Whois & Analysis for healthpayerintelligence.com

In the United States, health insurance marketplaces, also called health exchanges, are organizations set up to facilitate the purchase of health insurance in each state in accordance with the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA, known colloquially as "Obamacare").

Marketplaces provide a set of government-regulated and standardized health care plans from which individuals may purchase health insurance policies eligible for federal subsidies.

In the United States, Medicare is a single-payer, national social insurance program administered by the US federal government since 1966, currently using about 30–50 private insurance companies across the United States under contract for administration.

United States Medicare is funded by a payroll tax, premiums and surtaxes from , and general revenue.

It provides health insurance for Americans aged 65 and older who have worked and paid into the system through the payroll tax.

It also provides health insurance to younger people with some disabilities status as determined by the Social Security Administration, as well as people with end stage renal disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Medicaid in the United States is a social health care program for families and individuals with limited resources.

The Health Insurance Association of America describes Medicaid as a "government insurance program for persons of all ages whose income and resources are insufficient to pay for health care".

Medicaid is the largest source of funding for medical and health-related services for people with low income in the United States.

It is a means-tested program that is jointly funded by the state and federal governments and managed by the states, with each state currently having broad leeway to determine who is eligible for its implementation of the program.

States are not required to participate in the program, although all have since 1982.

Medicaid recipients must be U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents, and may include low-income adults, their children, and people with certain disabilities.

Poverty alone does not necessarily qualify someone for Medicaid.

Health insurance is insurance against the risk of incurring medical expenses among individuals.

By estimating the overall risk of health care and health system expenses, among a targeted group, an insurer can develop a routine finance structure, such as a monthly premium or payroll tax, to ensure that money is available to pay for the health care benefits specified in the insurance agreement.

The benefit is administered by a central organization such as a government agency, private business, or not-for-profit entity.

According to the Health Insurance Association of America, health insurance is defined as "coverage that provides for the payments of benefits as a result of sickness or injury.

It includes insurance for losses from accident, medical expense, disability, or accidental death and dismemberment" (pg.

225).

An accountable care organization (ACO) is a healthcare organization that ties payments to quality metrics and the cost of care.

ACOs in the United States are formed from a group of coordinated health care practitioners.

The ACO adopts alternative payment models (e.g., capitation).

The ACO is accountable to patients and third-party payers for the quality, appropriateness and efficiency of its services.

According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), an ACO is "an organization of health care practitioners that agrees to be accountable for the quality, cost, and overall care of Medicare beneficiaries who are enrolled in the traditional fee-for-service program who are assigned to it".