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Obama reschedules meeting with state insurance regulators

Just a day after announcing that President Barack Obama would meet with state insurance regulators in Seattle next week, the White House said Friday that the meeting would have to come later.

16 Aug 2010

Research Roundup: Disabled Medicare Enrollees' challenges; Increasing ER visits; costs/benefits of Part D

Health Affairs: Medicare Doesn't Work As Well For Younger, Disabled Beneficiaries As It Does For Older Enrollees - This paper examines "how well Medicare works for [the 8 million] nonelderly disabled beneficiaries compared to the elderly, based on findings from a nationally representative survey of noninstitutionalized Medicare beneficiaries conducted in 2008 by the Kaiser Family Foundation."

16 Aug 2010

Insurers defend less generous policies, medical loss ratio definitions; Obama to talk with insurance commissioners

Kaiser Health News, in collaboration with USA Today, reports on insurers who are defending less generous "limited-benefit" health policies as implementation of the health law proceeds. That law forbids annual dollar limits in such plans. "Starting this fall, most health care policies — except existing policies purchased by individuals on their own — will have to cover at least $750,000 in medical care per person.

13 Aug 2010

Obama Administration should adopt new regulations to insulate Americans from rate increases: Consumer Watchdog

Consumer Watchdog called on the Obama Administration to adopt new regulations requiring broad financial disclosures by health insurance companies to help insulate Americans from double-digit rate increases. Insurers should provide details of shadowy multibillion-dollar transfers to out-of-state affiliates and parent companies when they are required to justify "unreasonable" rate increases under the health reform law, said the group.

13 Aug 2010

Today's opinions: Rep. Ryan's plan to aid Medicare; The burden on health law supporters in Va.; Evaluating Medicare actuary's estimates

Only in Washington could the government raid one entitlement program to finance a brand-new one and still claim that deficits have been reduced and entitlements have been reformed (Rep. Paul Ryan, 8/13).

13 Aug 2010

First Edition: August 13, 2010

Today's headlines explore a variety of health policy issues, ranging from consumer protections regarding benefit rights to the cost of electronic medical records.

13 Aug 2010

Insurers' actions mirror credit card companies' interest rate increases ahead of new consumer rights

Consumer Watchdog and the Center for Media and Democracy today asked the Obama administration to investigate how the major for-profit health insurance companies are reducing their proportion of spending on health care in advance of health reform, even as premiums spike upward. In a letter to Health and Human Services chief Kathleen Sebelius, the groups compared insurers' actions to those of credit card companies, which spiked annual interest rates last year in advance of new federal regulations that would curb corporate abuses.

13 Aug 2010

Mass. docs will soon track patients who abuse prescription drugs; Wis. Catholic Church employees now eligible for birth control

The Boston Globe: "With a few computer keystrokes, Massachusetts physicians will soon be able to identify patients who travel from clinic to clinic in pursuit of potent prescription drugs that feed lethal addictions. State health regulators yesterday unanimously approved the new detection system designed to stop 'doctor shopping' by addicted patients who try to dupe doctors into prescribing narcotics. The practice, specialists said, has fueled a surge in drug-related deaths in Massachusetts" (Smith, 8/12).

13 Aug 2010

GOP Rep. Ryan potential 'foil' for Obama; Candidates consider reform's role in races

The New York Times: Rep. Paul Ryan, "as you may have heard, is the Republican star of the moment. A 40-year-old from southeastern Wisconsin serving his sixth term in the House, Mr. Ryan has been getting a lot of attention for his 'Roadmap for America's Future,' an unusually austere proposal to vanquish the federal debt by, among other things, partly dismantling Social Security and Medicare as they currently exist."

13 Aug 2010

Insurers, small businesses and ER care all affected by overhaul

News outlets consider the impact of health reform on insurers — who are seeking flexibility on mandates — as well as changes to premiums, small businesses and emergency room care.

13 Aug 2010

Today's Opinions: Health law's effect for Democrats; Canadians' view; Cutting Medicare costs; The health issue in Tenn. Governor's race

Despite lofty predictions that a broad-based Democratic constituency would be activated by the health care reform bill, recent polling shows that the bill has been a disaster for the party — with near 60 percent of voters saying that they oppose the measure (Douglas Schoen, 8/11).

13 Aug 2010

First Edition: August 12, 2010

Some of today's headlines highlight how the new health reform law is playing beyond Washington, D.C.'s beltway.

12 Aug 2010

Report: Top insurance execs pulled in nearly $200 million in compensation last year

The Los Angeles Times: "The top executives at the nation's five largest for-profit health insurance companies pulled in nearly $200 million in compensation last year — while their businesses prepared to hit ratepayers with double-digit premium increases, according to a new analysis conducted by healthcare activists. The leaders of Cigna Corp., Humana Inc., UnitedHealth Group and WellPoint Inc. each in effect received raises in 2009, the report concluded, based on an analysis of company reports filed with the Security and Exchange Commission.

12 Aug 2010

Latest health overhaul repeal petition gains GOP leadership backing

Politico: "Republicans are continuing to telegraph their opposition to health care reform by filing another petition that would force the House to vote on repealing the legislation. Rep. Wally Herger (R-Calif.) filed a discharge petition Tuesday that would get rid of the Democrats' health care reform and replace it with a Republican alternative. His push follows Rep. Steve King's (R-Iowa) petition to simply repeal the reform without replacing it with new legislation" (Aujla, 8/10).

12 Aug 2010

Today's Opinions and Editorials: The importance of following health reform's plan and more about 'death panels'

Within a few years, 6 million uninsured California residents will finally get medical coverage as part of the newly passed federal health care reforms. But what will they pay? And who will regulate premiums as insurers angle for customers? (8/11).

12 Aug 2010

MAXIMUS Long-term Care Solutions to help states address growing numbers of people with disabilities

MAXIMUS, Inc., a leading provider of government services worldwide, announced today that it has launched its Long-term Care Solutions to help states address the growing numbers of elderly individuals and people with disabilities, while benefiting from the increased flexibility and funding offered under the Affordable Care Act.

11 Aug 2010

Payment practices investigated; Texas docs team with hospitals on payment reform

The New York Times: The Obama administration is investigating widespread practices that don't pay nurses and other employees at hospitals and nursing homes properly for overtime they work. "Hospitals around the country have paid millions of dollars in back wages to settle claims by the government and their employees. And many more hospitals are fighting class-action lawsuits that raise the same issues." Settlements have been reached in St. Louis, Boston and California.

11 Aug 2010

Dems continue push to sell health reform's benefits, GOP pushes back

The administration has struggled to sell senior citizens on the new health law, Politico reports. Here's why: "They know little about the early benefits the law has offered but remember last year's heated town halls, replete with death panels and rationing. And anti-health-reform rhetoric is generally proving to have considerable staying power."

11 Aug 2010

Virginia Attorney General, Governor talk health reform mandate; Missouri vote still reverberating

NPR's Weekend Edition Sunday interviewed Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli about the state's challenge to the federal government's health law requiring people to purchase health insurance. Cuccinelli said a judge that refused to throw out his case "did not say it's unconstitutional. But he did say that this legislation goes farther than anything that has been held constitutional under the Commerce Clause and it goes farther than anything that has been held constitutional under the taxing power before.

10 Aug 2010

South Australia budget cuts would mean loss of 4,000 health jobs

A savings target of $450 million has been proposed by the Sustainable Budget Commission says the South Australia Health Department CEO Tony Sherbon. As a result of this a State parliamentary inquiry has been told that up to 4,000 South Australian health jobs could be lost. This Commission was employed for effective cost cutting measures.

9 Aug 2010

Health Reform News and Research

Obama reschedules meeting with state insurance regulators

Research Roundup: Disabled Medicare Enrollees' challenges; Increasing ER visits; costs/benefits of Part D

Insurers defend less generous policies, medical loss ratio definitions; Obama to talk with insurance commissioners

Obama Administration should adopt new regulations to insulate Americans from rate increases: Consumer Watchdog

Today's opinions: Rep. Ryan's plan to aid Medicare; The burden on health law supporters in Va.; Evaluating Medicare actuary's estimates

First Edition: August 13, 2010

Insurers' actions mirror credit card companies' interest rate increases ahead of new consumer rights

Mass. docs will soon track patients who abuse prescription drugs; Wis. Catholic Church employees now eligible for birth control

GOP Rep. Ryan potential 'foil' for Obama; Candidates consider reform's role in races

Insurers, small businesses and ER care all affected by overhaul

Today's Opinions: Health law's effect for Democrats; Canadians' view; Cutting Medicare costs; The health issue in Tenn. Governor's race

First Edition: August 12, 2010

Report: Top insurance execs pulled in nearly $200 million in compensation last year

Latest health overhaul repeal petition gains GOP leadership backing

Today's Opinions and Editorials: The importance of following health reform's plan and more about 'death panels'

MAXIMUS Long-term Care Solutions to help states address growing numbers of people with disabilities

Payment practices investigated; Texas docs team with hospitals on payment reform

Dems continue push to sell health reform's benefits, GOP pushes back

Virginia Attorney General, Governor talk health reform mandate; Missouri vote still reverberating

South Australia budget cuts would mean loss of 4,000 health jobs

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