MedWorm.com provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest items from the 'Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review' source. Mon, 17 Nov 2008 22:45:47 +0100 http://healthpolicyandmarket.blogspot.com/2008/11/to-congressional-budget-office-please.html I guess this is an open letter to CBO Director Peter Orszag and his colleagues at the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). I have great respect for the CBO and that has been the case under different majorities--Democratic and Republican. Never more than now. The CBO is intended to be non-partisan and objective. They provide the information and estimates the Congress needs to complete the budget (Source: Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review) Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1961068 Fri, 14 Nov 2008 05:00:00 +0100 1961068 http://healthpolicyandmarket.blogspot.com/2008/11/baucus-health-plan-proposal-evidence.html Max Baucus will be a key player in the health care debate the next two years. As chairman of the Senate Finance Committee he has jurisdiction on many of the key issues including Medicare and provider payment reform. He is also a leader in the true bipartisan spirit--something crucial to actually getting reform done. Yesterday, he released a 98-page white paper, "Call to Action--Health Reform (Source: Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review) Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1961069 Thu, 13 Nov 2008 05:00:00 +0100 1961069 http://healthpolicyandmarket.blogspot.com/2008/11/there-is-now-real-bipartisan.html President-Elect Obama, and about every candidate for Congress, has said he wants to change the partisan tone in Washington. Obama, the Democratic Congressional leadership, and the Republicans have a terrific opportunity to do just that on health care when they all come to Washington early next year. As I posted earlier, I do not believe there is any chance we can see the enactment of the (Source: Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review) Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1939603 Wed, 05 Nov 2008 05:00:00 +0100 1939603 http://healthpolicyandmarket.blogspot.com/2008/11/morning-after-obama-and-dems-win-big.html 258 House and 57 Senate Democrats make it almost certain that major health reform will be passed. Right? Actually, that was the number of Democrats Bill Clinton started off with in 1993 and we know what happened to health care reform in that Congress. With similar Democratic majorities, I do not expect a major health care reform bill like the one President-Elect Barack Obama called for during (Source: Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review) Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1933404 Wed, 05 Nov 2008 05:00:00 +0100 1933404 http://healthpolicyandmarket.blogspot.com/2008/11/high-costs-for-massachusetts-health-law.html The Center for Studying Health System Change has just released a study examining the state of the important health reform law in Massachusetts. As one of the co-author's put it, "Improving access to heath care coverage has been a clear emphasis of the reform, but little has been done to address rapidly rising health care costs, raising questions about the longer-term viability of the reform." I (Source: Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review) Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1933405 Tue, 04 Nov 2008 05:00:00 +0100 1933405 http://healthpolicyandmarket.blogspot.com/2008/10/health-wonk-review-is-up.html David Harlow hosts this week's edition of Health Wonk Review over at his, "HealthBlawg." It is a very comprehensive sample of some of the best recent posts from the world of health blogs. (Source: Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review) Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1921173 Thu, 30 Oct 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1921173 http://healthpolicyandmarket.blogspot.com/2008/10/brian-klepper-and-david-kibbe-offer.html Brian Klepper and David Kibbe offer a post today on the issue of primary care and the role they believe health plans should be taking to encourage greater involvement with PCPs. They ask why health plans are not being more proactive in partnering with PCPs to control costs. Can Health Plans Explain Why They Aren't Re-Empowering Primary Care? By Brian Klepper & David Kibbe Sometimes a whisper (Source: Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review) Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1921172 Thu, 30 Oct 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1921172 http://healthpolicyandmarket.blogspot.com/2008/10/mccain-health-plans-good-idea-for.html John McCain would reform the American health care system by providing big tax incentives for it to transition from being employer-based to one built on a system of individual responsibility. He would do this by eliminating the longtime personal tax exemption on employer-provided health insurance and replacing it with a $2,500 individual, and $5,000 family, tax credit for those who have health (Source: Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review) Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1914982 Tue, 28 Oct 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1914982 http://healthpolicyandmarket.blogspot.com/2008/10/what-impact-do-medical-costs-have-on.html That is the subject of a recent paper by Christopher T. Robertson, Richard Egelhof, & Michael Hoke. The authors studied homeowners going through foreclosure in four states and found a big impact on their being able to stay in their house because of the health care cost issues these families had to deal with. Here is an excerpt from their work: "This preliminary study reveals that the standard (Source: Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review) Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1901894 Wed, 22 Oct 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1901894 http://healthpolicyandmarket.blogspot.com/2008/10/coventry-health-care-stock-down-48-sort.html Readers of this blog will not be surprised to see Coventry Health Care's stock down 48% this afternoon after its earnings call this morning. That is a 77% drop from their 52-week high. Last July I commented on their earnings call where senior management used the precise financial term "sort of" 63 times to explain their then earnings and operations situation: Required Reading for Health Care (Source: Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review) Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1901893 Wed, 22 Oct 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1901893 http://healthpolicyandmarket.blogspot.com/2008/10/demystifying-us-health-care-spending.html Paul Ginsburg, of the Center for Studying Health System Change, has just authored a new report, "High and Rising Health Care Costs: Demystifying U.S. Health Care Spending." The report is part of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Synthesis Project. This paper reviews existing literature in search of a more clear understanding of U.S. health care costs, the drivers, and the trends. It is an (Source: Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review) Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1880107 Wed, 15 Oct 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1880107 http://healthpolicyandmarket.blogspot.com/2008/10/high-and-rising-costs-demystifying-us.html I have seen an advance copy of this very comprehensive report on the growth in health care spending. If you are in DC next week, I highly recommend this event to you: HIGH AND RISING COSTS: DEMYSTIFYING U.S. HEALTH CARE SPENDING New Report Synthesizes the Literature on the Growth of Health Care Spending Concern about high and rising health care costs in the United States has increased sharply (Source: Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review) Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1868636 Fri, 10 Oct 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1868636 http://healthpolicyandmarket.blogspot.com/2008/10/time-to-get-real-on-economy-and-health.html I just got a call from a reporter at one of the major news organizations to talk about the chances for health care reform. We both commented on the almost surreal environment we are all in. I'm not sure if my friends and neighbors are in denial or just numbed by the recent cascade of events in the financial world. Up on the Hill and in the presidential campaigns it's business as usual when it (Source: Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review) Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1865643 Thu, 09 Oct 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1865643 http://healthpolicyandmarket.blogspot.com/2008/10/big-elephant-in-room-during.html Last night Tom Brokaw asked Barack Obama and John McCain to prioritize health care, Medicare/Social Security, and energy. Neither of them backed down from their promises to deal with all of them. When Jim Lehrer tried to challenge them at the last debate on their ability to do all of the expensive things they want to do he got pretty much the same answer. About the only two people in America (Source: Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review) Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1862993 Wed, 08 Oct 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1862993 http://healthpolicyandmarket.blogspot.com/2008/09/health-20-in-san-francisco-october-22.html Matt Holt is getting ready for his upcoming Health 2.0 conference and asked that I pass along his personal invitation: The next Health 2.0 conference will be held in San Francisco, California from October 22nd - 23rd at the San Francisco Marriott. The theme will be a return to the focus that made our first conference a resounding success: Web 2.0 technologies, healthcare and all points between. (Source: Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review) Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1837448 Sun, 28 Sep 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1837448 http://healthpolicyandmarket.blogspot.com/2008/09/what-im-telling-health-care-business.html Last week I did a post, The Chance for Major Health Care Reform in Either 2009 or 2010 Is Now Zero. I made the point that the bailout the Congress is now voting on is on top of a 2009 projected federal budget deficit that the White House has already estimated to be $500 billion. Add to that the $300 billion in deals the feds have done for the likes of Freddie, Fannie, and AIG. Then we have the (Source: Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review) Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1837447 Sun, 28 Sep 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1837447 http://healthpolicyandmarket.blogspot.com/2008/09/chance-for-major-health-care-reform-in.html A couple of weeks ago I did a post, The Pretend Presidential Debate on Health Care--The Health Care Press Needs to Force the Presidential Candidates to Get Real on Health Care "Change". In it I made the point that facing a $500 billion budget deficit next year, the sunset of the Bush tax cuts in 2010, fixing the alternative minimum tax problem once again, and the cost of the Freddie and Fannie (Source: Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review) Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1826123 Tue, 23 Sep 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1826123 http://healthpolicyandmarket.blogspot.com/2008/09/aig-and-regulation-versus-deregulation.html As I posted earlier today, I believe the feds did the right thing in making sure AIG did not fall. But as the dust settles, that takes us to another big question--the question of more or less regulation generally and, more specifically for readers here, more or less regulation for the health insurance industry. The first thing to note is that the existing state regulation of the insurance (Source: Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review) Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1802908 Wed, 17 Sep 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1802908 http://healthpolicyandmarket.blogspot.com/2008/09/aig-feds-did-right-thing-and-only-they.html There is that old saying: "There are the bears, the bulls, and the pigs--and the pigs get slaughtered." This past weekend I witnessed the most incredible thing I had ever seen in the insurance industry with the demise of the world's largest insurer--AIG. AIG was not just a company--it was a legend in the industry. Now, a couple of days later, that has been trumped--in spades--by the United (Source: Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review) Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1798442 Tue, 16 Sep 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1798442 http://healthpolicyandmarket.blogspot.com/2008/09/pretend-presidential-debate-on-health.html Let's pretend that either Senator Obama or Senator McCain will be able to implement their respective health care reform plans if elected. Should be easy--we've been doing it for months now. Or, we can get real and expect them to do the same. For all the arguments both are making that they are change agents, including over the candidates' competing health care reform proposals, is this dirty (Source: Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review) Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1786111 Thu, 11 Sep 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1786111 http://healthpolicyandmarket.blogspot.com/2008/09/lipstick-on-pig-mccain-campaign-is.html The quickest route to a political loss is to let the oppostion define the fight. Anyone who listened to just 10 seconds of the Obama "lipstick on a pig" sound bite knows he wasn't talking about the Alaska governor. But what this whole dust-up tells us is that the McCain campaign is defining the debate and the Obama side can't get their message out. Not that long ago the Obama campaign was (Source: Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review) Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1782830 Wed, 10 Sep 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1782830 http://healthpolicyandmarket.blogspot.com/2008/09/comparing-john-mccains-health-care-plan.html Now that the political conventions are over we are in the final weeks of the presidential campaign. Here is my primer on both of the candidates' health care reform plans and the the big idea difference between them. Comparing Barack Obama's Health care plan to John McCain's health care plan: What's the Big Idea Difference? A Detailed Analysis of Senator John McCain's Health Care Reform Plan A (Source: Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review) Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1775665 Mon, 08 Sep 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1775665 http://healthpolicyandmarket.blogspot.com/2008/09/long-term-viability-of-medicare.html I have been struck by the optimism regarding private Medicare presented by health plan executives during the recent earnings season and the analysts failure to press them on just how their numbers will add-up to sustain the long-term viability of a private Medicare strategy. The typical private Medicare health plan operates on a medical cost ratio in the mid-80s. Let's assume 86% for medical (Source: Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review) Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1764102 Thu, 04 Sep 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1764102 http://healthpolicyandmarket.blogspot.com/2008/09/cost-of-massachusetts-health-insurance.html That was the conclusion of a recent New York Times editorial and the growing spin coming out of Massachusetts regarding the state's new health plan. As I have said before on this blog: Massachusetts finally took a first big step in health care reform--something no one else has been able to do in Washington, DC or elsewhere and that is to be commended.The Massachusetts Health Insurance Law would (Source: Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review) Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1760136 Wed, 03 Sep 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1760136 http://healthpolicyandmarket.blogspot.com/2008/09/do-certificate-of-need-programs-reduce.html Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin hasn't done a lot on the health care policy front during her short time as Governor but one thing she has called for is an end to Alaska's Certificate of Need (CON) program requiring preapproval for any new health care facility. CON programs are about government management of health care capacity and it should be no surprise that a conservative (Source: Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review) Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1755136 Tue, 02 Sep 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1755136 http://healthpolicyandmarket.blogspot.com/2008/08/us-healthcare-on-edge-prescription-for.html Jonathan Lorch and Victor Pollak, two physicians with plenty of experience and accomplishments in America's health care system, have suggested the steps they think will go a long way toward making our system work. I am pleased to post a brief description of their plan and a link to the full proposal. US Healthcare on the Edge: A Prescription for Cure by Jonathan Lorch and Victor Pollak The US (Source: Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review) Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1746799 Sat, 30 Aug 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1746799 http://healthpolicyandmarket.blogspot.com/2008/08/sarah-palin-on-health-care-free-market.html Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin has very little on her health care policy resume from her short time in office as Alaska's Governor but what she does have fits right in with Senator McCain's strategy to use the market more effectively in bringing down America's health care costs and improving access to the system. Her health care efforts have focused on two things in Alaska: (Source: Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review) Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1746798 Sat, 30 Aug 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1746798 http://healthpolicyandmarket.blogspot.com/2008/08/mccain-palin.html Who? Well the self-described maverick surprised everyone this morning. While many kept saying it would be Romney, I never believed it. First, they don't like each other. Second, a Romney pick would have flown in the face of the McCain health care strategy ( If McCain Picks Romney He Will Never Again Be Able to Criticize Obama's Health Plan). Governor Palin would seem to be a conservative (Source: Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review) Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1742881 Fri, 29 Aug 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1742881 http://healthpolicyandmarket.blogspot.com/2008/08/what-happened-to-health-care-issue.html An interesting article in today's Chicago Tribune. Readers of this blog know we've been having a spirited debate recently on the question of just how likely health reform will be in 2009. Brian Klepper and Maggie Mahar have added to this discussion with some interesting posts and comments. The Trib headline: Health care no longer primary ailment Economy, price of gas, war in Iraq have surpassed (Source: Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review) Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1723595 Thu, 21 Aug 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1723595 http://healthpolicyandmarket.blogspot.com/2008/08/health-wonk-review-is-up.html Julie Ferguson hosts the latest edition of Health Wonk Review over at the "Workers' Comp Insider." She has a great list of recent posts from the world of health blogs suitable for beach reading. Just turn up the brightness on that screen! (Source: Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review) Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1723594 Thu, 21 Aug 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1723594 http://healthpolicyandmarket.blogspot.com/2008/08/chastened-and-more-sober-harry-and.html Brian Klepper joins us again today on the subject of just how realistic health care reform will be in the coming year. Chastened and More Sober, Harry and Louise Return by Brian Klepper Yesterday Ron Pollack of Families USA led a call with bloggers - unfortunately, I couldn't be on it - to discuss a new health care reform campaign sponsored by 5 prominent organizations: the American Cancer (Source: Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review) Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1720520 Wed, 20 Aug 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1720520 http://healthpolicyandmarket.blogspot.com/2008/08/this-is-what-real-costquality-decision.html The UK's National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has decided in a preliminary ruling that four drugs used for the treatment of advanced kidney cancer are not effective enough and they won't be paid for by the National Health Service. Now before someone just claims this is what single-payer health care plans do all the time, let me be clear that NICE is an organization that (Source: Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review) Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1692324 Fri, 08 Aug 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1692324 http://healthpolicyandmarket.blogspot.com/2008/08/voters-arent-upset-enough-about-health.html The health care issue has a history of being named by voters as one of the biggest problems we face--until the problem de jour comes along and pushes it off the list. In 2008, that seems to be happening again with the economic downturn, the mortgage mess, and $4 gas surpassing health care as the big issues. When asked to name the most important financial problem facing families today by the (Source: Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review) Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1689169 Thu, 07 Aug 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1689169 http://healthpolicyandmarket.blogspot.com/2008/08/health-wonk-review.html It's my turn to host Health Wonk Review--a synopsis of some of the best recent posts from the world of health blogs. HWR founder Joe Paduda starts things off with a post critical of investment analysts handling of a recent Coventry Health earnings conference call with his assertion that "the analysts blew it." First the analysts helped HMO stocks hit historic lows this year and now seem to be (Source: Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review) Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1686480 Wed, 06 Aug 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1686480 http://healthpolicyandmarket.blogspot.com/2008/08/health-care-reform-federal-deficit-and.html Readers of this blog have been very fortunate this week to hear from Brian Klepper and Maggie Mahar on the subject of just how realistic is it to expect any kind of meaningful heath care reform in the next year or two. They have both made excellent points--and both hope real health care reform will happen. But there is a big bucket of cold water we all have to factor into such a discussion. (Source: Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review) Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1675097 Fri, 01 Aug 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1675097 http://healthpolicyandmarket.blogspot.com/2008/07/will-lobbyists-make-meaningful-health.html Maggie Mahar joins us today. She responds to a recent post here by Brian Klepper. Brian argued that health care reform will be a very difficult thing to do in the near term. At the top of Brian's concerns is the the impact lobbying money has on the ability of the Congress to achieve real reform. While Maggie agrees that special interest money is a big factor, she argues there are other reasons (Source: Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review) Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1671720 Thu, 31 Jul 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1671720 http://healthpolicyandmarket.blogspot.com/2008/07/state-high-risk-pools-for-uninsured-who.html What do we do with people who are uninsurable because they have a pre-existing medical condition? That is a particularly important question as both McCain and Obama propose reforming American health care by building on the private health insurance system. One of the solutions being discussed--by McCain among others--is to use state-based risk pools. Under McCain's plan heavily dependent on an (Source: Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review) Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1660965 Mon, 28 Jul 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1660965 http://healthpolicyandmarket.blogspot.com/2008/07/required-reading-for-health-care.html Joe Paduda, writing over at Managed Care Matters, has a post any health plan investor should read. He laments that the analysts just weren't asking the right questions and weren't tough enough during last week's Coventry Health earnings call. With my 35 years in the health insurance business, I have to agree with him. He's dead on. Beyond Joe's comments, I noted that management used the (Source: Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review) Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1657304 Sat, 26 Jul 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1657304 http://healthpolicyandmarket.blogspot.com/2008/07/if-mccain-picks-romney-he-will-never.html Mitt Romney seems to be at the top of the list when it comes to speculation over who John McCain will pick for his vice presidential running mate. I am not sure if that is what John McCain is thinking as much as the Romney people, trying to boost their guy, want us to think. But if McCain picks Romney, it will make for an interesting health care debate this fall. The Obama Health Plan is a (Source: Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review) Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1655639 Fri, 25 Jul 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1655639 http://healthpolicyandmarket.blogspot.com/2008/07/end-of-medicare-private-fee-for-service.html Now that we know private fee-for-service (PFFS) is dead on January 1, 2011 in all but the most rural markets, how will the health plans who have significant PFFS business respond? UnitedHealth is the first health plan to report earnings this quarter and I thought they had the right answer. From their earnings call transcript (Ovations CEO commenting): We have had a strategy of deliberately (Source: Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review) Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1646301 Tue, 22 Jul 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1646301 http://healthpolicyandmarket.blogspot.com/2008/07/is-meaningful-health-care-or-any-other.html Our good friend Brian Klepper joins us after a bit of a summer break. This time he examines the dynamics of health care reform and questions just how optimistic we should be that progress will be made. Is Meaningful Health Care (Or Any Other Kind Of) Reform Possible? By Brian Klepper Those who wait, ever hopefully, for real health reform might want to take a deep breath and take stock of a few (Source: Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review) Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1642781 Mon, 21 Jul 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1642781 http://healthpolicyandmarket.blogspot.com/2008/07/health-insurance-industry-stupidityits.html Why the health insurance industry allowed itself to be put in the place they were put by the Democrats yesterday is beyond me. With the Senate voting 70-26, and the House 383-41, to override President Bush’s veto of the bill to erase the 10.6% Medicare physician fee cut and pay for it with changes that will end the Medicare private fee-for-service program in 2011, the health insurance industry’s (Source: Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review) Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1631480 Wed, 16 Jul 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1631480 http://healthpolicyandmarket.blogspot.com/2008/07/national-coalition-on-benefits.html The National Coalition on Benefits is a group of more than 150 of America's biggest corporations as well as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Business Roundtable. They wrote a letter to Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Bob Bennett (R-UT), cosponsors of the bipartisan "Healthy Americans Act," telling them that their bill was a non-starter because it dared to mess with ERISA. The Wyden-Bennett (Source: Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review) Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1625753 Tue, 15 Jul 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1625753 http://healthpolicyandmarket.blogspot.com/2008/07/underwriting-cycle-or-medical-trend.html Analysts trying to predict the future of the health plan business who are looking for an underwriting cycle will miss the real turns in the market. Recent health plan earnings issues have once again raised the question, do we still have an underwriting cycle, and are we entering one? In my mind, anyone trying to understand the profitability of the health plan business who concentrates on (Source: Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review) Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1622342 Mon, 14 Jul 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1622342 http://healthpolicyandmarket.blogspot.com/2008/07/wall-street-comes-to-washington.html The event I look forward to every year is "Wall Street Comes to Washington," Paul Ginsburg's (Center for Studying Health System Change) annual merging of Wall Street and policymakers in a lively discussion of health care from both perspectives. The last few years I have gotten to participate on the health insurance market panel. The session also had a panel concentrating on hospital, physician, (Source: Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review) Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1616362 Fri, 11 Jul 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1616362 http://healthpolicyandmarket.blogspot.com/2008/07/next-medicare-physician-fee-cut-17.html The "Medical Home"--A real Solution? Now that this year's fight over Medicare physician fees is all but over, it is important to turn to real solutions. The recent Senate and House vote to kill the 10.6% physician fee cut only defers the problem for 18 months. On January 1, 2010, the Medicare physicians are slated to get an automatic 21% fee cut! More importantly, the Medicare physician fee (Source: Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review) Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1606085 Thu, 10 Jul 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1606085 http://healthpolicyandmarket.blogspot.com/2008/07/so-i-guess-hmos-us-chamber-of-commerce.html That's the only conclusion I can come to after having read the letter the National Coalition on Benefits has written to the authors of the Wyden-Bennett Healthy Americans Act. Wyden-Bennett is a comprehensive health care reform proposal that would largely replace the existing employer-based system of health insurance with one based on individual responsibility and individuals purchasing coverage (Source: Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review) Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1603369 Wed, 09 Jul 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1603369 http://healthpolicyandmarket.blogspot.com/2008/07/senate-votes-69-30-to-rescind-medicare.html Ted Kennedy came to the Senate floor and led Senate Democrats to an amazing victory in their first real attempt to rein-in private Medicare spending and rescind the 10.6% physician fee cuts. The veto-proof margin puts President Bush's threat to veto the Senate bill, that was approved by the House on another veto-proof 354-59 vote just before the holiday, in doubt. Why bother? I was not (Source: Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review) Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1603368 Wed, 09 Jul 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1603368 http://healthpolicyandmarket.blogspot.com/2008/07/state-of-california-fearful-of.html Crazy as it sounds an AP story on Thursday reported that the California Department of Managed Care "didn't even try to enforce a million-dollar fine against health insurer Anthem Blue Cross because they feared they would be outgunned in court." Last year the department announced that it would fine the insurer for improperly rescinding individual heath insurance policies in the midst of the (Source: Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review) Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1583012 Sun, 06 Jul 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1583012 http://healthpolicyandmarket.blogspot.com/2008/07/what-do-we-need-to-do-to-fix-medicare.html Whenever the subject of Medicare physician fee payments comes up on this blog, the reaction from physicians, particularly primary care docs, is predictable: "You can't cut us, we haven't had a Medicare raise in years, we are already dramatically underpaid, and if Medicare cuts our payments we are going to stop taking Medicare patients." There is no doubt that doctors have a point--particularly (Source: Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review) Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1564140 Wed, 02 Jul 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1564140