Here at Optima Health, we’re busy preparing for the full implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which goes into effect for coverage in 2014. With open enrollment taking place this October, there are many details to consider and decisions to make. Not just for providers – but also for employers and even individuals. Here’s a look at some of the changes coming your way in 2013. ...

"Thursday’s Supreme Court's ruling upholding most of the Affordable Care Act as constitutional means that Optima Health can now move forward with a level of certainty," said Optima Health CEO Michael Dudley.“Knowing where we stand is a relief,” he told reporters Thursday afternoon. “There has been some uncertainty, not knowing whether the law would be thrown out or go forward. We’ve implemented every elemen ...

Will health reform disappear if the Supreme Court strikes down ‘Obamacare’? Not according to health care experts publishing their opinions in both consumer and industry media. Ezekiel J. Emanuel, currently an academician at the University of Pennsylvania, an oncologist and former White House advisor, said in an editorial in the New York Times that regardless of how the court rules, many reforms will proceed ...

It’s been a month since the Supreme Court heard arguments on President Obama’s healthcare overhaul, and it could be another two months until the court decides the law’s fate. But there is no shortage of pundits’ predictions about outcomes, and what the effects those outcomes could have. Without predicting what the outcome might be, “Six potential outcomes for health reform” by Mark Sherman and Ricardo Alons ...

This op-ed article by Michael Dudley on health reform appeared in the March 23rd issue of "Inside Business" in Norfolk. It also appeared in the Harrisonsburg "Daily News Record" and Roanoke's "The Roanoke Times." While businesses and individuals have been anticipating the changes to come with health care reform, it's still too soon to count on anything. Health insurance companies have had the "pedal to the ...