In the Tank: Debating Health Care Reform (Washington Post, 4/29)
An online dialogue with Washington think tankers on health care reform.
Dems for a Public Plan. Not (exactly) the Usual Suspects (The Treatment: The New Republic’s Health Care Blog, 4/29)
Sixteen Democratic Senators, led by Ohio’s Sherrod Brown and West Virginia’s Jay Rockefeller, just sent a letter making the case for a public insurance option as part of health reform.
Sebelius Confirmed as HHS Secretary (CQ Politics, 4/28)
The tally was 65-31. Sebelius, 60, will lead a sprawling bureaucracy with a budget in excess of $600 billion, rivaling defense spending. Her responsibilities include the nation’s biggest health and welfare programs, including the health entitlements Medicare, for the elderly and disabled, and Medicaid, for the poor.
Health Care Reform: A Readable Summary from the New England Journal of Medicine (Disease Management Care Blog, 4/24)
Suggestions for improvement on current proposals in reforming health care, such as ”creating a public option that is funneled through a private insurance mechanism.”
Budget bites on health care… (Health Access Weblog, 4/23/09) The Senate Budget Subcommittee met to discuss budget issues relating to Healthy Families and Medi-Cal, such as current caps on dental benefits for kids are a violation of the new federal law and moving to electronic verification of assets.
Some “high risk” reforms… (Health Access Weblog, 4/23/09) Two bills were proposed at the Senate Health Committee to assist those denied health insurance for having “pre-existing conditions,” by removing annual a benefit cap through “Major Risk Medical Program” (MRMIP), and to increase the program’s current life-time benefit cap from 75,000 to 1 million.
Reconciliation Now Has a Date: October 15 (The New Republic: The Treatment blog, 4/24/09) The final budget resolution will include a “reconciliation instruction” for health care in which health care legislation must be passed by 10/15. This will allow the Democrats to pass health care reform with only 50 votes. Democrats want bipartisanship, but Republicans cannot filibuster regardless.
Reconciliation: This Changes Everything (The New Republic: The Treatment blog, 4/23/09) Reconciliation compromises interest groups abilities to fight for no health care reform, leaving them with limited options and no other choice but to fight for reform they prefer over health care reform they are strongly opposed of.
Some Caveats About Keeping Your Own Electronic Health Records (New York Times, 4/17/09) While electronic record-keeping may seem like a fast and efficient way for health providers to keep track of patients’ medical records, it may not be as easy as it seems, since building personal medical file can be time-consuming for providers and require patients to be vigilant about keeping records updated.
With Son in Remission, Family Looks for Coverage (NY Times, 4/21) Since the day she was laid off in October, Ms. Walker and her husband, Russ, co-owner of a struggling feed store here on the outskirts of Houston, have mounted a largely fruitless quest to find affordable coverage for Jake’s pre-existing condition. Their odyssey has become all too familiar to millions of newly uninsured Americans who suddenly find themselves one diagnosis away from medical and financial devastation.
Senators Set Timetable for Health Care Bills (NY Times, 4/20)
The chairmen of two Senate committees told President Obama today that by early June they would finish writing legislation on health care to “provide coverage to all Americans.”
In$ure Poorhouse (NY Post, 4/20)
It now costs more to buy health insurance than it does to rent a two-bedroom apartment in the Financial District. The average monthly premium for family health coverage has soared from $3,866 last April to $4,354 — a 13 percent increase — according to a Post analysis of new data from the state Insurance Department.
White House Seeks Health Plan Compromise (USA Today, 4/16)
Offering the option of government coverage to workers and their families has become one of the most contentious issues in the debate about overhauling health care to cover the uninsured and curb costs. Obama has proposed a public plan, and liberals insist it be part of any final deal. Conservatives and businesses fear that could open the door for a government takeover of the system.
Obama Stands Firm on Sweeping Agenda (New York Times, 4/14)
In listing his priorities, Mr. Obama again insisted that health care be overhauled by the end of the year.
Novel Approach to Health Plans Gains Traction (Wall Street Journal, 4/14)As the Obama administration wrestles with how to expand health-care coverage to the millions of uninsured Americans, some local organizations are finding creative ways to help cover one of the most affected groups — employees of small businesses.
Fast Track for Obama Health Care Reform (Public News Service, 4/13)
Democrat Gillibrand met with leaders of more than 20 advocacy groups, all of which are part of the Health Care for America Now! coalition. Healthcare costs not covered by insurance rank as the most common reason New Yorkers file for bankruptcy, according to Kinda Serafi, an attorney and health policy consultant for the Children’s Defense Fund. To Serafi, this underscores the need for prompt congressional action.
Health Care Cautions, From One Who Knows (NY Times, 4/12)
Now Mr. Gephardt says universal or near-universal coverage cannot pass this year – and he is urging the White House to defer that goal until it enacts cost-saving reforms in health care delivery. Otherwise, he argues, the new president risks the same losing argument about paying for expanded coverage that stymied Presiden Clinton 15 years ago.
Obama sets up formal office for health care reform (Reuters, 4/9)
President Obama set up an executive office for healthcare reform at the White House on Wednesday, saying the overhaul was one of the biggest priorities for the first year of his presidency. The White House Office of Health Reform (Health Reform Office) will help the executive branch steer “the federal government’s comprehensive effort to improve access to health care, the quality of such care, and the sustainability of the health care system.”
New York Voters Reject New State Budget Almost 4-1; State Government Is Dysfunctional, Voters Say 3-1 (Quinnipiac University Poll, 4/7)
Editorial: A Public Plan for Health Insurance? (NY Times, 4/6)
A new public plan – to offer consumers greater choice, keep the private plans honest and, one can hope, restrain the relentless growth in health care premiums and underlying medical costs – seems worth trying.
