Georgia, Alabama & Louisiana | Spring | 2010 | Health Plan Analysis

Value-based insurance designs, medical homes and Medicaid reform, as well as the federal health reform law, are affecting the healthcare landscape in Georgia, Louisiana and Alabama. Large employers in Georgia are showing an interest in value-based insurance designs, especially blended with wellness or disease management programs, and carriers stand ready with applicable models. Long-time efforts to revamp Medicaid in Louisiana will soon come to fruition with a new Coordinated Care Network system that will involve health plans and medical practices, including medical homes. Louisiana began adopting the medical home model after Hurricane Katrina destroyed hospitals, medical centers and medical records, leaving clinics and medical practices to take up the slack. The state now has the largest network on medical homes in the country. Health professionals are trying to understand federal health reform, especially as it pertains to insurance models, such as consumer driven health plans. If these plans can remain affordable and meet federal minimum standards, they will continue to attact buyers, especially in Louisiana where they are now on solid footing.