Health Insurance News and Research

RSS

A new chapter in the history of healthcare reform

The US house of Representatives has voted narrowly to pass a landmark reform that has been on the agenda for quite some time now. The bill passed by 219 votes to 212, with no Republican backing after strong debate. This bill will extend insurance coverage to 32 million more Americans, and marks the biggest change to the US healthcare system in decades.

22 Mar 2010

Speaker Pelosi remarks: 32 million more people to have health insurance on passage of bill

Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Democrats were joined by President Barack Obama this afternoon for a Democratic Caucus Meeting in the auditorium of the Capitol Visitor Center before tomorrow's vote on health insurance reform. Below are the Speaker's remarks:

22 Mar 2010

AHA announce support for passage of Patient Protection and Affordable Health Care Act

Today, the American Hospital Association announced support for the Patient Protection and Affordable Health Care Act and the improvements that will be made through reconciliation, which together form the comprehensive health insurance reform legislation before Congress.

22 Mar 2010

Public health emergency declaration for North Dakota in response to floods affecting the state

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has declared a public health emergency for North Dakota in response to floods affecting the state. The action ensures beneficiaries of Medicare, Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program receive benefits during this emergency time period.

20 Mar 2010

Arizona eliminates CHIP; Schwarzenegger seeks to reform California prison health care system

The New York Times: "Arizona on Thursday became the first state to eliminate its Children's Health Insurance Program when Gov. Jan Brewer signed an austere budget that will leave nearly 47,000 low-income children without coverage." The state's budget woes are a stark depiction of "how the fiscal crisis afflicting state governments is cutting deeply into health care.

20 Mar 2010

Interest groups weigh in on reform: AHIP opposes it; Unions offer support

Politico: With the clock ticking toward an important health reform vote, major interest groups "are drawing lines in the sand and warning lawmakers that their vote will leave a mark. The groups are blasting a final round of ads into targeted districts ... and, in some cases, are threatening to support — and, more important, fund — challengers if members of Congress vote the wrong way.

20 Mar 2010

APHA urges U.S. House of Representatives to support health reform legislation

The American Public Health Association today urged members of the U.S. House of Representatives to support the health reform legislation and related reconciliation improvements that will come to the House floor for a vote in the coming days.

20 Mar 2010

Obama emphasizes historic nature of health care vote during final rally

The Washington Post: "Thousands of people rallied loudly for passage of health-care legislation in Northern Virginia Friday as President Obama tried one final time to demonstrate public support for the health-care bill that is moving toward a Sunday afternoon vote in Congress.

20 Mar 2010

KHN columns explore how abortion funding issues are factoring into health reform

In one Kaiser Health News column, Jessica Arons writes: "In an attempt to keep health reform from being torpedoed by the ever-contentious topic of abortion, advocates and opponents of abortion rights were expected to agree that legislation would preserve the "status quo" on abortion law and not be used to advance or restrict abortion rights.

20 Mar 2010

BCBSAZ recognized with Brand Excellence Award in Enrollment Growth category

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona announced today that it has received a Brand Excellence Award from the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. The annual awards honor Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies that excel in developing and enhancing the overall Blue Cross and Blue Shield brand image.

20 Mar 2010

CCAGW calls upon Congress to vote against healthcare bill

The Council for Citizens Against Government Waste today called upon Congress to reject any attempts to alter the nation’s healthcare system using parliamentary gimmicks and urged members to vote against the bill.

20 Mar 2010

AARP urges Congressmen to support health care bill and help deliver relief to Idahoans

Hundreds of thousands of Idahoans unable to afford health care or struggling to pay soaring health care costs are watching Congress and hoping for relief. With a final showdown looming on health insurance reform legislation in Washington, D.C., AARP announced this morning it will back the bill containing key reform provisions, improving health care for older Americans and their families.

20 Mar 2010

GOP trying to derail, challenge health reform legislation

The Wall Street Journal: "Republicans are looking beyond Sunday's expected vote on the Democrats' health-care overhaul to focus on strategies for striking back should it pass, ranging from challenges to the measure by individual states to a national repeal campaign. ... GOP leaders hope at a minimum that they can energize conservative activists and turn the electorate against the Democrats in the crucial period after the law's enactment, when both parties would be fighting to define it in the public's mind before the November elections."

20 Mar 2010

Research roundup: Insurance crisis tough on middle class; Hospitals' profit margins on private patients up

Private-Payer Profits Can Induce Negative Medicare Margins - "Hospitals' profit margins on privately insured patients have risen dramatically in recent years, while profit margins on Medicare patients have fallen," write the authors, who all work for MedPAC.

20 Mar 2010

AMA, AARP announce support for health care legislation

The New York Times Prescriptions Blog reports: "In a major end-game endorsement for Democrats, the American Medical Association, which represents the nation's doctors, reiterated its support for the health care legislation on Friday. The announcement was immediately hailed by the White House. ... While some groups like the United States Chamber of Commerce are openly fighting the legislation, it is helpful to the White House and Democratic leaders that the doctors are not throwing their weight behind the opposition" (Herszenhorn, 3/19).

20 Mar 2010

Comprehensive healthcare reform: March Madness in Congress

"It's March Madness in Congress as well as on the nation's basketball courts this week, so let's look at the past performance charts to see how the two teams have performed on the big challenge of comprehensive healthcare reform.

19 Mar 2010

First Edition: March 19, 2010

The headlines reflect yesterday's flurry of activity as House Democratic Leaders unveiled their $940 billion health-care compromise bill and steamed toward a Sunday vote. All the while, Republican leaders plotted was to stall this progress and nullify the measure.

19 Mar 2010

Predominantly white, insured and sick patients frequently use ER

Frequent users of the emergency department are predominantly white, insured and at greater risk for hospitalization due to serious illness, despite public perceptions of them as abusers of the healthcare system with minor complaints and no health insurance. This is the consensus of a systematic review of two dozen published studies of so-called "frequent flyers" ("Frequent Users of Emergency Departments: The Myths, the Data, and the Policy Implications").

19 Mar 2010

NAFC to help meet medical needs of people in Atlanta who are without health insurance

While health care reform discussions continue in the nation's capitol, the National Association of Free Clinics is bringing help to the Atlanta area for people without health insurance who are in need of medical care.

19 Mar 2010

STOP Obesity Alliance: Adults lack information about effective weight loss methods and strategies

Primary care physicians agree they have a role in addressing obesity, but say they do not have the right weight management resources. Obese or heavier adults take responsibility for weight loss, but adults who need to lose weight may lack information about effective weight loss methods and strategies. These findings and others come from new research commissioned and released today by the Strategies to Overcome and Prevent Obesity Alliance.

19 Mar 2010

Health Insurance News and Research

A new chapter in the history of healthcare reform

Speaker Pelosi remarks: 32 million more people to have health insurance on passage of bill

AHA announce support for passage of Patient Protection and Affordable Health Care Act

Public health emergency declaration for North Dakota in response to floods affecting the state

Arizona eliminates CHIP; Schwarzenegger seeks to reform California prison health care system

Interest groups weigh in on reform: AHIP opposes it; Unions offer support

APHA urges U.S. House of Representatives to support health reform legislation

Obama emphasizes historic nature of health care vote during final rally

KHN columns explore how abortion funding issues are factoring into health reform

BCBSAZ recognized with Brand Excellence Award in Enrollment Growth category

CCAGW calls upon Congress to vote against healthcare bill

AARP urges Congressmen to support health care bill and help deliver relief to Idahoans

GOP trying to derail, challenge health reform legislation

Research roundup: Insurance crisis tough on middle class; Hospitals' profit margins on private patients up

AMA, AARP announce support for health care legislation

Comprehensive healthcare reform: March Madness in Congress

First Edition: March 19, 2010

Predominantly white, insured and sick patients frequently use ER

NAFC to help meet medical needs of people in Atlanta who are without health insurance

STOP Obesity Alliance: Adults lack information about effective weight loss methods and strategies

Industry Focus eBook - Cell & Gene Therapy (1st Edition) eBook

Bringing real-time analytics to downstream bioprocess monitoring

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

Latest News