Anthem Blue Cross 2007 Annual Report Download - page 25

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WellPoint, Inc. 2007 Summary Annual Report
OUR POSITION WellPoint has taken a leadership position in
addressing costly and potentially harmful variation in the treatment
patterns of physicians. WellPoint supports the expansion of new
technologies, such as electronic medical records and e-prescribing,
to ensure members are receiving quality care and health care
professionals are using current best practices in making patient
care decisions. WellPoint also rewards health care providers for
delivering the highest level of care possible. In 2006, WellPoint
paid approximately $140 million to physicians and hospitals for
evidence-based improvements in quality.
5. State of Public Health
ISSUE Lifestyle-related health issues, such as obesity, smoking,
and stress, are having a signi cant impact on Americans’ health
and health spending.
OUR POSITION Healthier lifestyles result in less health care
utilization, which helps stem the escalating costs of health care
bene ts. WellPoint is providing all members with the information
and tools they need to modify behaviors that decrease health risks.
We created the Member Health Index and State Health Index to
measure and improve the health of members and non-members
alike. And we support taxes on tobacco products as a means to
deter people, especially minors, from using these products. Revenue
generated from such taxes should be used to support health care
access and health improvement initiatives.
6. Insurance Market Reform
ISSUE Proposed legislation at the federal and state levels
could limit how health bene ts are designed and offered. Such
proposals, while well-intentioned, could make health insurance
more expensive and lead to an increase in the number of
Americans who are uninsured.
OUR POSITION WellPoint believes changes to the current
marketplace must be done carefully or they may trigger
unintended consequences. Laws that mandate coverage of
speci c bene ts and services often result in all consumers
paying higher premiums. Healthy individuals who otherwise
would have purchased basic coverage may no longer purchase
coverage, resulting in adverse selection, more uninsured and
greater risks to our health care system. WellPoint is committed
to working toward solutions for our customers and members
and believes any solution must protect consumers, re ect
market dynamics and provide one set of rules for all health
bene ts providers in a market.
7. Health Information Technology
ISSUE Broader adoption of electronic health records and health
information technology (IT) holds the promise of both lowering
long-term health care costs and improving health care quality,
while increasing ef ciencies in our health care system and
empowering patients.
OUR POSITION WellPoint supports the widespread adoption of
health information technology with appropriate privacy protections
for consumers. We support establishing interoperability standards
through a public-private collaborative process, harmonizing state
and federal privacy and health IT laws, and providing federal
grants to help providers pay for electronic health records and
to facilitate health information exchanges.
8. Medicare
ISSUE Congress expanded the number of choices available to
Medicare bene ciaries when it added the Part D drug bene t to
Medicare and created the Medicare Advantage program in 2003.
Today, some critics have called for limiting the number of Part D
plans an insurer can offer, and others have called for cutting
payments to the Medicare Advantage program.
OUR POSITION WellPoint believes that Medicare bene ciaries
should continue to have access to a wide range of Medicare
options, and is committed to the long-term success of both
Part D and Medicare Advantage.
9. Medicaid and SCHIP
ISSUE State Medicaid programs continue to face  nancial
challenges as states contend with growing enrollment, increasing
health care costs and tight budgets. In addition, the continuing
authorization of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program
(SCHIP), which covers more than four million low-income children
— most of whom would otherwise be uninsured — is uncertain.
OUR POSITION Medicaid’s historic and most important job is
to take care of the truly vulnerable and needy. WellPoint supports
reforms to the program that provide states with incentives to pursue
public-private collaborations, which can enable states to become
more effective purchasers of health care. In addition, WellPoint
supports the reauthorization of SCHIP at a funding level that will,
at a minimum, sustain coverage for all children and parents
currently enrolled as well as coverage for all children who are
eligible but not enrolled.
10. Privacy and Data Security
ISSUE The public has widespread concerns about privacy,
particularly with regard to electronic data sharing and electronic
health records.
OUR POSITION WellPoint has implemented high levels of security
to protect con dential data and guard against unwanted intrusions
or breaches in all aspects of our company operations, including
IT systems. We continue to re ne our information security programs
to keep pace with current technological developments and to give
members peace of mind that con dential individual health
information is secure.