Shifts In Healthcare Coverage For Millions Of American Lives Create Unique Data Challenge For Next Year Planning

BURLINGTON, Mass., July 10, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Decision Resources Group expects American lives to continue their vast migration to coverage, as post-ACA implementation coincides with a recovering economy and Baby Boomer retirement. From January 2013 to January 2014, more than 8 million people moved out of the Uninsured category. The shift accelerated between July 2013 and January 2014, as 2.4 million people joined Medicaid and 5.8 million opted into the Exchanges. Companies with a business interest in America's covered lives now have the additional hurdle of finding accurate, up-to-date data as they engage in planning for 2015. Decision Resources Group's experts offer a new Infographic on medical enrollment—as well as an open webinar—to provide insight on the rapidly evolving landscape of American covered lives.

Key Facts

• Decision Resources Group's newest Infographic, entitled Millions of Lives on the Move, clarifies how medical covered lives in the US have migrated—in some cases by the millions—from January 2013 to July 2013, and then through January 2014.
  • As of January 2014:
    • Total Medicaid enrollment is more than 64 million lives.
    • 41 million people are Uninsured.
  • From July 2013 to January 2014:
    • Commercial (non-public exchange) enrollment gained about 333,000 lives.
    • 752,000 people joined Medicare.
• Sources include data from the HealthLeaders-InterStudy census, as well as a portfolio of federal, state and other government and public reporting. Lives data is cleansed by proprietary methodologies and refined by a team of industry experts and experienced data analysts.
• The Infographic can be downloaded here.

Quotes

• Jodi Tonkin, Principal Analyst for Decision Resources Group, said: "The impact of the ACA across US healthcare is palpable.  The intersection of demographic changes in the US, the opening of the exchanges and a recovering economy drove us to develop a unique multi-demographic regression and consumer behavior model to quantify premium-paid individuals on the public exchanges.  Companies planning for 2015 using lives data from just six months ago will be planning for next year with data that depicts a totally different picture than today's reality."
• Bryan Berndt, Assistant Director of Data Operations for Decision Resources Group, adds: "With the expansion of state Medicaid programs, there has been an unprecedented increase in enrollment for individuals who might otherwise not have access to quality health care coverage.  States that expanded Medicaid under the ACA saw an increase of over 2.5 million lives since July 2013, while at the same time experiencing a 22 percent decrease in their uninsured population.  As this trend continues, those numbers will change significantly every month—it has become critical for businesses with an interest in US covered lives to have the most current information available."    

Webinar

• Decision Resources Group is offering an open webinar on the changes in American covered lives. US Healthcare Data on the Move: Tracking the Migration of Millions of Lives will take place July 31^st, 2014 and is open to media, payer, provider, PBM, government and pharmaceutical executives. Register for the webinar here.

About HealthLeaders-InterStudy Data, Tools and Reports

NEW: As of January 2014, Public Health exchange enrollment is included in HealthLeaders-InterStudy data, tools and reports.

HealthLeaders-InterStudy data, tools and reports with new exchange enrollment data include:

• NEW Exchange Profiles, Exchange Watch, Health Plan Enrollment  and Health Plan Profiles within the Health Plan Data & Analysis portfolio
• Market Overviews—Curated, intuitive analysis of the major healthcare players and market drivers of the 87 most dynamic metro areas in the US
• Integrated Payer Platform—A streamlined view of health plan data, PBMs and employer health benefits
• Pharmacy Benefit Evaluator—Pharmacy benefit structure and spending assessment
• Managed Market Surveyor—Medical and pharmacy lives coverage at national, state, MSA and county levels

For more information, visit http://www.hl-isy.com/Products-And-Services.aspx

About Decision Resources Group

Decision Resources Group offers best-in-class, high-value information and insights on critical issues within the healthcare industry. DRG insights and analysis on the U.S. managed care market are powered by HealthLeaders-InterStudy. Clients rely on this analysis and data to make informed decisions. Find out more at www.hl-isy.com and www.DecisionResourcesGroup.com.

All company, brand or product names contained in this document may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.

For more information, contact:
Chris Comfort
Decision Resources Group
781-993-2597
[email protected]

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SOURCE Decision Resources Group