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Health care costs affect the economy, the federal budget, and virtually every American family’s financial well-being. Health insurance enables children to excel at school, adults to work more productively, and Americans of all ages to live longer and healthier lives. The Affordable Care Act (ACA), has made substantial progress in addressing the uninsured Americans. Americans can now count on access to health coverage throughout their lives, and the federal government has an array of tools to bring the rise of health care costs under control.There are several companies which provide health insurance to the US citizens under the ACA, which in-turn promotes Medicaid and Medicare government programs. According to these programs and their respective market shares, the best positioned health insurers are:-UnitedHealth Group Inc.Humana Group Inc.Anthem Inc.These insurers have been working in developing a high-quality, affordable and accessible health care system.In this answer, I will be assessing the progress these companies have made towards improving the US health care system and discuss how policy makers can build on that progress especially under the Trump administration.Medicare ProgramMedicare is a 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.UnitedHealth Group Inc. provides mainly three plans under the Medicare program.Medicare Part A (hospital)Medicare Part B (doctor and out-patient)Medicare Part C, a type of health plan ,also known as Medicare Advantage Plan. This plan combines the Medicare Part A and Medicare Part B, then provide additional benefits that contribute to improving your health and wellness.It also provides other Medicare Advantage plans which include prescription drug coverage (Medicare Part D). Enrollment in Medicare Part A and Medicare Part B is necessary to be eligible to enroll in this plan. It is necessary to continue paying your Medicare Part B premium to keep your coverage under this group-sponsored plan. UnitedHealth tries to offer coverage that is as good as Original Medicare. The government pays them a fixed fee for one’s care. UnitedHealth is required to handle the payments to doctors and hospitals.Humana Group offers the Medicare Savings Program (MSP) to Medicare beneficiaries whose income falls below $1,357 per month for single individuals and $1,823 per month for married couples.Humana offers several other plans under Medicare, one of which is the Humana Gold Choice plan. Humana Gold Choice is a Medicare Advantage private fee-for-service (PFFS) plan. Humana Gold Choice PFFS allows members to use any provider, such as a physician, hospital or any other Medicare provider in the US that agrees to treat the member after having the opportunity to review these terms and conditions of payment, as long as the provider is eligible to provide health care services under Medicare Part A and Part B or eligible to be paid by Humana Gold Choice PFFS for benefits that are not covered under Original Medicare.Anthem Inc. (Wellpoint Inc. Group) has been focusing on making sure that the needs of the people under the Medicare Program are addressed.Anthem has health plans that support those who are Medicare eligible by developing HMOs and PPOs specific to Medicare and providing Medicare Supplement plans to those who want them. They have been constantly working on expanding the tele-health options.Consumers’ costs concerns are addressed with Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans (DSNPs) that are primarily $0 premium plans with $0 copays. They include dental and vision coverage and some even include coverage for over-the-counter drug costs. HMOs and PPOs specifically focused on accommodating the needs of the Medicare population are now available in targeted markets in 22 states. In specific markets in California and Texas, Anthem’s Medicare Select plans feature tight-knit provider collaboration. Also, convenient online doctor visits are available to most of Anthem’s affiliated Medicare Advantage plans through LiveHealth Online.Medicaid ProgramMedicaid in the United States is a social health care program for families and individuals with limited resources. Medicaid coverage is low cost or no cost to you. It is health care coverage for people with low incomes. Pregnant women, children, the elderly and people with a disability may qualify for the Medicaid Program.Medicaid Program discussed below is in reference with the state of Florida.UnitedHealth Group Inc. With growth in the Medicaid market, UnitedHealth took a vital step of launching a mobile app to better connect with people covered by the state-federal health insurance program.The new app called ‘Health4Me’ lets people in the state of Florida use their phones to more easily review their case history, track claims and find a doctor. The app also provides a digital health plan ID card, which has proved to be the most popular feature in early testing. It’s more about improving the way we share information than anything else when we decided to launch this for our Medicaid population.Expansion of Medicaid eligibility due to the federal health law has been a key factor in enrollment growth across the country, although some states have elected not to expand their programs. In 2014, about 5.1 million individuals were covered through Medicaid health plans at UnitedHealth and during the first half of 2015, the figure grew by 155,000.Humana Group has offered Medicaid services since 1970 in Florida. It is funded by both the state and federal governments and includes both capitated health plans as well as fee-for-service coverage. The Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) is responsible for administering the Medicaid program and to administer contracts, monitor Health Plan performance and provide oversight in all aspects of Health Plan operations. The state has sole authority for determining eligibility for Medicaid and whether Medicaid recipients are required to enroll in, may volunteer to enroll in, may not enroll in a Medicaid health plan or are subject to annual enrollment. The 2011 Florida Legislature passed House Bill 7107 to establish the Florida Medicaid program as a statewide, integrated managed care program for all covered services. This program is referred to as the Statewide Medicaid Managed Care (SMMC). In addition, Humana has the responsibility to ensure providers’ submission of encounter data is accepted by the Florida Medicaid Management Information System and/or the State’s encounter data warehouse.The Florida Managed Medical Assistance (FMMA) program focuses on four key objectives in order to support successful implementation:Preserving continuity of care.Requiring sufficient and accurate networks under contract and taking patients, allowing for an informed choice of plans for recipients and the ability to make appointments.Paying providers fully and promptly to preclude provider cash flow or payroll issues, and to give providers ample opportunity to learn and understand the plan’s prior authorization procedures.Coordinating with the Choice Counseling Call Center and website operated by the Agency’s contracted enrollment broker.Anthem Inc. has been investing significant time and resources to understand and serve the nearly 5.9 million plan members in state-sponsored programs across the country. While focusing on the needs of individual consumers, our plans are seeking out new and better ways to improve health outcomes with high-quality, cost-efficient programs that help society more broadly.Florida ranks first in the nation in the number of newly diagnosed HIV infections and second in the number of pediatric HIV cases reported. Clear Health Alliance, an HIV/AIDS Medicaid specialty plan offered by Simply Healthcare Plans, is addressing the special needs of those living with HIV/AIDS in Florida by offering bundled services tailored to their treatment requirements. Anthem is equipping consumers with the knowledge and support to better manage their health.Commercial Business ModelsUnitedHealth Group Inc.The UnitedHealth Group is a leading diversified health and well-being company that provides health benefits and health services through UnitedHealth and Optum business segments. UnitedHealth provides health benefits services to individual consumers, governments, and employers of all sizes. Optum offers health services to diverse stakeholder groups that include individuals, employers, governments, healthcare providers, payers, and life sciences companies.UnitedHealth Group Business Model EvolutionThe chart shown below is a one year stock market analysis till January 2017.The Insurance Company saw an enormous rise in the revenues and made a large operating profit.Humana Group Inc.Humana Inc. is a for-profit American health insurance company based in Louisville, Kentucky. As of 2014 Humana has had over 13 million customers in the U.S. reported a 2013 revenue of US$41.3 billion and has had over 52,000 employees. It has been the third largest health insurance in the nation.Following is the Financial Highlights of Humana Inc. The results have been extremely supreme over the years!Stock market of Humana Inc. over the last year:Anthem Inc.Anthem Inc. is an American health insurance company founded in the 1940s, prior to 2014 known as WellPoint, Inc. It is the largest for-profit managed health care company in the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. It was formed when Anthem Insurance Company acquired WellPoint Health Networks, Inc. with the combined company adopting the name WellPoint, Inc. trading on the NYSE for the combined company began under the WLP symbol on December 1, 2004. On December 3, 2014, WellPoint changed its corporate name to Anthem Inc, and its NYSE ticker changed from WLP to ANTM.Financial Highlights of Anthem Inc. for the past years:Financial and Membership Highlights:(The information presented below is as reported in Anthem’s 2015 Annual Report.)Data Sources:How UnitedHealth Group Makes Money? - Revenues & ProfitsUnitedHealthcare launches Medicaid AppHumana Medicare and Medicaid InformationAnthem, Inc | Investor Relations | Annual ReportsAnthem Annual ReportMedicaid - WikipediaMedicare - WikipediaImage SourcesUnitedHealth Group Incorporated (UNH) Stock ChartGoogleGoogle Images2015 Annual Review UHC