record, the HHS report noted. All Marketplace premiums will be finalized and public in October. To find the HHS report, visit here.

NATIONAL ORGAN DONATION AGENCY PROPOSES CONTROVERSIAL NEW LIVER ALLOCATION PLAN
The federal Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network, part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is seeking public feedback on three controversial proposals to redraw the map that governs how livers are distributed for patients on the nation’s donor waiting list.

Nearly 15,000 people are on the waiting list for a new liver, but only 7,100 received one last year and 1,400 died waiting. Under the new geographic distribution plan, the proposed changes seek to modify 11 regional sharing areas to better match organ supply with demand, meaning those sicker patients in need of liver transplant will be placed higher on the waiting list regardless of their place of residence or listing.

Some critics decry the plan because sicker states and urban centers like California and New York – where organ donation rates are low – will get a new liver transplant ahead of others whose waiting lists are shorter. Also at stake are billions of dollars in revenue for local hospitals that conduct adult liver transplants. According to the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), the estimated U.S. average in 2011 of billed charges per liver transplant was $577,100.

Medicare, the largest single payer for liver transplants, paid out $5.6 billion for more than 6,200 liver transplants in 2014. The public comment proposal on the new nationwide liver distribution plan will end on Oct. 15. Click here to learn more.

NEW CDC PORTAL FOCUSES ON MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY, LEADING CAUSE OF WORK-RELATED DEATHS
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Foundation has launched a new motor vehicle safety portal that focuses on how businesses can protect employees who drive for work in the United States and travel for business abroad. This month, the site features an interactive infographic that provides useful facts and links to CDC programs that help employers prevent crashes and reduce injuries.

According to the CDC, motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of work-related injury death in the United States. Workplace crashes affect businesses through lost productivity, medical and workers’ compensation costs, liability and reputation damage. In 2013 alone, on-the-job motor vehicle crashes cost employers $25 billion.