HCFANY In the News! Health Care Takes $2.3 Billion Budget Hit (Crain’s Health Pulse, 3/31)
Primary care advocates, on the other hand, were thrilled with the [budget] greement. Health Care For All new York, a statewide coalition, celebrated a provision that shifts money from the GME pool to a new source that makes hospitals more accountable for their charity-care spending on the uninsured.
State Leaders Defend Budget Deal (Albany Times Union, 3/30)
Democratic state leaders held a press conference to express both pride and remorse for the agreement that was hammered out over the weekend: pride for a budget they claimed would be both on-time and a first step on the road to fiscal responsibility, and remorse for the revenue-raising measures it includes and the closed-door nature of the negotiations.
It’s a Deal: $131.8B (Albany Times Union, 3/30)
The agreement attempts to close the state’s estimated $17.7 billion budget deficit through roughly $6.2 billion in federal stimulus spending, $5.2 billion in cuts to an array of programs, and $6.3 billion in new revenue including an increase in the personal income tax on affluent New Yorkers.
Paterson Touts the No-Sense Budget (The Daily Politics, 3/30)
Gov. David Paterson, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith emerged from behind closed doors this morning for an official back-patting press conference to announce the $131.8 billion three-way budget deal they reached over the weekend.
New York Legislators Outline Budget Deal (NY Times, 3/29)
Gov. Paterson and leaders of the Legislature outlined a $131.8 billion agreement on Sunday that would close the state’s gaping deficit with billions of dollars in new taxes, financing from the federal stimulus and a substantial slowdown in the growth of health care spending.
Raising State Taxes would fuel recession budget critics say (The Buffalo News, 3/28)
Taxes and fees could rise more than $7 billion in the upcoming state budget, making it the biggest increase in New York’s history, the state’s chief business lobbyist warned Friday.
Lemon Capitalisms: What a “level playing field” for health insurance really means (Slate, 3/27)
One of the oddest aspects of the debate over health care reform is that at the moment conservatives are finally willing to concede that government health insurance programs like Medicare and the State Children’s Health Insurance Program are superior to their private counterparts both in delivering benefits and in keeping costs down, they’re turning that into an argument against them rather than for them.
Paterson responds to transparency questions with a snark
(Albany Times Union, 3/27)
In today’s press conference on the Rockefeller drug law reforms , Gov. David Paterson took a few questions from reporters – the first time in four days during these heady times of budget negotiations
Insurers Ease Stance on Pre-Existing Conditions (NY Times, 3/24)
The health insurance industry said Tuesday that it was willing to end the practice of charging higher premiums to sick people if Congress adopted a comprehensive plan that provided coverage to all Americans.
Insurers Offer to Soften a Key Rate-Setting Policy (NY Times, 3/24)
The insurance industry said Tuesday that it was willing to end the practice of charging higher premiums to sick people if Congress adopted a comprehensive plan requiring all Americans to carry insurance.
Who are the big health care players? (Politico, 3/24)
Conversations are taking place all over Washington. But for the best clues about what proposals have traction, watch the progress of these five groups over the next few weeks. Some are just beginning the tough negotiations, while others are on the cusp of unveiling their ideas.
Groups push reconciliation option (Politico, 3/23)
Health Care for America Now sent a letter Monday to budget committee chairmen and ranking Republicans, asking them to “protect health care reform from a filibuster by including in the budget resolution the option of using a budget reconciliation process for health care reform.”
Battle lines drawn on health care (Politico, 3/20)
The emerging fault line between the parties is the mostly Democrat-backed idea of creating a public insurance plan to compete with private insurers. Proponents and foes of the government option are beginning to raise their voices more forcefully and frequently.
Insurance Change for Veterans is Scrapped (NY Times, 3/18)
Under withering criticism from veterans and Congress, President Obama abandoned a proposal that would have required veterans to use their private health insurance to pay for the treatment of combat-related injuries.
Wal-Mart lends muscle to health reform (Politico, 3/17)
Wal-Mart is ramping up its Washington activity to push for comprehensive health care reform, and the world’s largest retailer says it is ready to use its economic muscle to get out in front and influence the discussion.
Team Effort in the House to Overhaul Health Care (NY Times, 3/17)
Three powerful House committee chairmen have agreed to work together on legislation to overhaul the health care system, starting with the view that most employers should help finance coverage and that the government should offer a public health insurance plan as an alternative to private insurance.
Massachusetts Faces Cost of Big Health Care Plan (NY Times, 3/15)
Massachusett’s day of reckoning has arrived. Threatened first by rapid early enrollment in its new subsidized insurance program and now by a withering economy, the state’s pioneering overhaul has entered a second, more challenging phase.
