TGIF

TGIF doesn't have the same meaning when you have been on vacation all week like the FEHBlog has.

Federal News Radio (which has better coverage of federal employee issues than Federal Times or Govexec at the last from the FEHBlog's perspective reports that the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee is making progress on a House Postal Reform bill. The article notes that the Postmaster General remains gung ho on pulling the Postal Service out of the FEHBP because it will cure the headache created by the statute that requires the Postal Service to prefund future retiree coverage under the FEHBP.  Any such pullout would require labor union approval because health benefits coverage is a mandatory topic of collective bargaining. All four Postal Service labor unions sponsor FEHB plans.

The FEHBlog is curious how healthcare transparency impacts patient care. The AMA News reports on how doctors are reacting to the ability of patients to get their lab test results on line.

Modern Healthcare reports that CMS has added to angioplasty related readmission statistics to its Hospital Compare website. The statistics are based on readmissions within 30 days for patients undergoing the most prevalent cardiac procedure. “This measure is extremely valuable for patients in that they are, for the first time, getting easy access to information on how their local hospital is performing in terms of readmissions after these procedures,” Dr. John Harold, president of the American College of Cardiology, said in a release.

AHIP has posted quick facts on healthcare reform and premiums.  Second and third year premiums, reflecting actual health care benefit costs and the growing impact of the health insurer fee, will be much more telling than estimated first year premiums in the exchanges.