MedWorm provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest medical blog items that have been tagged with 'insurance,'. Tue, 13 Oct 2009 17:51:40 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2886415&cid=t_255406_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FhFjLimHBpTU%2F The problem that Democrats have faced from Day One is finally coming to a head. The Left and the health care industry both want universal health insurance coverage.  The industry, because universal coverage means massive new government subsidies. The Left, because that’s their religion. But universal coverage is so expensive that Congress can’t get there without taxing Democrats. Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) is the biggest opponent of Sen. Max Baucus’ (D-MT) tax on expensive health plans because that tax would hit West Virginia coal miners. Unions vigorously oppose that tax because it would hit their members. Moderate Democrats in the House oppose Rep. Charlie Rangel’s (D-NY) supposed “millionaires surtax” because they know it would hit small businesses in their di... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2886415 Mon, 12 Oct 2009 21:45:50 +0100 2886415 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2883008&cid=t_255406_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FDxxpYLNqde4%2F The health insurance industry is planning to circulate a study that says the Senate Finance Committee’s big health-care bill would raise health insurance premiums by thousands of dollars a year. The insurance industry has largely backed the big health-care overhaul so far. But this note of dissension puts a number on the industry’s complaint that premiums could rise if legislation doesn’t do enough to push healthy people to buy insurance. The report, commissioned by America’s Health Insurance Plans and prepared by PricewaterhouseCoopers, found that the Senate Finance bill could add $1,700 a year to the cost in family coverage in 2013, the Associated Press reports. By 2019, premiums could be $4,000 more than projected under current law, the report found. The legislat... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2883008 Mon, 12 Oct 2009 14:52:22 +0100 2883008 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2881155&cid=t_255406_86_f&fid=34445&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwomenshealthnews.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F10%2F11%2Fweekly-news-round-up-1011%2F The National Advocates for Pregnant Women reports that the United States Court of Appeals for the Eight Circuit issued a decision in a case of an incarcerate woman who was shackled to the bed during labor, finding the practice “cruel and unusual” and thus unconstitutional. “Our Bodies, Ourselves” has been translated and adapted into a number of languages and cultures over the years; Christine writes about progress on Hebrew and Arabic versions. Nikki has H1N1 resources for children. RH Reality Check reports on the Limited-Service Pregnancy Centers Disclaimer Bill proposed in Baltimore to ensure that women visiting a Baltimore “crisis pregnancy center” are informed that they will not receive comprehensive birth control or abortion services or referrals... Women's Health News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2881155 Sun, 11 Oct 2009 17:08:49 +0100 2881155 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2879400&cid=t_255406_88_f&fid=38959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.epmonthly.com%2Fwhitecoat%2F2009%2F10%2Fhere-is-the-problem%2F ERP here again while WC recovers from the revelling in Boston Personally, I agree with medicare and insurance regulations that require that someone receive some REAL benefit in order to be covered for an admission to the hospital. Even the “social dispo” admits usually serve a purpose – preventing elderly or the otherwise helpless or nearly helpless from injuring themselves or insuring they get proper medical treatment like antibiotics or seizure medications. However, if you can be safely discharged from a medical AND social point of view (ie no admit-able diagnosis exists AND you can either care for yourself or someone is there to care of you (like in a nursing home), you should have to pay out of pocket if you (or your relative) demand you be admitted. You can’t j... WhiteCoat's Call Room blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2879400 Sat, 10 Oct 2009 16:33:03 +0100 2879400 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2879759&cid=t_255406_136_f&fid=37852&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdonnatrussell.com%2F2009%2F10%2F09%2Finconvenient-truths-on-health-care-reform%2F My new post on Politics Daily / Woman Up: There’s an elephant in the health care debate room. Make that two elephants. Come with me in the way-back machine to the year 1900, when ladies wore ankle-length dresses and men rode horses into town. Let’s say we’re on Main Street somewhere. A neighbor asks a farmer about his mother, and he replies, “She took sick and died. She was 50 years old.” There you have it. Those are the two elephants in the room for debates on Medicare, Social Security and health care reform. Mother took sick (and probably died at home). Average life span of an American in 1900 was 49.2 years… Read the rest on AOL: Inconvenient Truths on Health Care Reform. Posted in Politics, Woman Up Tagged: crisis, health care, health care reform, he... Donna Trussell blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2879759 Fri, 09 Oct 2009 16:59:34 +0100 2879759 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2876012&cid=t_255406_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FXYrtaOMR0RM%2F President Obama wants to put people in jail if they don’t buy health insurance. Give that man a peace prize. Cross-posted at Politico’s The Arena. (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2876012 Fri, 09 Oct 2009 14:30:12 +0100 2876012 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2876380&cid=t_255406_158_f&fid=38949&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FAgingWithGraceCareconnection%2F%7E3%2F0kJYyfcC8hk%2Fwar-stories-from-medical-billing.html by Sheri SamotinToday was a very interesting session at the Medical Billing Adovcates of America's (www.billingadvocates.com) annual workshop. We spent the day hearing interesting speakers from the Florida Attorney General's office talk about fraud and abuse as it applies to medical billing. We also spent time with an attorney who specializes in helping patients fight with their insurance plans and providers.There seems to be no end to the tactics that providers, especially hospitals, will go to in order to capture extra dollars from payors and patients. They will try to charge for the drapes and gowns in the operating room, even though they are already being paid for the use of the OR and are supposed to include (or "bundle") those items into the facility fee. Or, I'm sure you've heard th... Aging with Grace CareConnection blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2876380 Thu, 08 Oct 2009 22:31:00 +0100 2876380 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2876006&cid=t_255406_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2F1jhTJhwfWzI%2F Now that you’ve had a chance to read every page of yesterday’s CBO estimates of the Senate Finance bill, here’s a roundup of what’s happening in the Washington health-care debate. Today’s familiar theme: The public option. The United Auto Workers and the Teamsters say they’ll fight the Senate Finance bill unless it’s changed from its current form, Bloomberg News reports. (The committee will vote on the bill on Tuesday.) Many unions have been openly opposed to the bill’s tax on expensive health insurance plans — no surprise, given the high-end health benefits many unions have negotiated for their members. Labor leaders also favor a bill with a public option, and the Senate Finance bill has no public option. But the public option could ma... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2876006 Thu, 08 Oct 2009 20:06:39 +0100 2876006 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2876024&cid=t_255406_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fz3uyza6fyC4%2F The CBO report that said the health care bill won’t raise deficits makes it clear that the Baucus bill’s reduction in future budget deficits comes not from controlling government spending or reducing health care costs, but because of a rapid escalation in tax revenues. The bill imposes a 40 percent excise tax on health-insurance plans that offer benefits in excess of $8,000 for an individual plan and $21,000 for a family plan. Insurers would almost certainly pass this tax on to consumers via higher premiums. As inflation pushes insurance premiums higher in coming years, more and more middle-class families would find themselves caught up in the tax. In fact, overall, the tax increases in the bill are more than double the amount of deficit reduction. This isn’t a health care effici... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2876024 Thu, 08 Oct 2009 14:55:32 +0100 2876024 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2871565&cid=t_255406_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FQVk6Rjg9WV4%2F I was glad to see James Pinkerton engage my criticism of Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal’s (R) endorsement of federal price controls for health insurance.  I was even more pleased to see that Pinkerton has his own blog devoted to developing a Serious Medicine Strategy. If I understand Pinkerton, his argument is essentially: it’s all well and good for some unelectable wonk in the “citadel of libertarian thinking” to “uphold ivory-tower free-market purity” by opposing price controls.  But Republicans need “art-of-the-possible solutions” to win elections, and 90 percent of the public support those price controls.  “Everyone has a right to his or her principled position,” Pinkerton writes, “but the majority has rights, too.” Two problems. First, Pinkerton suggests that l... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2871565 Wed, 07 Oct 2009 20:33:48 +0100 2871565 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2871587&cid=t_255406_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2009%2F10%2Fhealth-care-reform-continuing-the-conversation.html Our new survey on the continuing woes of our health care system has drawn considerable comment from people with passionate views both for and against the reform legislation being debated in Congress. We’re guessing that some of those who have come here are new to Consumer Reports and may not be aware of the work we’ve been doing for years on the U.S. health system, such as the visitor who wrote: Give us reviews of the insurance companies so that we the consumers can make informed decisions. As longtime readers know, we’ve been reporting on health insurance for the past several years. Subscribers can access our Ratings of PPOs and Ratings of HMOs, and all visitors can learn how to select good health plans, avoid bad ones, and make the most of the coverage they h... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2871587 Wed, 07 Oct 2009 19:40:27 +0100 2871587 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2871557&cid=t_255406_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FD_jpAvRPUgM%2F Like everybody else who’s following the health-care overhaul, we’re waiting for CBO to score the latest version of the Senate Finance Committee bill. In the meantime, here’s a headline number to tide you over: $121 billion. That’s the latest estimate on how much drug companies, device makers and insurance companies would pay in 10 years of fees imposed by the Finance Committee bill, the Associated Press reports. That figure comes not from CBO but from the Joint Committee on Taxation, a nonpartisan Congressional panel that weighs in on tax issues. (The fees are a kind of tax.) Yesterday’s figure was up from an earlier estimate of $92 billion. The reason for the increase: Companies won’t be able to deduct the new fees imposed by the bill from their corpora... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2871557 Wed, 07 Oct 2009 14:57:54 +0100 2871557 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2865625&cid=t_255406_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2009%2F10%2F06%2Fcan-slumping-support-for-health-care-reform-be-turned-around%2F Discussion.  Our a one-of-a-kind survey of American opinions on health care reform was an attempt to learn if Americans would in fact read a detailed summary of the bill that is the current focus of the national debate, plus ten amendments, and be willing and able to identify the provisions that would, if enacted, switch their stance from support to opposition (or vice versa), or from unsure to pro or con. We found that the response rate, at 9% (versus the usual 10% for our health polls) was sufficient to reject the null hypothesis that people would not participate in a detailed survey of health legislation. Second, we found support for the health care reform bill, as outlined, to be only 27% (with 59% opposed). This is a lower level of support than in our previous surveys, or those of ot... Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2865625 Tue, 06 Oct 2009 16:26:29 +0100 2865625 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2865630&cid=t_255406_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FRPJkVaR9b_k%2F As part of San Francisco’s push toward broader health-insurance coverage, city businesses with 20 or more employees must offer health insurance or pay a fee that goes toward health care for the uninsured. Now, the U.S. Supreme Court wants to know what the Obama administration thinks of that idea. The city’s restaurant association has been fighting the ordinance in court, arguing that federal law says only the federal government can mandate employer benefits. Lower courts have gone back and forth on the issue; the Supremes earlier this year refused to issue an emergency order blocking the fees while the case is pending, the San Francisco Chronicle notes. Obama has proposed a federal requirement that would compel many employers to offer health insurance or pay a fee, as part of t... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2865630 Tue, 06 Oct 2009 14:23:13 +0100 2865630 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2865811&cid=t_255406_125_f&fid=34820&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dentalblogs.com%2Farchives%2Fadministrator%2Fis-your-data-safe-5-tips-for-data-security-in-your-dental-practice%25e2%2580%25a6%2F Protecting patient data is a critical part of the modern dental practice – especially in light of HIPAA requirements. How does this translate into daily operations at your practice? Tom Terronez of Medix Dental has put together some tips to make sure you are doing all you can to protect your patient’s data… 1. Are you emailing patient information and digital x-rays to other doctors? Make sure that your office and the receiving office utilize encrypted email services. If you don’t, your data can easily be read on its path from your practice to theirs. HIPAA states that you are responsible for making a reasonable attempt at protecting your data. 2. Do you have a wireless router in your office? If you are using wireless Internet for internal purposes, make sure your router is a curren... dental blog for dentists about dentistry blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2865811 Tue, 06 Oct 2009 12:42:53 +0100 2865811 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2865658&cid=t_255406_87_f&fid=38368&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FDisruptiveWomenInHealthCare%2F%7E3%2F3C-7teLlK_U%2F As politicians battle it out across party lines, there’s an important base of constituents that are taking a lot of the hits: women. In fact, “it’s becoming obvious that just having a female reproductive system is a pre-existing condition in the healthcare debate,” writes Wisconsin-based reporter Ellen Goodman. Goodman is referring to several issues that have recently come to light, such as tighter restrictions on abortion (a measure that was recently defeated in the Senate Finance Committee), or the debate over comprehensive maternal care. Indeed, the Kaiser Family Foundation reports that only 18 states have a requirement for such coverage, (the number falls to 14 when applied to individual insurance markets) while the numbers of plans without or adding expensive policy riders con... Disruptive Women in Health Care blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2865658 Tue, 06 Oct 2009 12:00:25 +0100 2865658 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2862481&cid=t_255406_87_f&fid=38368&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FDisruptiveWomenInHealthCare%2F%7E3%2Ftk6ZicbvdJY%2F Ever wonder why your physician only spends 5-10 rushed minutes with you during your office visit? You may think it’s because there are simply too many patients vying for her time, but that’s not the real reason. The root cause is that health insurance companies are stealing time from your visit by requiring excessive documentation from your doctor. She can’t give you the time you need, because doing so would put her out of business. In a special report on the administrative burden of healthcare, MedPage Today revealed that PCPs spend about one third of their income on documentation required by health insurers. Because they run a business with thin margins, they must increase the volume of patients they treat in order to cover the salaries of the staff required to manage this “paper... Disruptive Women in Health Care blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2862481 Mon, 05 Oct 2009 12:00:55 +0100 2862481 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2858649&cid=t_255406_105_f&fid=38964&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdrwes.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F10%2Fspecialists-become-hospitalists.html From Columbus, Ohio:In the past, hospitals hired primarily family doctors who would refer patients to the facility for medical tests. Now, hospitals are employing more specialists.For example, having a neurologist or cardiologist on staff allows quicker patient consults than waiting for a private-practice doctor to come to the hospital."The reason we even employ specialists is to provide inpatient coverage on our floors in the hospital," said Cindy Sheets, senior vice president ambulatory services for Mount Carmel Health System.Another reason specialists are consolidating with hospital systems is the high cost of bringing on other experienced specialists that have insurance "tails" from their former practice. These insurance "tails" assure continued malpractice insurance coverage on patien... Dr. Wes blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2858649 Sat, 03 Oct 2009 21:48:00 +0100 2858649 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2855534&cid=t_255406_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2009%2F10%2F01%2Fmassachusetts-health-reform-employer-coverage-from-employees-perspective%2F As Congress and the Administration debate health care reform, it is instructive to look at the Massachusetts model, now in its third year. Health Affairs today released a study of workers in the Bay State who were interviewed in fall 2008 about their employer-sponsored health care coverage, following up on similar surveys in 2006 and 2007. Despite predictions that employers could reduce coverage or benefits under health reform, the results suggest the opposite, although premiums and out-of-pocket costs have increased for some employees in smaller companies. These findings are the latest in a series of updates on implementation of the Massachusetts reforms funded by the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation, The Commonwealth Fund, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The res... Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2855534 Thu, 01 Oct 2009 20:33:25 +0100 2855534 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2859058&cid=t_255406_136_f&fid=39025&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Feverythingchangesbook%2F%7E3%2FbaIVz7KyXw8%2Fillness-employer Do you have an angelic boss who has made accommodations for your illness?  Or, have you been wedged out of your workplace, or cornered into a position where your job is so miserable you want to quit? ABC News interviewed me today about asking for sick leave and keeping your job. I offered them lots of tips and advice, but they don’t work unless you follow them.  (Duh.) Lots of us are pals with our co-workers, bosses, and employers.  Some workplaces can feel like home, family, and the center of our social lives.  Sometime patients assume they don’t need to follow the rules because our bosses are supportive people who care about us.  It’s easy vent to them about our medical woes, lean on co-workers for emotional support, and assume our boss will do everything in their power to... Everything Changes blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2859058 Thu, 01 Oct 2009 18:44:35 +0100 2859058 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2851732&cid=t_255406_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2009%2F10%2F01%2Fobama-speech-assessment-tops-ha-blog-most-read-list%2F Uwe Reinhardt’s assessment of President Obama’s address to Congress on health reform tops the list of most-read Health Affairs Blog posts for September.  Additional comment on all posts is always welcome.  Grading The President’s Health Care Speech by Uwe Reinhardt Health Affairs Briefing: Bending The Cost Curve In Health Spending by Chris Fleming Regional Payment And Delivery Reforms: Critical To Obama Plan’s Success by Harold Miller Unstable Ground: The Need for Better Data to Make Better Health Care Policy by Michael O’Grady Bending The Cost Curve: Do We Have The Will? by Chris Fleming Health Affairs Briefing: Fact Versus Fiction In Health Reform by Chris Fleming Why A Public Health Insurance Option Is Essential by David Balto Fact Or Fiction: The Role Of Governmen... Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2851732 Thu, 01 Oct 2009 17:55:32 +0100 2851732 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2851760&cid=t_255406_87_f&fid=38368&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FDisruptiveWomenInHealthCare%2F%7E3%2FBCTsPxTgNHA%2F October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month and to celebrate, our Man of the Month is Paul Berger. Paul is the award-winning author of “How to Conquer the World With One Hand… And an Attitude,” chronicling his adventures in returning to work and to a meaningful life after suffering a severely disabling stroke at the young age of 36. On Wednesday, Paul spent the day with about 100 other dedicated stroke and heart disease advocates visiting members of Congress to urge enactment of legislation to make health insurance more accessible, affordable, and adequate. Paul’s stroke is one of those “pre-existing conditions” that can make insurance inaccessible and unaffordable. And many policies have inadequate benefits to cover the rehabilitation services needed after strok... Disruptive Women in Health Care blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2851760 Thu, 01 Oct 2009 13:28:30 +0100 2851760 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2846348&cid=t_255406_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F4BthC-N0unI%2F In my recent Cato paper, “All the President’s Mandates: Compulsory Health Insurance Is a Government Takeover,” I explain that if Congress compels Americans to purchase health insurance, it would “inevitably and unnecessarily open a new front in the abortion debate, one where either side—and possibly both sides—could lose.” Slate’s William Saletan explains how the pro-choice side could lose: This week, the Senate finance committee is considering amendments that would bar coverage of abortions under federally subsidized health insurance. Pro-choice groups are up in arms. After all, says NARAL Pro-Choice America, “In the current insurance marketplace, private plans can choose whether to cover abortion care—and most do.” If Congress enacts subs... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2846348 Wed, 30 Sep 2009 15:33:42 +0100 2846348 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2846334&cid=t_255406_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2009%2F09%2F30%2Fa-tax-that-targets-health-insurance-innovation%2F The Senate Finance Committee is now considering a proposal that would impose an aggregate tax of $6.7 billion dollars per year on “any U.S. health insurance provider,” in proportion to market share, whether for profit or not for profit, but not on employers who “self fund” their employees’ coverage. About 160 million Americans have private health coverage through employment, 55% or 88 million of whom receive their coverage through employer “self funded” arrangements. “Self funded” means that the employer is the insurer.  Employers hire “administrative service providers” (often just an arm of an insurance company) to process the claims, but they write the checks to providers on the employer’s bank account. Government actions are biased in favor of self insurance: em... Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2846334 Wed, 30 Sep 2009 12:41:16 +0100 2846334 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2846343&cid=t_255406_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FZSQ2FISpNlY%2F There’s been a lot of focus – including in my column today – on the subsidies that the health-overhaul bills would provide to aid lower-income people in paying their health insurance premiums. But there’s another twist that may matter just as much to consumers: how much help those same folks will get with their out-of-pocket costs. This varies between the different bills now working their way through Congress. And as lawmakers try to crunch costs, these subsidies may be easier to trim because they’re less visible than the premium subsidies. The House bill, at least in its current incarnation, would provide credits that would rein in out-of-pocket costs for people between 133% and 350% of the federal poverty level, which is around $38,000 for an individual and about $77,000 for a fami... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2846343 Wed, 30 Sep 2009 11:50:02 +0100 2846343 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2846335&cid=t_255406_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2009%2F09%2F29%2Findividual-mandate-is-focus-of-new-health-policy-brief%2F The complex health care overhaul underway in Congress would require nearly all Americans to have health insurance – a provision known as “individual responsibility” or an “individual mandate.” Supporters warn other reforms are not possible without this requirement.  But many opponents say such a mandate is unaffordable, and unacceptable in a free society.  A new Health Policy Brief  from Health Affairs and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the latest in a series of briefs, examines this issue. The leading health reform bills in Congress would impose this new national individual mandate in the context of many other changes as follows: New rules would determine what minimal coverage is acceptable and spell out how much people should pay for it out of their own pockets.  Cov... Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2846335 Wed, 30 Sep 2009 02:59:53 +0100 2846335 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2846345&cid=t_255406_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2F9HT8nSSq9ps%2F As expected, the Senate Finance Committee just rejected two amendments that would have created a new, government-backed health insurance plan to compete against private insurers. In other words, the public option. All of the panel’s Republicans and a few Democrats voted against the measures — one, from Jay Rockefeller, went down by a 15-8 vote; another, from Chuck Schumer, lost 13-10. This is a major blow to what has been one of the most contentious elements of the health-care debate this year. All along, everybody’s pointed to Senate Finance as central to shaping the health-overhaul legislation. And Max Baucus, the committee’s chairman, maintained his opposition to the public option today, arguing that a bill that includes the public option wouldn’t be filibu... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2846345 Tue, 29 Sep 2009 22:13:14 +0100 2846345 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2842493&cid=t_255406_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FYWAY2kz9e98%2F Here are a few of the stories on the health-care overhaul that caught our eye this morning: Abortion continues to play a role in the health care debate, the New York Times reports. The issue is dividing Dems, the article says. Some argue that the current health-care bills already prohibit using federal funds to pay for abortions, while others say more explicit prohibitions are needed for those who would receive government subsidies to purchase health insurance. For more on the subject, see this WSJ story from last month, and this WSJ.com column from Steven Waldman on how to keep the health-care overhaul neutral on abortion. A government-backed insurance plan — aka the public option — is unlikely to be part of whatever health-overhaul bill makes it out of the Senate Finance Comm... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2842493 Tue, 29 Sep 2009 14:19:01 +0100 2842493 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2842535&cid=t_255406_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2009%2F09%2Fcant-afford-health-insurance-uninsured-facts-families.html Health care reform isn’t just about covering the uninsured. It’s also about making sure that those who do have insurance can rely on it to pay the bills if they get sick, without leaving them with unmanageable debt. Sadly, that’s often not the case today, as Kaiser Health News documents in a series of reports done in partnership with National Public Radio. The struggles of Jim and Martha Martin and their teenage daughters Sara and Rebekah, profiled in one of the articles, show how inadequate insurance can be. The parents, who live in Maine, hold down five part-time jobs between them yet have only limited coverage, mainly Martha’s plan (which only covers her) from her part-time supermarket deli job, and Sara’s through a student policy offered by her college. It’s nowhe... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2842535 Mon, 28 Sep 2009 19:26:13 +0100 2842535 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2838913&cid=t_255406_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2009%2F09%2Fhatch-waxman-act-exclusivity-generic-drugs.html What does it mean? The Hatch-Waxman Act (formally known as The Drug Price Competition and Patent Term Restoration Act) first passed 25 years ago in 1984 helped make inexpensive generic drugs available to consumers. This law streamlined the process by which generic drug manufacturers could apply for Food and Drug Administration approval of their drugs once the patent on a brand-name medicine expired. Under this law, generic manufacturers can forego expensive clinical trials and instead gain FDA approval based on less costly studies that show their drugs are equivalent to brand-name medicines. This cut the expense of bringing a generic drug to market, which lowered the cost of these medicines for consumers. Generic drugs now comprise more than 60 percent of prescriptions filled—up from 19 ... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2838913 Mon, 28 Sep 2009 16:08:24 +0100 2838913 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2838915&cid=t_255406_87_f&fid=38368&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FDisruptiveWomenInHealthCare%2F%7E3%2FCc_Cvx0W2hA%2F This article is part of a series of essays on our health care system which are available on Society of Actuaries’ Web site: http://www.soa.org/library/essays/health-essay-2009-toc.aspx. Each of these essays presents a different perspective on the problems with our current system for providing and paying for medical coverage. It comes as no surprise, the current health care system is not working for any of the parties in the system; employers, medical providers, health plans and health insurance companies and especially not for the consumer.  More clarity is needed to help solidify a new path for healthcare reform. For the consumer, the current billing practices of providers and payment practices of insurance companies often result in the highest charges being applied to the individuals... Disruptive Women in Health Care blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2838915 Mon, 28 Sep 2009 12:30:17 +0100 2838915 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2834242&cid=t_255406_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2009%2F09%2F25%2Famerican-values-and-health-reform%2F During the current health reform debate, both Democrats and Republicans have often made their case in terms of values such as liberty, justice, and equality. One example has been the Republican opposition to the “individual mandate” – requiring everyone to purchase health insurance if “affordable” coverage is available – which Senator John Kyl of Arizona called “a stunning assault on liberty.” Is the individual mandate consistent with American values? In an essay in the Hastings Center Publication “Connecting American Values With Health Reform,” philosopher Paul Menzel answers yes. Without an individual mandate, it would be unjust to require hospitals to provide acute care to all comers, he writes. It would also be unjust to bar insurers from excluding people ... Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2834242 Fri, 25 Sep 2009 21:53:18 +0100 2834242 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2832118&cid=t_255406_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2F_KbQyXvK9O4%2F In a year when everybody’s talking in sweeping, vague terms about health costs and the insurance industry, it’s useful to pause and dig into some really specific numbers to better understand how the money flows. That’s what Princeton health economist Uwe Reinhardt does today, dissecting an income statement from the health insurer WellPoint in a guest post over at the New York Times blog Economix. Here are a few of the figures. In 2008, the company’s total revenue was over $60 billion, more than 93% of which came from insurance premiums. About 6% came from fees for administering insurance for self-insured companies, and 1% came from the float. WellPoint paid out about 84% of the premium revenues it collected to pay for health care and drugs for the people the compan... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2832118 Fri, 25 Sep 2009 15:15:53 +0100 2832118 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2832151&cid=t_255406_88_f&fid=38959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.epmonthly.com%2Fwhitecoat%2F2009%2F09%2Feffects-of-saving-money%2F In 2008, St. Johns Hospital and Mary Immaculate Hospital in Queens had a total of 119,883 outpatient department visits. In February 2009, the two hospitals went bankrupt and closed. In June 2009, the New York City Office of Policy Management published a paper showing that once St. Johns and Mary Immaculate Hospitals closed their doors, the patients that previously went to those hospitals didn’t just vanish. Instead, the patients flocked to other nearby hospitals which were already operating at capacity. Guess what happened? Those nearby hospitals – such as Jamaica Hospital in Queens, are now “overwhelmed.” According to the report, Jamaica Hospital’s daily census went up 50% — from 350 visits per day to “well over” 500 visits per day. On May 2... WhiteCoat's Call Room blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2832151 Fri, 25 Sep 2009 15:07:43 +0100 2832151 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2832252&cid=t_255406_113_f&fid=36694&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.crossoverhealth.com%2F2009%2F09%2F25%2Fsermo-makes-the-connection-health-reform-leads-to-cash-based-practices%2F Connection (kə-nĕk’shən) n. The act of connecting. The state of being connected An association or relationship Sermo finally makes the connection between all the health insurance reform conversations and the inevitable consequence of pushing a large percentage of providers toward a cash based practice. I have highlighted the rise of direct practice multiple times, and believe enough in the model that I am currently creating a direct practice network for Southern California. There are multiple emerging tools that will make this much easier and I believe the inevitable financial reimbursement fallout will result in a dramatic rise in the number of physicians moving to this model. The comments below are only available once you log into Sermo: The past two weeks have seen polls c... Crossover Healthcare blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2832252 Fri, 25 Sep 2009 00:33:28 +0100 2832252 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2832130&cid=t_255406_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F_vLaTtpIhq8%2F Obama can twist words all he wants, but a government mandate to buy health insurance is still a tax. “Think of it this way: If the government took money directly from you, then turned around and gave it to an insurance company, everyone would agree that you’ve been taxed.” Nobody considers it a tax? Even his advisers call it a tax. More on the health care mandate: “Compulsory health insurance could require nearly 100 million Americans to switch to a more expensive health plan and would therefore violate President Barack Obama’s pledge to let people keep their current health insurance.” Why the U.S. slapped a trade tariff  on Chinese tires: “President Obama’s decision was guided strictly by selfish, political considerations: He felt he ow... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2832130 Thu, 24 Sep 2009 19:30:14 +0100 2832130 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2828357&cid=t_255406_125_f&fid=34820&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dentalblogs.com%2Farchives%2Flina-miles%2Flinda-miles-dr-rhonda-savage-on-dental-benefit-plans%2F TWO SIDES OF THE MANAGEMENT COIN: DENTAL BENEFIT PLANS STAFF’S VIEWPOINT: BY: Linda Miles, CMC DOCTOR’S VIEPOINT: BY: Rhonda Savage, DDS Dental insurance can be a frustrating topic for dentists and dental team members. In this article, we’ll review common concerns from both sides, then present an end-of-the-year insurance benefits template that you can use for your insurance patients. Staff’s Viewpoint “There are just too many insurance plans to keep track of. Why don’t the patients understand their dental benefits?” “I get so weary trying to explain these benefits.” “It is so time-consuming to do pre-authorizations, and 80% of the patients still say ‘no’ to treatment after we wait for weeks to get the responses back. What a waste of time!” “Doc... dental blog for dentists about dentistry blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2828357 Thu, 24 Sep 2009 13:03:02 +0100 2828357 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2828422&cid=t_255406_134_f&fid=36012&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FBattleDiabetes%2F%7E3%2Fs1_N2EjcYHY%2F Adult onset diabetes, like the common ulcer of a few years ago, makes a lot of work and provides a lot of money for the medical system. There was a cure for the biological disease of stomach ulcers but the doctors were telling us it was stress-related (Everything is stress-related to some extent, as the Pauling research that won a Nobel Prize for Vitamin therapy [especially 'C'] has proven.) and many people suffered under the surgeon’s knife until recently. The homeopathic war with the FDA and drug-pushers is a very interesting study in deceit and power. For example it took until last year for the research at the University of Alabama led by Dr. Campbell to confirm what won a Nobel Prize a quarter century ago. The immune system and lymph system is vital to the interplay between soul ... Battle Diabetes Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2828422 Wed, 23 Sep 2009 22:00:11 +0100 2828422 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2823955&cid=t_255406_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F9d_QjFkWqlY%2F As Michael Cannon discussed in an earlier post, the White House is trying to claim that health care “reform” does not mean higher taxes. This is a two-pronged issue. First, there is a mandate to purchase health insurance. Second, there is a tax (the White House calls it a fee) on people who fail to purchase a policy. The White House claims this mandate is akin to state-level requirements for the purchase of health insurance, and that the newly-insured people will be getting some value (a health insurance policy) in exchange for their money. These assertions are defensible, but that does not change the fact that a tax is being imposed. It might be plausible to argue that the mandate is not a tax if the value of the insurance policy to the individual was equal to the cost. But ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2823955 Wed, 23 Sep 2009 16:45:48 +0100 2823955 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2823939&cid=t_255406_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2009%2F09%2F23%2Funderneath-the-democratic-health-bills-are-republican-roots%2F In recent days, Republican leaders on Capitol Hill have taken up the argument that the Democratic health reform bills represent a “government takeover” of the health care system.  These claims misrepresent the substantive content of the bills, since the approach of the main committee bills is to extend employer-sponsored, private insurance.  But this rhetorical exaggeration also reveals how far today’s Republicans have moved from the policy ideas of the previous generation of Republican officials.  Indeed, a careful reading of today’s main Democratic bills reveals, to a surprising degree, a set of policy approaches that were at the core of mainstream Republican proposals a few decades ago, which focused on employer-provided health insurance, private sector insure... Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2823939 Wed, 23 Sep 2009 15:04:41 +0100 2823939 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2823964&cid=t_255406_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FGP_FEocr8sE%2F “My critics say that I’m taking over every sector of the economy,” President Obama sighed to George Stephanopoulos during his Sunday media blitz. Not every sector. Just health care energy local schools banks insurance companies automobile companies compensation at financial firms newspapers the internet This president and his Ivy League advisers believe that they know how an economy should develop better than hundreds of millions of market participants spending their own money every day. That is what F. A. Hayek called the “fatal conceit,” the idea that smart people can design a real economy on the basis of their abstract ideas. This is not quite socialism. In most of these cases, President Obama doesn’t propose to actually nationalize the means of product... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2823964 Wed, 23 Sep 2009 14:10:35 +0100 2823964 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2823946&cid=t_255406_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FPmjZArJBiAQ%2F Buried on page 17 of the latest WSJ/NBC poll is an interesting table on priorities for the health-care overhaul. Respondents were given several live policy proposals and asked whether each should or shouldn’t be included in the final health care legislation. Most popular by a mile: “Requiring that health insurance companies cover people with pre-existing medical conditions.” Sixty-three percent of respondents said that proposal “absolutely must” be included as part of any final legislation, and another 26% said they “would prefer” for it to be included. Limiting the amount of money patients can collect after being injured by bad medical care was a distant second, with 36% of respondents saying legislation “absolutely must” contain such ... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2823946 Wed, 23 Sep 2009 12:24:01 +0100 2823946 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2824187&cid=t_255406_111_f&fid=36048&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAHeartyLife%2F%7E3%2FdXumzlPNR-c%2F I got a surprising call today from none other than my insurance company. In the past, this has never been good. Our last insurance company used to call repeatedly to find out if we had any other insurance. I would answer that they we didn’t, and then they would fail to mark this down and call us the next week with the same question. If a company can’t even remember what they asked you last, how can they adequately cover you? But this company wanted to know if I had any questions. I had to repeat it back to the lovely woman on the phone. “You want to know if I had any questions?” I had to stop and think. I was floored. She also wanted me to know here I could find more information about doctors and coverage. She gave me a phone to call if I found that I did have any ... A Hearty Life blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2824187 Tue, 22 Sep 2009 23:14:57 +0100 2824187 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2823948&cid=t_255406_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FKwlzYfixMTI%2F Health-overhaul advocates turned out across the country today at rallies targeted against insurance companies and promoting a public insurance alternative as part of health legislation. MoveOn.org, Health Care for America Now and labor unions said they organized about 150 gatherings, which followed last month’s raucous town-hall meetings focused on the health overhaul. Today’s protesters took aimat the insurance industry for standing in the way of real health-care change, which many of the demonstrators think should include a government-run health plan. Private insurers have agreed to some concessions –- including taking all comers, regardless of health status –- but oppose a public plan, saying it could disrupt coverage for insured Americans. The Health Blog caught up with the ... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2823948 Tue, 22 Sep 2009 20:55:29 +0100 2823948 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2823969&cid=t_255406_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FnrE1pz9sFzE%2F The FDIC’s insurance fund, which it uses to pay off despositors in failed banks, is getting low. One way it can bolster its reserves is to draw on a $100 billion line of credit from the Treasury. Instead, however, Senior regulators say they are seriously considering a plan to have the nation’s healthy banks lend billions of dollars to rescue the insurance fund that protects bank depositors. That would enable the fund, which is rapidly running out of money because of a wave of bank failures, to continue to rescue the sickest banks. A brilliant scheme to avoid another taxpayer bailout? Not really. The banks are willing to lend because the FDIC will pay them a good interest rate. Repayment is virtually guaranteed because the FDIC can always draw on its line of credit. Thus the banks... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2823969 Tue, 22 Sep 2009 20:23:12 +0100 2823969 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2820195&cid=t_255406_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FAS3BPpkEnHY%2F With the declining balance of the Federal Deposit Insurance Fund, and more bank failures likely in the days ahead, the FDIC is looking for novel ways to avoid borrowing from Treasury to cover its expected shortfalls.  One proposal being floated is to have the FDIC borrow from healthy banks to cover the costs of bank failures.  Without borrowing from either the Treasury or the banks, FDIC would likely have to raise insurance premiums on all insured banks. While the scheme is imaginative, it is in reality no different than borrowing from the Treasury.  Banks, in exchange for a loan, would receive a government bond.  Does anyone doubt that these bonds would not simply be backed by the FDIC, but also backed by the Treasury?  In effect the plan is no different than FDIC borrowing from the ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2820195 Tue, 22 Sep 2009 18:02:32 +0100 2820195 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2820204&cid=t_255406_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fu4DpfiwkIDU%2F As my colleague Jeffrey Miron noted earlier today, when grilled by George Stephanopolous on whether the so-called “individual mandate” is a tax increase, Obama replied, “Nobody considers that a tax increase….You can’t just make up that language and decide that that’s called a tax increase…My critics say everything is a tax increase.” Where do Obama’s critics get these wacky ideas?  From a bunch of nobodies, that’s who! Princeton economist Uwe Reinhardt, quoted by Larry Summers (1987): [Just because] the fiscal flows triggered by mandate would not flow directly through the public budgets does not detract from the measure’s status of a bona fide tax. Economist Larry Summers, Obama’s National Economic Council chair (1... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2820204 Mon, 21 Sep 2009 20:05:14 +0100 2820204 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2824447&cid=t_255406_165_f&fid=36767&url=http%3A%2F%2Fabctherapeutics.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F09%2Fhow-health-insurance-industry-is-price.html Here is an interesting anecdote of how the private health insurance market is killing itself:Our health insurance costs (premiums + deductibles) for the plan we offer to employees have risen over 20% each year for the past five years. Some years our costs have risen as much as 45% when we were forced into the high-deductible product line.There has been no accompanying increase in reimbursement rates for occupational therapy or physical therapy, by the way.Aside from that, I was interested when I was informed three months ago that our current plan was being discontinued because the letter that we were sent said very specifically:" In the short term, the impact of these changes will not be seen in premiums. Encouraging preventive care and providing new products and programs to empower member... ABC Therapeutics Occupational Therapy Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2824447 Mon, 21 Sep 2009 18:16:00 +0100 2824447 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2814395&cid=t_255406_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F2xRntifTq7k%2F President Obama argued on TV talk shows this weekend that his proposed mandate for everyone to buy health insurance – or face a large financial penalty – is not a tax increase: In a testy exchange on ABC’s “This Week,” broadcast Sunday, Obama rejected the assertion that forcing people to obtain coverage would violate his campaign pledge against raising taxes on middle-class Americans. “For us to say you have to take responsibility to get health insurance is absolutely not a tax increase,” Obama said in response to persistent questioning, later adding: “Nobody considers that a tax increase.” Well, I consider it a tax increase, so I guess that makes me nobody. The real question is whether this tax increase is a good idea. My answer is no.... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2814395 Mon, 21 Sep 2009 16:43:26 +0100 2814395 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2814625&cid=t_255406_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2FSYXcRX_vjj4%2F Pay Now Or Pay Later: Some 2,000 people attended a rally yesterday in O’Fallon, Mo., supporting legislation requiring insurance companies to cover therapy for children with autism, a lawmaking leap already taken in 14 states. Last legislative session, a bill mandating coverage passed in the Missouri Senate but failed to come up for a vote in the House. (Among proponents this time are state lawmakers whose own children have the disorder.) Not having enough on its plate right now in American history, the insurance industry opposes the mandate, arguing that everyone’s premiums will rise about 3 percent. Such legislation has also been bandied about in the healthcare reform debate. Photo courtesy of Kopper (flickr.com) Getting people to agree to open their wallets wider in a crappy... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2814625 Mon, 21 Sep 2009 14:45:46 +0100 2814625 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2807567&cid=t_255406_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2Fy-ziY6mQlnk%2F A requirement that all Americans buy insurance is common to all of the major health-overhaul bills — but it’s not constitutional, write two lawyers in an op-ed in the WSJ. Those who don’t buy insurance would be required to pay a penalty, according to the various health proposals. But this mandate isn’t so much a regulation as a “tax,” and Congress shouldn’t be allowed to tax people just because they are uninsured, argue David Rivkin and Lee Casey, who served in the Justice Department during two Republican administrations. Otherwise, Congress could institute similar “taxes” on anyone who doesn’t follow other orders, such as joining a health club or exercising regularly, they point out. “This type of congressional trickery is ... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2807567 Fri, 18 Sep 2009 13:52:36 +0100 2807567 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2807562&cid=t_255406_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2009%2F09%2F17%2Fthe-public-option-hospital-finances-and-private-premiums%2F One of the main points of dispute in the health reform debate has been whether to include a new public health insurance option. Legislation approved by three House committees and the Senate, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee includes such a public option, but the proposal unveiled yesterday by Senate Finance Committe Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT) does not. Earlier this week, Health Affairs published an article titled “How a New ‘Public Plan’ Could Affect Hospitals’ Finances and Private Insurance Premiums,” by Allen Dobson, Joan E. DaVanzo, Audrey M. El-Gamil, and Gregory Berger. According to the authors, a new government-run plan could sharply increase private insurance premiums if the plan were to include large portions of those who currently have privat... Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2807562 Thu, 17 Sep 2009 22:13:04 +0100 2807562 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2807563&cid=t_255406_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2009%2F09%2F17%2Fwhy-a-public-health-insurance-option-is-essential%2F The biggest flashpoint in the ongoing debate over the future of the U.S. health system is whether Congress should change the balance of power that now favors the private health insurance industry. Opponents of the idea argue that a public health insurance plan competing with private insurers would lead to inferior health care, harm providers, and drive the multibillion dollar for-profit health plans out of the market. Fears of Armageddon are without merit and inconsistent with reality. The U.S. has a health care crisis created by the private insurance companies that some are so worried about protecting.  Health care costs are out of control, threatening the viability of American businesses and the hopes of millions of American families. More than 47 million Americans are uninsured, and ac... Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2807563 Thu, 17 Sep 2009 21:56:34 +0100 2807563 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2807576&cid=t_255406_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FRTUiZOekJUM%2F The Wall Street Journal notes that Sen. Max Baucus’s allegedly moderate health care plan “would increase the cost of insurance and then force people to buy it, requiring subsidies. Those subsidies would be paid for by taxes that make health care and thus insurance even more expensive, requiring even more subsidies and still higher taxes.” Other than that, it’s not so bad. The Journal also digs up a great graphic produced by the 2008 presidential campaign of a little-known Illinois senator named Barack Obama: And speaking of health care mandates and how much they’re going to cost young people, as the Washington Post was yesterday, I just had lunch with Clark Ruper, program manager for Students for Liberty, who told me he’d be on the Newshour with Jim Leh... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2807576 Thu, 17 Sep 2009 18:17:55 +0100 2807576 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2803887&cid=t_255406_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FUJEALC3pR_E%2F In their attempt to defeat Obamacare, Republicans have focused their criticism on the public option, painting it as the most objectionable feature of existing proposals. Senator Max Baucus, (D-Mont.), has now proposed a plan without the public option. This leaves the Republicans in an awkward position, especially since Baucus’s plan is projected to cost less than earlier proposals. If Republicans oppose the Baucus plan, they surely risk the ire of voters who will be told during the mid-term elections, “The Republicans blocked a plan that would have covered the uninsured and reduced the deficit.” The problem is, the public option was never the crucial issue; instead, it was the mandate to purchase insurance. Once government mandates insurance coverage, it gets to define wh... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2803887 Thu, 17 Sep 2009 15:26:45 +0100 2803887 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2803870&cid=t_255406_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FY9B4x_Y_izQ%2F After Brianna Rice, a 17-year-old in the Chicago area, was diagnosed in February with a digestive disorder called celiac disease, her insurer went through the teen’s health history and canceled her coverage that started in November. The reason? There were reports of dizziness, elevated cholesterol, fatigue and cough in her file, according to the Chicago Tribune. “The coverage you applied for would not have been issued for Brianna if we had known this medical history at the time of application,” according to a letter the insurance company, American Community Mutual Insurance, sent the family in May. Insurers say the practice, known as rescission, is necessary to culling out those who have lied about their histories and whose costly care could raise premiums for everyone. ... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2803870 Thu, 17 Sep 2009 14:18:14 +0100 2803870 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2804107&cid=t_255406_129_f&fid=36036&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Fkelly-building-a-crohns-disease-community%2Ffinding-the-right-doctor-for-your-crohns-is-worth-it%2F Since so many of you responded to my blog about all the problems I was having with my rheumatologist and insurance company I thought that I would take the opportunity to say thank you and give you an update. A few weeks ago, I went to see my general doctor to get a referral for a new rheumatologist.  He seemed skeptical about how I would like her because he told me that she has a strange bedside manner.  I figured different sounded good to me at this moment and was willing to try her out.  I went to see her a few weeks back and I was really impressed.  Yes, she is a bit different, but I like her style and I like her so far.  Right away, she sent me for X-rays of my hips and bloodwork on my Vitamin D levels and a bunch of other stuff that my old doctor never did.  Plus, their office i... Life with Crohn's blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2804107 Wed, 16 Sep 2009 21:30:01 +0100 2804107 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2800331&cid=t_255406_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FOFsmQVIXcOc%2F We’re combing through the 223-page health overhaul bill that Sen. Max Baucus unveiled this morning. Here are some tidbits about what kinds of plans insurers would need to offer to be allowed into the insurance exchange and who would be eligible for insurance subsidies: Baucus defines plans by the level of coverage they provide — think benefit levels dubbed as bronze, silver and gold. In order to be allowed to enter the exchange, the bill says plans must offer a basic amount of coverage, including: preventive and primary care emergency services maternity and newborn care pediatric services (including dental and vision) prescription drugs mental health and substance-abuse services Here’s the full bill; benefit options are described beginning on p. 17. In addition, plans c... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2800331 Wed, 16 Sep 2009 16:10:18 +0100 2800331 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2800367&cid=t_255406_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FCLSK4JSDpjQ%2F A front-page Washington Post story today notes that the cost of Obama-style health care reform will fall disproportionately on young adults. Younger workers are typically more healthy than the population at large, and a significant share of them quite rationally choose not to buy health insurance, as my colleague Mike Tanner explains in a recent op-ed. The major health care plans on the table in Washington would force them to buy coverage. As the Post story explains: Drafting young adults into any health-care reform package is crucial to paying for it. As low-cost additions to insurance pools, young adults would help dilute the expense of covering older, sicker people. Depending on how Congress requires insurers to price their policies, this group could even wind up paying disproportionate... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2800367 Wed, 16 Sep 2009 15:32:24 +0100 2800367 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2800621&cid=t_255406_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F-ISYz0aKuH0%2F Fall is conference season, and Autism Conferences of America is holding its second New York City event Oct. 3rd and 4th. The theme is Educating and Healing Children with Autism, and featured speakers include Eustacia Cutler, mother of Temple Grandin. Cutler will speak about raising her extraordinary daughter at the opening talk on Saturday morning. Photo courtesy of Frenkieb (flickr.com) Other sessions will focus on special needs trusts, yoga for children with autism, evaluating communication skills in children with autistic spectrum disorders and biomedical treatments. Other speakers include David Kirby, author of “Evidence of Harm,” and Kim Stagliano, from the website Age of Autism, so there’s likely an anti-vaccine, pro-biomedical slant to the conference. Still, info o... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2800621 Wed, 16 Sep 2009 14:58:24 +0100 2800621 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2800334&cid=t_255406_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FPWJfM68nFWk%2F The value of health insurance in the national discussion on health care is often considered a given. But for some, when they actually crunch the numbers, the value of insurance relative to other spending priorities isn’t so clear. For instance, in Massachusetts where state-mandated coverage has resulted in all but 3% of Bay State residents obtaining coverage or pay a fine, some 68,000 chose to pay the fine in 2007, according to today’s WSJ. Another 76,000 were exempted from coverage requirements. The uninsured in Massachusetts tend to be younger, male and relatively healthy, the WSJ says. In deciding whether to subject themselves to the fine, which was $1,068 last year, some seem to be deciding that the value of coverage is less than what they will pay in premiums for themselv... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2800334 Wed, 16 Sep 2009 13:07:04 +0100 2800334 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2796380&cid=t_255406_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FdPLzAlPELq4%2F Americans with job-based insurance can expect to pay more for less next year. Hit by the recession and rising health-care costs, employers are cutting a larger chunk than usual out of their health-care budgets, new national surveys show. In 2010, nearly two-thirds of employers plan to shift more of the cost of care to workers and their families through higher premiums contributions, deductibles and copayments. One out of five companies plans to cut out higher-cost health plan options in favor of less generous coverage, according to the preliminary findings from a survey by the consulting firm Mercer LLC. These finding are echoed in a new survey by Watson Wyatt Worldwide, a consulting firm. Encouraging workers to stay healthy and kicking people who aren’t eligible for coverage off the... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2796380 Tue, 15 Sep 2009 16:58:24 +0100 2796380 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2796383&cid=t_255406_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2F00M0f7pNmAs%2F Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus is expected to formally introduce the committee’s long-awaited health reform bill on Wednesday, according to the WSJ, but questions linger from both Democrats and Republicans about the proposal. One worry is about the affordability of insurance, which Americans would be required to buy by 2013. They could be asked to spend as much as 13% of their income on insurance under the proposed bill. Sen. Ron Wyden, a Democrat, said that “additional steps are going to have to be taken to make coverage more affordable. That’s a real hit on middle-class families.” Michael Tanner of the libertarian Cato Institute told the Washington Post, “We’re talking about the equivalent of a middle-class tax increase. Yes, they’r... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2796383 Tue, 15 Sep 2009 12:39:56 +0100 2796383 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2796377&cid=t_255406_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2009%2F09%2F14%2Fgrading-the-presidents-health-care-speech%2F After decades of teaching, I view everything around me as a final exam and assign it letter grades. Naturally, I graded President Barack Obama’s speech as well. The overall grade is A–, a highly respectable grade at Princeton, although there is variation around this overall average for the different themes in the speech. The elegance and force of the delivery deserved a clear A, and one slouching toward an A+. I do not grade it A+ mainly because our Dean frowns at throwing around A-plusses lightly. The president does, however, deserve a clear A+ for reminding Americans so clearly and forcefully of the moral dimension of health reform, assisted in that task by the late Senator Ted Kennedy’s eloquent farewell letter. One may disagree with these two gentlemen’s policies, but one shoul... Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2796377 Mon, 14 Sep 2009 21:49:16 +0100 2796377 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2793132&cid=t_255406_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2F5WPgmS6lEPk%2F Numbers and anecdotes about the insurance industry included in President Obama’s health-care speech last week aren’t accurate, Scott Harrington, a professor of health-care management and insurance and risk management at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School and an adjunct scholar at the conservative American Enterprise Institute, writes in an op-ed appearing in the WSJ. He points out that the president’s stories about people who have been dropped by the insurer once they get sick, a practice called recission, are a result of some pre-existing condition that should have been disclosed at the time the insurance was acquired, the typical rationale for recission. People in “good standing” with their insurer should never be dropped, according to Ha... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2793132 Mon, 14 Sep 2009 12:48:24 +0100 2793132 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2788615&cid=t_255406_93_f&fid=35707&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FHemodynamics%2F%7E3%2FgTrJ4RsfZFM%2Fjoe-wilsons-war.html For all the fuss about Joe Wilson disrespecting Obama by shouting "You lie!" (to which, it can only be said, he never would have said that to a white president)--the biggest crime is not disrespecting the president, but that he was doing so in the cause of trying to make sure some Guatemalan girl can't deliver her baby, and some Chinese guy can't get treatment for HIV infection, and some old Mexican lady is going to die for reasons regular medical care could have prevented.And now, politicians are bending over backwards to say, Joe Wilson is disrespectful, but to his larger point, they only respond, please, fellow Americans, be assured, we won't be taking this love your neighbor thing too far. (Source: hemodynamics) hemodynamics blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2788615 Sat, 12 Sep 2009 03:21:00 +0100 2788615 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2788498&cid=t_255406_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2009%2F09%2F11%2Fcensus-survey-may-understate-medicaid-enrollment-overstate-uninsured-ranks%2F Widely cited estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau likely overstate the number of uninsured people and understate the number of people with Medicaid coverage because of an inability of people to recall their insurance status accurately from the previous year, according to a study published yesterday on the Health Affairs Web site. The CPS, administered in February, March, and April each year, asks respondents whether they had health insurance coverage (including Medicaid) at any point in the previous calendar year. However, the CPS’s long recall period (fourteen to sixteen months) can lead to inaccurate responses, report lead author Jacob Klerman, a principal associate at Abt Associates in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and coauthors. According to Klerman and his colleagues, CPS responses ar... Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2788498 Fri, 11 Sep 2009 21:30:52 +0100 2788498 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2789168&cid=t_255406_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Foncology-appointments-and-co-pays%2F Last week I had my regular oncologist appointment. My appointments are now four months apart instead of three months. I had the usual blood pressure check, review of medication and blood tests. The doctor also palpated for any lumps and listened to my lungs through a stethoscope. The usual stuff. She also checked my chart for my last chest X-ray and gave me a script since it’s been over a year and a half. That is something that I don’t like. I have the same discussion every visit about the necessity of X-rays and whether they can promote cancer. The response is always the same one about how these x-rays have very little radiation and it is important to monitor my lungs. This time I also wanted to know the increased risks for another cancer because of chemotherapy. My father wen... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2789168 Fri, 11 Sep 2009 19:24:25 +0100 2789168 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2785899&cid=t_255406_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FrMtzSzUUl1I%2F Will or won’t illegal immigrants be insured in a health care system overhaul? The question has come to the forefront since Rep. Joe Wilson’s cried out “You lie!” during president Obama’s health care speech the other night. Though the answer isn’t entirely clear, the WSJ notes that the House health reform proposal excludes illegal immigrants from the mandate of buying health insurance or paying a penalty. It also denies them the “affordability credits” that would reduce their out-of-pockets costs of buying insurance on their own, but they could participate in the insurance exchange, where individuals and small businesses can shop for coverage. Obama’s plan wouldn’t allow them to participate in the exchange at all, according to the ... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2785899 Fri, 11 Sep 2009 18:04:34 +0100 2785899 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2785900&cid=t_255406_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2F8r0UbLu-jHI%2F The Health Blog took a closer look at the census bureau numbers on people without health insurance in 2008 and here are a few surprising figures: Overall, as the WSJ reports, the number of uninsured in the U.S. grew to 46.3 million in 2008, from 45.7 million in 2007, but that’s not a statistically significant difference. But, significantly more people were covered by government insurance — Medicaid or Medicare — in 2008 than the previous year. Those figures were 29% in 2008 compared to 27.8% in 2007. The middle income households appeared to be hit the hardest. The increase in uninsured came in those households with incomes of $50,000 to $74,999 a year. In all other income brackets, higher and lower, more people were covered by some type of insurance than in the previous y... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2785900 Fri, 11 Sep 2009 13:32:03 +0100 2785900 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2785895&cid=t_255406_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2009%2F09%2F10%2Fbringing-health-care-reform-back-into-a-health-insurance-reform-bill%2F The president’s speech to Congress struck important political notes.  It also included three tantalizing opportunities for adding some aspects of health care reform to what was becoming simply health insurance reform.  Delaying Implementation of the Exchange The most obvious new, and possibly controversial, point in the speech was the four-year delay in implementing the Insurance Exchange.  This will definitely help the budget figures by pushing costs further out into the future, but it has substantive implications as well.   The Exchange will be a central aspect of the new proposal.   It may appear to be similar to what is done by some health benefits departments of large employers.  It will, however, face a far more complex task than say, the Office of Personnel Management in a... Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2785895 Thu, 10 Sep 2009 22:22:49 +0100 2785895 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2785911&cid=t_255406_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fwx02WLjdXqg%2F Michael Tanner on the Obama health care speech: All sizzle, no substance. Why Main Street should embrace globalization. Plus, why international trade doesn’t cause unemployment at home. Should the IRS have the right to share your tax information with foreign governments? How about totalitarian ones? It may not be so far off. Libertarian news anchor John Stossel leaving ABC for Fox. Podcast- Obama: Hey, lets force everyone to have insurance, and fine Americans who don’t comply. (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2785911 Thu, 10 Sep 2009 18:07:38 +0100 2785911 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2782010&cid=t_255406_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fr1sh67TTEv4%2F Hell of a speech last night, eh?  Here are a few of my favorite gems. Under this plan, it will be against the law for insurance companies to deny you coverage because of a pre-existing condition. Translation: I, Barack Obama, ignoring thousands of years of failed price-control schemes, will impose price controls on health insurance. I will force insurers to sell a $50k policies for $10k. What could go wrong? We were losing an average of 700,000 jobs per month. True. And your employer mandate would kill hundreds of thousands of low-wage jobs that would never come back. They will no longer be able to place some arbitrary cap on the amount of coverage you can receive in a given year or a lifetime.   We will place a limit on how much you can be charged for out-of-pocket expenses…. And i... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2782010 Thu, 10 Sep 2009 14:24:49 +0100 2782010 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2782006&cid=t_255406_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FV_dzgomYqlU%2F Did the deals that industry stakeholders have made with Obama administration on health reform reflect in the president’s speech last night? Health insurers took the brunt of Obama’s attack, while the hospital and pharmaceutical industries — who have agreed to a combined $225 billion in cost savings over 10 years — were barely mentioned, notes Bloomberg. “Those deals obviously paid off tonight,” an analyst with Pali Capital LLC told Bloomberg. “I didn’t hear a peep about drug costs. I heard them talk about hospital infection rates, but there was nothing in this that would be negative for the hospitals that wasn’t already known.” Wellpoint, a large health insurer, said Obama continued his “mischaracterization” of the in... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2782006 Thu, 10 Sep 2009 12:49:48 +0100 2782006 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2782094&cid=t_255406_111_f&fid=34712&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdigitaldoorway.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F09%2Fcan-obama-do-it.html Even though I rarely listen to the radio anymore and no longer have TV, we tuned into President Obama's health care speech this evening, and I felt stirrings of hope as his words flowed through the airwaves.Not having examined the speech closely, my hope is tinged with a hint of cynicism at the ways of Washington, but with the post-humous words of Ted Kennedy spurring us on, I feel that perhaps the reform we have all been waiting for may actually come to pass.Even as the debate rages on, millions of American children still live without health insurance, the unemployed and underemployed seek primary care in emergency rooms, and the self-employed struggle to find coverage that doesn't break the bank.Cries of socialism abound, but the President reminds us that Medicare itself was derided as b... Digital Doorway blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2782094 Thu, 10 Sep 2009 02:00:00 +0100 2782094 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2778408&cid=t_255406_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2009%2F09%2Fhow-health-reform-can-help-the-uninsured-age-65-and-people-with-preexisting-conditions.html There’s never a good time to be uninsured, but losing your coverage after age 55 can be a real disaster because by that age, a lot of people have developed some kind of pre-existing condition that makes them terrible risks in the eyes of health insurance companies. Case in point: Rick Cristo, 63, of Scottsdale, Ariz. Here’s what he wrote recently in a comment on one of our blogs: I have been on Cobra for 16 months and my coverage expires in October. I have tried to qualify for a private policy but have been turned down because I had Prostate Cancer in January 2008 and had it removed surgically and have had no signs of cancer since. I am 63 years old my wife is 53 years old and we can't get health insurance; do I have any options?Cristo lost his job as a mortgage broker during ... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2778408 Wed, 09 Sep 2009 18:20:06 +0100 2778408 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2778411&cid=t_255406_87_f&fid=38368&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FDisruptiveWomenInHealthCare%2F%7E3%2FTHXqj_4SR6M%2F Do you ever wonder who the champion advocate for the patient is in the healthcare reform debate? More importantly, is the focus on consumer choice taking a front seat while the issue of how consumers will ultimately respond to those choices is being ignored? Many people, myself included, believe that in aggregate, individuals are best equipped to advocate for themselves. In fact, this hypothesis forms the foundation for a key component of Health 2.0, in which the consumer takes more responsibility for managing his or her healthcare and by default, the delivery of that care becomes more fluid and cost-effective. The rub, however, is that data suggest that most consumers of healthcare rarely if ever speak up. A fascinating report published in the September issue of Milbank Quarterly shows th... Disruptive Women in Health Care blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2778411 Wed, 09 Sep 2009 12:05:50 +0100 2778411 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2774607&cid=t_255406_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FsQnzXQxW7fE%2F President Obama continues to portray the debate over health care reform as a choice between his plan for a massive government-takeover of the US healthcare system and “doing nothing.”  Those who oppose his plan are said to be “obstructionist” or in favor of the status-quo.  Yesterday, the President again said, “I’ve got a question for all those folks [who oppose his plan]: What are you going to do? What’s your answer? What’s your solution?” Well, I can’t speak for all his critics, but the Cato Institute has a long record of supporting health care reform based on free-markets and competition.  If the President wanted to know more he might have read my recent op-ed in the Los Angeles Times or Michael Cannon’s piece in Investors Business Daily.  H... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2774607 Tue, 08 Sep 2009 15:15:10 +0100 2774607 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2774588&cid=t_255406_87_f&fid=34935&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmedicine.com.my%2Fwp%2F%3Fp%3D7845 The US is in the midst of healthcare reforms. The current system with a hodge podge of private healthcare insurance companies and MCOs is badly in need of fixing. The private health system in Malaysia is in a similar state. One may argue that there are always the Government run public hospitals and clinics, but they are already overcrowded and the system is very strained and to be honest, not very efficiently run. It is not uncommon to see clinic follow-up appointments run into months later, difficulty getting basic CT scan appointments or very late histopathology reports which take weeks to obtain. The health insurance system in this country is run by for-profit health insurance companies and there-in lies the problem. Sadly many people cannot get healthcare insurance because these for-pr... Malaysian Medical Resources blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2774588 Sun, 06 Sep 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2774588 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2772671&cid=t_255406_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2FmPIF0UWIvSQ%2F The online version of The Jerusalem Post has run a great essay on autism and special needs in the Jewish community. Essentially positive, the piece doesn’t gloss over the friction religious institutions seem to occasionally spark with special needs families (”One family told us about being asked by their rabbi not to return to the synagogue anymore … Their child liked to be too close to the Torah!”). Photo courtesy of zeevveez (flickr.com) *    *    * “I wonder if our pediatrician would give us  a prescription for a mild sedative for Alex to go to the dentist?” Jill wonders. Good idea. Now we just need to find a dentist with our now-spotty dental insurance situation… *    *    * A Willmar, Minn., special education teacher has compil... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2772671 Sun, 06 Sep 2009 20:23:56 +0100 2772671 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2768643&cid=t_255406_99_f&fid=34593&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2FAyaJ%2F%7E3%2FE6_2sPvbdPg%2Fthe_ass_is_grassley.php We've said both nice things and not so nice things about Finance Committee ranking Republican on health care, Chuck Grassley (R-IA), most recently not-so-nice things. Things like calling him morally corrupt, a liar and a gold-plated hypocrite. Things like that. We know he hears us because his office complained to a colleague about it. Now, through several sources, we've gotten an email with this subject line sent around by someone in his office and containing a news article explaining why he's not as corrupt as he looks: Questions: why do journalists and arm chair pontificators always look at the money? Don't they understand Iowa politics, or politics within the Republican party? Read the rest of this post... | Read the comments on this post... (Source: Effect Measure) Effect Measure blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2768643 Sat, 05 Sep 2009 12:16:49 +0100 2768643 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2768625&cid=t_255406_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FQNKXrH0TK1M%2F Here’s a look at some of the pre-holiday talk involving the health overhaul: The White House is pushing Democrats to remember, rather than to forget, the last time they tried to climb the health-reform mountain 15 years ago under President Clinton, says Politico. The message: “The lesson of 1994 is not that tackling health reform is politically perilous. It’s that failing to act could be devastating,” says Dan Pfeiffer, the White House deputy communications director, according to Politico. Politico also says the latest Democratic strategy for getting an overhaul through Congress will depend on at least two “wild cards” falling into place. One is getting Republican Sen. Olympia Snowe of Maine to join the 59 Senate Democrats in a filibuster-proof majority for the bill. The other is t... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2768625 Fri, 04 Sep 2009 18:35:59 +0100 2768625 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2765997&cid=t_255406_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FB493KuxXxbI%2F The housing boom and bust that occurred earlier in this decade resulted from efforts by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac — the government sponsored enterprises with implicit backing from taxpayers — to extend mortgage credit to high-risk borrowers. This lending did not impose appropriate conditions on borrower income and assets, and it included loans with minimal down payments. We know how that turned out. Did U.S. policymakers learn their lessons from this debacle and stop subsidizing mortgage lending to risky borrowers? NO. Instead, the Federal Housing Authority lept into the breach: The FHA insures private lenders against defaults on certain home mortgages, an inducement to make such loans. Insurance from the New Deal-era agency has enabled lending to buyers who can’t make a big d... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2765997 Fri, 04 Sep 2009 14:23:40 +0100 2765997 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2765988&cid=t_255406_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2009%2F09%2F04%2Fhealth-exchanges-different-political-railroad-tracks-to-the-same-station%2F One by one, various cars are falling off the chugging legislative locomotive of Obama-style health “reform” as it tries to climb hills that are too steep.  The public plan option has checked in for rehab as a co-op and even some end-of-life counseling.  Bending-the-cost-curve measures were turned upside down by the Congressional Budget Office in July.   Plans to raise taxes didn’t square with a deep recession that reduced the supply of deep pockets to pick and increased the supply of voters more worried about restoring economic growth and reducing debt.  Mandatory universal coverage dreams have been downscaled in size, scope, and speed.  But remaining relatively unscathed and drawing little critical attention is the seemingly benign design offered by President Obama and congre... Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2765988 Fri, 04 Sep 2009 11:55:23 +0100 2765988 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2761838&cid=t_255406_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FIctLuyy8N8A%2F A couple stories in the news this morning about pay for health-care executives: The top 20 execs at a big public hospital in Miami will volunteer for a 4%-5% pay cut and drop their car and executive allowances, the Miami Herald reports. The cuts at Jackson Health System come as the local county commission, which oversees the hospital and its affiliated clinics, is questioning executive pay at the hospital. Jackson, which serves as Miami’s key safety-net hospital, projects a loss of $133 million this year unless there’s some cost cutting, the Herald says. Executive pay at nonprofit health insurers and hospitals in Massachusetts is getting a close look from the state’s attorney general, the Boston Globe reports. Last year, the AG questioned the $16.4 million lump-sum retire... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2761838 Thu, 03 Sep 2009 13:12:42 +0100 2761838 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2761919&cid=t_255406_109_f&fid=34730&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychiatrist-blog.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F09%2Fdiagnostic-stability.html I have a question: How do people put down diagnosis on insurance forms over time?Okay, it's easy to start-- a patient walks in with Major Depression, recurrent, moderate in severity. 296.32The patient takes medications and gets better. No more symptoms. They come once a month. Let's say they come for a 50 minute session once a month because....But they aren't coming in and spending 50 minutes talking about their symptoms. They aren't having any. Maybe they spend 5 minutes talking about medication-related issues...needing refills, lab work, side effects. And then, they spend 45 minutes talking about the events and activities in their life and their relationships with others. Maybe one of those relationships is having some difficulty and this is what they spend the bulk of the session talkin... Shrink Rap blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2761919 Thu, 03 Sep 2009 00:54:00 +0100 2761919 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2765985&cid=t_255406_87_f&fid=34935&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmedicine.com.my%2Fwp%2F%3Fp%3D7832 The US in the midst of formulating major healthcare reforms. What about Malaysia? How long can our dichotomous system of Government funded and Private hospital system stand up to the demands of expensive modern medical treatment? How about those who are poor and not insured? Are they being left behind? A Facebook friend has this in his status: No one should die because they cannot afford health care, and no one should go broke because they get sick I agree. This is ideal but how are we to achieve this? I also spotted this “Official Song of Heathcare Reform” in the US. Thought it is appropriate in these trying times for us here in Malaysia - Don’t Leave Us Behind. from the Malaysian Medical Resources Health care reforms : don’t leave anyone behind (Source: Malaysian... Malaysian Medical Resources blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2765985 Wed, 02 Sep 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2765985 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2757749&cid=t_255406_87_f&fid=38368&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FDisruptiveWomenInHealthCare%2F%7E3%2F80YWoP3WjxU%2F As an insurance broker in the metro Washington DC area, I have been in the trenches of selling, and advocating for our customers for their small group health insurance, disability programs and life insurance plans for over 17 years. Needless to say, it has been maddening in the last five years to watch rates rise and our customers get increasingly frustrated with the system. I spend my days arguing with insurance companies about what they will cover and what they won’t — and I’m consistently amazed that these large firms often don’t have a handle on the benefits they provide in their policies. To say the right hand doesn’t know what the left is doing is a dramatic understatement. I am one of the first to admit that something needs to be done. Last fall I hosted the DC Health Summ... Disruptive Women in Health Care blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2757749 Wed, 02 Sep 2009 17:21:24 +0100 2757749 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2757712&cid=t_255406_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2009%2F09%2F02%2Funstable-ground-the-need-for-better-data-to-make-better-health-care-policy%2F Imagine the following. You are the senior White House health policy adviser, and you’ve been told to brief the president and his cabinet officials about the number of Americans who lack health insurance. The president turns to you, and you say: “Mr. President. The government has four different national surveys that count the uninsured. Unfortunately, each survey has different estimates that range from 18.9 million to 45 million. Each one measures things distinctly, and we’re not sure which, if any, of them is correct.” That was the situation facing Doug Badger, then the White House health policy adviser, in the middle of 2004. Following passage of the Medicare Modernization Act, the Bush administration was contemplating new polices for dealing with the uninsured. He... Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2757712 Wed, 02 Sep 2009 17:09:16 +0100 2757712 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2758071&cid=t_255406_136_f&fid=37852&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdonnatrussell.com%2F2009%2F09%2F02%2Feven-this-smart-group-cant-figure-out-health-care%2F My new Politics Daily Post: Even This Smart Group Can’t Figure Out Health Care: We’ve been meeting as a group for 18 months now – writers, lawyers, editors, a doctor, a gallery owner, a business executive and a Navy man turned truck driver. We’re mostly Midwesterners, and politically we mostly lean liberal. Once a month, we have dinner and discuss the “big questions” of life. You could call it a secular version of Sunday school, only less frequent and with a lot more wine. The host rotates, and picks the question for the salon, as we semi-jokingly call it. In the past, we’ve easily discussed war, the ethics of cloning, and what we would become if we were 18 again but knew what we know today. Yet it was last Sunday, when the topic was health care refor... Donna Trussell blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2758071 Wed, 02 Sep 2009 14:58:02 +0100 2758071 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2751931&cid=t_255406_97_f&fid=35606&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theangriestpharmacist.com%2F2009%2F09%2F01%2Fwhat-a-putz%2F Yup…sure would hate to see that… To be completely honest, while I have my issues with them, Medicare and Medicaid are well-run programs. They allow their money to be spent all helter-skelter, they are the most efficient programs in the entire government. The overhead of CMS is abysmal compared to your other big players like BCBS, Paid, Anthem, and Caremark. I’m not sure why the post office is always busy. I’m not sure why the DMV is slow as hell — these are subcontracted out anyway, so blaming the government is stupid. It’s like blaming Dr.Reddy’s for having to wait too long for your Glimepiride in my pharmacy. You can see the video or the original comments in its entirety here. In all honesty, it was probably just a slip of the tongue. But, callin... The Angriest Pharmacist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2751931 Tue, 01 Sep 2009 05:23:16 +0100 2751931 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2744058&cid=t_255406_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FRbJxW9Z-O08%2F Deep into Congress’s August recess, here is some of the latest on health care reform: Claims that health reform will be disastrous for businesses and government are wrong, writes Gary Locke, the U.S. secretary of commerce in an op-ed in the WSJ. Making his case for reform, Locke says that climbing health care costs already cost American businesses jobs and revenue, as well as entrepreneurship, and that isn’t sustainable. “In the short term, health-care costs pose a major problem for companies and their employees,” writes Locke. “In the medium and long-term, these costs pose serious challenges to our economy.” Health insurers wonder how they’ve become the villains in the reform debate, according to the New York Times. Some reasons that employees at ... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2744058 Fri, 28 Aug 2009 14:26:50 +0100 2744058 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2741361&cid=t_255406_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FpP49lq2ZmVk%2F The big health insurer UnitedHealth is going to start giving discounts to patients who promptly refill prescriptions for certain drugs with high co-pays, Dow Jones Newswires reports. The idea is to encourage patients to stick to their drug regimens. Poor adherence is a common problem, and there’s pretty clear evidence that patients are more likely to stay on their meds when co-pays are lower. UnitedHealth negotiated at least part of the $20 rebates with drug makers — who have their own incentive to keep patients coming back, given tight economic conditions and tough competition from cheaper generics. Drugs that will be eligible for the discount include antidepressants such as Eli Lilly’s Cymbalta and Wyeth’s Effexor XR, and asthma drugs such as GlaxoSmithKline&#8217... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2741361 Fri, 28 Aug 2009 13:05:27 +0100 2741361 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2737798&cid=t_255406_111_f&fid=36048&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAHeartyLife%2F%7E3%2FeAN4_t4eAeo%2F Diabetes is a scary enough disease, without worrying about whether your insurance coverage will continue or not. I’ve heard a lot of rumors about whether insurance will go up for diabetics, or whether some of us will even find it difficult to get coverage. The American Diabetes Association (ADA) has created a list of common myths that diabetics have mentioned about health care reform and how it will affect them. They also include the truths so diabetics will have the right information to make the decisions for their health. I’m always so glad the ADA gets involved to spell things out for diabetics, and this is just one more reason we all benefit from them. Image: sxc.hu. Post from: Blisstree Myths of Health Care Reform for Diabetics (Source: A Hearty... A Hearty Life blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2737798 Thu, 27 Aug 2009 12:53:55 +0100 2737798 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2737688&cid=t_255406_87_f&fid=38368&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FDisruptiveWomenInHealthCare%2F%7E3%2FJcs61y3LLh8%2F In the midst of furious showdowns on health care reform at town hall meetings, a moment of peace surfaced in Montana when President Obama drew bipartisan applause after calling a mother heroic.  This mother of two had voiced her concern about the Medicaid program she relied on for her child who has multiple chronic conditions.  The president reassured her and went on to discuss how our disease-care system does not proactively manage chronic conditions. Children and young adults with chronic medical conditions and disabilities (CMCD) need proactive management now and for their entire lives.  Our health care system fails to serve the young people who need it the most. Children with CMCD are completely dependent on adults for their health care.  Poor health management negatively affects t... Disruptive Women in Health Care blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2737688 Thu, 27 Aug 2009 11:58:44 +0100 2737688 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2737714&cid=t_255406_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2009%2F08%2F27%2Fsenator-edward-kennedy-a-tireless-legislator-and-courageous-man%2F Editor’s Note: During his 47 years in the Senate, the late Senator Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts was a lion of U.S. health care and health policy. We at Health Affairs, along with much of the rest of America, grieve at his passing.  We recently asked Democratic and Republican politicians, policy experts, and former Senate staff to write for us about the senator’s many contributions.  We now publish several of these on the Health Affairs Blog, including the piece by David Blumenthal below, and will also issue Web Exclusive versions for the archives in the weeks to come.  – Susan Dentzer, Editor-in-Chief When I learned of Senator Edward M. Kennedy’s death,  I shared with millions around the world a deep sense of personal and professional loss. Inevitably, the personal dom... Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2737714 Thu, 27 Aug 2009 11:47:53 +0100 2737714 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2737715&cid=t_255406_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2009%2F08%2F27%2Fsenator-edward-kennedy-architect-of-reform-builder-of-compromise%2F Discussions with the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), the trade association for the drug companies, weren’t going anywhere, so the senator set up meetings with each of the CEOs of the major drug companies to discuss the issue and to find one who was interested in working something out. Most of the executives were flattered to be asked to meet one-on-one with Kennedy and seemed personally to relish the interaction. Yet only one took up the offer to try to negotiate: Gordon Binder, the CEO of Amgen. Ironically, Binder was a rather hard-shelled Republican who came to the meeting deeply skeptical of Senator Kennedy but came away interested in seeing if something could be worked out. He was encouraged by the head of Amgen’s office, Peter Teeley, an astute judge ... Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2737715 Thu, 27 Aug 2009 11:38:57 +0100 2737715 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2737711&cid=t_255406_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FzuUP6MdgUF4%2F Most people don’t have much say over which health insurance plan they get, and the big health care bills introduced in Congress this year wouldn’t do much to change that, columnist David Leonhardt argues in this morning’s New York Times. The controversial public option — a new, government backed health plan — would be an option only for a minority of Americans. Most people who get coverage at work would still be covered at work under the health reform bills, according to the Congressional Budget Office. And while it’s true that employers have some choice when they pick their company plan, that choice can be limited in many states dominated by one or two insurers, the Associated Press recently pointed out. For example, a 2007 report from the American Medi... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2737711 Wed, 26 Aug 2009 14:54:39 +0100 2737711 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2734002&cid=t_255406_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2009%2F08%2Fhealth-insurance-reader-survey-health-plan-ratings-best-health-plans-satisfaction-with-health-insura.html That’s exactly what some officials are claiming. Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, said on ABC’s "This Week" program on Aug. 16 that "Eight out of ten Americans are basically pleased with the—with their health care insurance." That’s not what more than 37,000 readers told us. According to our recent survey, only 64 percent of readers said they were very or completely satisfied with their plan, a lukewarm response that's a slight drop from the 67 percent in our 2007 report. In terms of services we rate, that puts satisfaction with health insurance above satisfaction with cable TV, a perennial whipping post, but below pharmacies and real-estate agents. What’s more, our readers say annual premium costs have climbed markedly, by about $500, over the last couple of... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2734002 Tue, 25 Aug 2009 20:07:22 +0100 2734002 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2734265&cid=t_255406_150_f&fid=38374&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FePharmaSummit%2F%7E3%2FHzcYL-Z4VuE%2Fmany-turning-to-online-health-insurance.html (Source: ePharma Summit) ePharma Summit blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2734265 Tue, 25 Aug 2009 15:36:00 +0100 2734265 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2727081&cid=t_255406_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F3YcjeyJ8c0k%2F One of the most disturbing things about the current health care debate is that some Republicans are positioning themselves as defenders of Big Government Medicare and against efforts to trim the program’s costs. Yet the taxpayer costs of Medicare are expected to more than double over the next decade (from $425 billion in 2009 to $871 billion in 2019), and the program will consume an increasing share of the nation’s economy for decades to come unless there are serious cuts and reforms. Even the Obama administration talks about “bending the cost curve” to slow the program’s growth. Yet Republican National Committee chairman, Michael Steele, takes to the Washington Post today to defend Medicare against any cuts, while at the same time criticizing the Democr... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2727081 Mon, 24 Aug 2009 14:01:53 +0100 2727081 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2727294&cid=t_255406_125_f&fid=34820&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dentalblogs.com%2Farchives%2Fadministrator%2Fpress-release-new-patient-financing-company%2F Orange County, CA - National medical lender launches newest financing program for medical providers. US Based American Benefit Credit, Inc., announces it’s newest medical financing program after a successful pilot earlier this year. Aug 22, 2009 — Orange County, CA - American Benefit Credit, Inc., a US based finance company, today announced that it has launched it’s Select Rewards Visa® program for medical providers. Their out of the box approach with this financing solution has made them an overnight success in the medical community. “This product was needed in today’s financial crunch for medical providers and patients alike,” said Philip McClendon, American Benefit’s Vice President of Operations, “Hearing the need from our current medical re... dental blog for dentists about dentistry blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2727294 Mon, 24 Aug 2009 13:30:33 +0100 2727294 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2727082&cid=t_255406_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FSVwSGcZOauc%2F The Boston Globe reports that Massachusetts now has the highest insurance premiums in the nation.   The average family premium for plans offered by employers in Massachusetts was $13,788 in 2008, 40 percent higher than in 2003. Over the same period, premiums nationwide rose an average of 33 percent.  And, according to the Commonwealth Fund, an annual family premium in Massachusetts is expected to hit $26,730 by 2020.   Meanwhile CNN hails Romneycare as the model for the nation… (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2727082 Mon, 24 Aug 2009 12:27:46 +0100 2727082 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2727390&cid=t_255406_137_f&fid=35426&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FTheAlzheimersReadingRoom%2F%7E3%2Fk4HKoTar5Fc%2Fhealthcare-spending-relative-ranking-by.html I am wondering if many people understand that we spend twice as much on healthcare as most industrialized countries. At the same time, our world ranking in healthcare delivery is poor.It might be interesting to note that the profits of healthcare insurance companies rose by more than 400 percent in the period 2000-2007.During the same period, the number of people without healthcare insurance, and the cost of healthcare insurance was rising fast.It also surprises me when I see people arguing on television that they prefer the status quo.All information is taking from 2005 OECD data unless otherwise noted.*2000, 2003-2005 World Health Organization Data. **2004 OECD data.Source: Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, World Health OrganizationAnalysis by PricewaterhouseCoopers�... Alzheimer's Reading Room, The blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2727390 Sun, 23 Aug 2009 23:46:16 +0100 2727390 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2727180&cid=t_255406_109_f&fid=34730&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychiatrist-blog.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F08%2Fcovered-or-not.html Here's an article about a private health insurer and how they dealt with an out-of-network referral. I'm still trying to figure out how you know what you're getting with health insurance. Some of it sounds like the coverage is great, but when a patient needs a service or goes to get a medicine, it's not covered. The one good thing about HMO's is that there is no pretense: you know you're not getting out-of-network care, you know the formularies are limited. This is from the wife of a cancer patient and the struggles they had getting the care:http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/opinion/2009685301_harrop19.html----- Listen to our latest podcast at mythreeshrinks.com or subscribe to our rss feed. (Source: Shrink Rap) Shrink Rap blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2727180 Sun, 23 Aug 2009 23:30:00 +0100 2727180 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2724793&cid=t_255406_86_f&fid=36669&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffadelibrary.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F08%2F21%2Frecent-statutory-instument-relating-to-human-resources-and-payroll%2F SI 2009 No. 2206. Social Security. The Social Security (State Pension and National Insurance Credits) Regulations 2009 Posted in Legislation, Statutory Instruments Tagged: Legislation, National Insurance, Pensions, Social Security (Source: Fade Library) Fade Library blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2724793 Fri, 21 Aug 2009 15:44:56 +0100 2724793 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2724976&cid=t_255406_113_f&fid=36694&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.crossoverhealth.com%2F2009%2F08%2F20%2Futah-leads-out-with-new-virtual-health-insurance-exchange%2F Exchange (ĭks-chānj’) n. To give in return for something received; trade To give and receive reciprocally; interchange A place where things are exchanged, especially a center where securities or commodities are bought and sold There have been several interesting health finance innovations that have been announced recently which have relevance to health reform in general and the some of my work at the Healthcare X PRIZE specifically. I wanted to first start with an announcement from the State of Utah that their version of a Health Insurance Exchange is now “open for business”. The Utah Health Exchange is based on a multi-year, multi-stage health reform effort in the very progressive but conservative state (is that possible?). The plan has three main components: Defined Cont... Crossover Healthcare blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2724976 Thu, 20 Aug 2009 23:54:12 +0100 2724976 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2719967&cid=t_255406_150_f&fid=38374&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FePharmaSummit%2F%7E3%2Fv8A-q1aTGfU%2Futah-offers-online-health-insurance.html (Source: ePharma Summit) ePharma Summit blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2719967 Thu, 20 Aug 2009 21:00:00 +0100 2719967 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2859073&cid=t_255406_136_f&fid=39025&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Feverythingchangesbook%2F%7E3%2FN-dW5MNC2GA%2Fbbc-radio-cancer-insurance I’m taking a vacation from cancer.  And the rest of my life.  (That is why I have some great guest bloggers on this week!)  I’m eating low country boil and sweet potato pie on a slow relaxing Georgia trip with my man.  No computer access at all.  But when I learned that my interview about young adult cancer and health care in the United States aired on the friggin BBC radio, I just had to duck into a library, get online and listen to it! I hear from so many people all the time who are young with illness and totally screwed by the system.  People think young adults are naive and don’t want health insurance.  Bull.  We just aren’t give much access, we fall through the loops, and it is completely unaffordable. Listen to MY BBC RADIO INTERVIEW on health insuranc... Everything Changes blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2859073 Wed, 19 Aug 2009 19:38:55 +0100 2859073 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2715908&cid=t_255406_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2009%2F08%2Fhealth-care-for-illegal-immigrants-the-myth-that-will-not-die-health-reform-myths-about-immigrants-.html You can depend on it. Whenever we write an article or a blog about the woes of the U.S. health care system, at least one person writes back to complain about how illegal immigrants get free health care. Some recent examples: One of the biggest costs in Healthcare is not even mentioned in Obama's plan.....Illegal Aliens get free healthcare!! It just boggles my mind that we take care of ILLEGALS and their families and the unemployed but offer no assistance to a hard-working, tax-paying AMERICAN CITIZEN.And an anti-reform chain email that’s circulating in various versions on the Internet ups the ante by claiming that the House health care bill* says that "HC will be provided to all non-US citizens, illegal or otherwise, will be provided with health care services." To ... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2715908 Wed, 19 Aug 2009 19:30:12 +0100 2715908 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2715930&cid=t_255406_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2Fo-ykUzWS8vw%2F Lots of companies are starting to track social-networking tools like Twitter and Facebook to keep an eye on negative comments, put out their own happier spin and interact with consumers. But in the health-care business, there are some special challenges because of privacy concerns — notably the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, aka HIPAA. Insurers, hospitals and other entities can’t say much publicly about what they’ve done for patients. Still, health insurers are beginning to dip their toes in the water. WellPoint, for one, is tweeting at http://twitter.com/AnthemHealth. Aetna VP of Service Operations Shelly Ferensic says the company is “out there monitoring blogs” and tries to connect with members if it feels it can help. There is a Twitter... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2715930 Wed, 19 Aug 2009 12:12:35 +0100 2715930 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2712088&cid=t_255406_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2009%2F08%2F18%2Faffordable-access-for-modest-income-workers-eligible-for-group-coverage%2F In conclusion, sliding-scale tax credits and associated policies would better target federal tax spending and better align incentives to avoid crowd-out of employer financing. It could also assure convenient, affordable, and more stable coverage for many modest-income workers who have suffered disproportionate costs and wage concessions to participate in employer coverage, or have remained uninsured due to unaffordable contribution requirements. We believe this would help fulfill the promise that reform will make coverage more easily accessible and affordable for working Americans. Copyright © 2009 Health Affairs Blog. This Feed is for personal non-commercial use only. All material published on Health Affairs blog, excluding links, is covered under a Creative Commons Attribution - Non... Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2712088 Tue, 18 Aug 2009 19:27:59 +0100 2712088 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2712303&cid=t_255406_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2FU69K1_5NDAc%2F It’s no newsflash that the private insurance industry in the United States has a lock on health care. You need something? Maybe you’ll get it, maybe you won’t. Some life-saving procedures — cardiac catheterizations, appendectomies — are paid for without a murmur; others — dental care, for one  — are denied. And don’t get me started on the loathsome concept of pre-existing conditions. Umbrella photo by Joe Shlabotnik (flickr.com) When it comes to therapies for children with autism and other special needs, though, it’s even worse. Many parents of children with autism consider ABA (applied behavioral therapy) life-saving. Their kids have learned to brush their own teeth or use the toilet or use more eye contact. I think they’d... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2712303 Tue, 18 Aug 2009 15:24:03 +0100 2712303 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2709098&cid=t_255406_87_f&fid=38368&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FDisruptiveWomenInHealthCare%2F%7E3%2FHwbwZv4liLk%2F Those who have spent their careers in the trenches of healthcare and are now reading the uncertain headlines in the news each day and fearing for the future of healthcare, fear not! There are fresh crops of enthusiastic students, eager to make a difference and keep the ball rolling in the quest to improve healthcare, sprouting up in graduate programs starting across the nation this summer. Having started the Johns Hopkins Masters of Public Health (JHSPH) program in July, it has been a thrilling month and will no doubt be a fast year with many choices to make for classes, volunteer opportunities, and research projects. The plethora of options was described by one former student as “going to the grocery store when you’re hungry.” Not to mention, each student shopping in the... Disruptive Women in Health Care blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2709098 Tue, 18 Aug 2009 11:44:23 +0100 2709098 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2709122&cid=t_255406_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FKTBJGCW74EU%2F Warren Buffett sold a big chunk of Berkshire Hathaway’s stake in Johnson &Johnson late last year — a sale he said was used to fund the purchase of preferred shares and warrants of Goldman Sachs and GE, Bloomberg News notes. But he’s been replenishing his supply of J&J this year. During the second quarter, Berkshire’s stake in J&J rose to 36.9 million shares, up from 32.5 million, Dow Jones Newswires reports. That was the second straight quarterly increase in the company’s J&J stake, CNBC says. Berkshire also bought 1.2 million shares of Becton Dickinson, a medical supplies company. And the company lowered its holdings of two health insurers, selling 1.1 million shares of UnitedHealth and 1.3 million shares of WellPoint, the parent company f... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2709122 Mon, 17 Aug 2009 13:41:11 +0100 2709122 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2709123&cid=t_255406_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FCiRYAIJiKgw%2F It’s time for your health-care-debate news narrative of the day: Obama Administration Won’t Require New Government-Backed Health Plan. Stories on that theme land on the front pages of the WSJ, New York Times and Washington Post. It’s been clear for a while now that the Senate Finance Committee — a key player in the health-reform picture — might not include a new government plan (known as the “public option”) in its health-reform bill. And it’s been clear that, despite the Obama Administration’s support of the public option, the issue wasn’t a dealbreaker for the president (see, for example, the the WSJ story from June headlined “Obama Open to Health Overhaul Without Public Plan“). Instead of a new government plan, we m... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2709123 Mon, 17 Aug 2009 12:41:37 +0100 2709123 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2709117&cid=t_255406_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FyIliDWHWvas%2F “Death panels” are a dominant motif in the debate over health care regulation, a fact that spins off political flares like a roman candle. Extremists on both sides have taken their extreme positions: Some literally fear President Obama and his health regulation plans; others are outraged that anyone could possibly feel that way. Charges of special-interest organizing meet counter-charges of unfairness and false accusation. Good video from town hall meetings and volleys of “Nazi” and “socialist” give cable news networks another short reprieve from their long slow decline. It’s all manna for the writers at Comedy Central. But let’s talk substance: Health care is a scarce good, so it will always be rationed. The core question is whether governm... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2709117 Mon, 17 Aug 2009 12:22:54 +0100 2709117 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2705119&cid=t_255406_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2009%2F08%2F16%2Fhealth-affairs-briefing-on-key-issues-in-health-reform-fact-versus-fiction%2F Reforming the way health care is paid for and delivered in the United States is serious business. It deserves an equally serious discussion rising above partisanship and hot air.  Join Health Affairs, the nation’s leading health policy journal, for a special conference on Key Issues in Health Reform: Fact vs. Fiction. WHEN: Thursday August 20, 2009 – 8:30 am to 12:00 pm WHERE: National Press Club, Washington DC TOPICS TO BE DISCUSSED: What exactly is the U.S. government’s role in health care and how might it change under health reform? What are the implications of slowing the rate of growth in Medicare spending and what would the impact be on beneficiaries? End of Life Health Care: How the issues really look to the people and providers who live it. SPEAKERS TO INCLUDE:  Welcomin... Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2705119 Mon, 17 Aug 2009 02:47:58 +0100 2705119 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2702463&cid=t_255406_133_f&fid=37107&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.aspieweb.net%2Fdisability-healthcare-reform-autism-aspergers-townhall%2F Its time to discuss how the health care reform would affect those with Autism and their families.  So seeing as all the politicians are having townhall meetings on health care reform – why can’t AspieWeb? This post is going to be much like a forum thread, for people to talk about how the healthcare reform will [...] (Source: AspieWeb.net) AspieWeb.net blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2702463 Sat, 15 Aug 2009 08:51:11 +0100 2702463 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2702484&cid=t_255406_136_f&fid=37846&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthinfoispower.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F08%2F14%2Ffda-issues-final-rules-to-help-patients-gain-access-to-investigational-drugs%2F The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published two rules [on August 12, 2009] …that seek to clarify the methods available to seriously ill patients interested in gaining access to investigational drugs and biologics when they are not eligible to participate in a clinical trial and don’t have other satisfactory treatment options. The U.S. Food and [...] (Source: Libby's H*O*P*E*) Libby's H*O*P*E* blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2702484 Sat, 15 Aug 2009 04:34:59 +0100 2702484 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2702464&cid=t_255406_133_f&fid=37107&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.aspieweb.net%2Fdisability-obama-healthcare-insurance-reform%2F While I was in jail we got to watch an hour of news a day, half an hour of which was always Glenn Beck.  While I agree with a lot of what Beck has to say generally, I still think hes a crazy hoot.  But what I have been seeing the last week has pissed [...] (Source: AspieWeb.net) AspieWeb.net blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2702464 Fri, 14 Aug 2009 18:19:47 +0100 2702464 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2702492&cid=t_255406_137_f&fid=35426&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FTheAlzheimersReadingRoom%2F%7E3%2FH1NeNgEYFUA%2Fwaste-in-healthcare-spending-should-be.html Almost everyone agrees there is waste in healthcare spending.The real solution to the healthcare problem is similar to the problem that was faced by corporate American in the 1980s. The need to better utilize technology, and the need to increase productivity.Imagine in 2009, when you visit a new doctor/specialist you still need to fill out forms by hand. On these forms you are required to list all medical procedures-- like operations dating back to the day you were born.I have filled out these forms for my mother, and had to list an operation she had in 1950 over 50 times. The forms ask for all medical procedures, medications being taken, and past or current illnesses. If you mess up, under the law the health insurance provider can deny service, or worse, cancel your insurance.Meanwhile, a... Alzheimer's Reading Room, The blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2702492 Fri, 14 Aug 2009 14:52:46 +0100 2702492 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2695322&cid=t_255406_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2009%2F08%2Fhealth-reform-adwatch-health-reform-ad-wars-industry-sponsored-ads-from-americas-health-insurance-pl.html With our elected officials back home in their districts for the August recess, TV and internet ads about the proposed health-reform legislation are reaching fever pitch—especially in key states where congresspeople remain undecided or may switch sides. Since part of Consumer Reports’ mission is to comment on truth (or lack thereof) in advertising, we can’t resist diving into the melee and offering our AdWatch analysis of some of the more prominent health reform spots. Our goal over the next few weeks will be to help you weed through the madness, and direct you to comprehensive, well-researched information you can rely on to make up your mind about the various reform options. When possible, we’ll try to critique the ads in pairs in order to compare what opposing sides are saying. ... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2695322 Wed, 12 Aug 2009 18:49:11 +0100 2695322 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2695590&cid=t_255406_137_f&fid=35426&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FTheAlzheimersReadingRoom%2F%7E3%2Fk4HKoTar5Fc%2Fhealthcare-spending-relative-ranking-by.html I am wondering if many people understand that we spend twice as much on healthcare as most industrialized countries. At the same time, our world ranking in healthcare delivery is poor. It might be interesting to note that the profits of healthcare insurance companies rose by more than 400 percent in the period 2000-2007. During the same period, the number of people without healthcare insurance, and the cost of healthcare insurance was rising... This is a content summary. The Performance/Comparison chart is available on the website. Hit the headline to go directly to the article. I am interested in your comments, opinion, and viewpoint. (Source: Alzheimer's Reading Room, The) Alzheimer's Reading Room, The blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2695590 Wed, 12 Aug 2009 18:30:28 +0100 2695590 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2695352&cid=t_255406_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2009%2F08%2F12%2Fwhat-people-don%25e2%2580%2599t-know-about-health-insurance-exchanges%2F Editor’s Note: For more on health insurance exchanges and health reform, see Building A Health MarketPlace That Works by Alain Enthoven. Much of the heat so far in the debate over how health care reform will expand coverage to uninsured Americans has been about whether or not there should be a public plan option.  That has overshadowed one of the most important issues – how to design effective health insurance exchanges to meet the needs of small employers and individuals.  Both houses of Congress have now proposed frameworks for expanding coverage that rely on exchanges.   A health insurance exchange is simply a structured marketplace where people can choose among health plan options.  The exchange offers information to help people make informed choices, and it provides admin... Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2695352 Wed, 12 Aug 2009 17:23:20 +0100 2695352 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2691456&cid=t_255406_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F3StSSqb6MVE%2F David Axelrod, senior adviser to President Obama, emailed me yesterday (along with perhaps several million others) to tell me about a new effort on Whitehouse.gov to dispel “rumors and scare tactics” from people opposing even more government regulation of the health sector. I think the opponents of expanded regulation have the better arguments on the merits. I was struck, though, by the effort that has gone into creating an entirely new section of Whitehouse.gov for a “Health Insurance Reform Reality Check,” complete with fancy graphics and videos. (I have modified one of those graphics to illustrate this post. Fun!) Meanwhile, the White House still hasn’t brought itself to do something that President Obama promised on the campaign trail: post bills online for... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2691456 Tue, 11 Aug 2009 14:37:31 +0100 2691456 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2688870&cid=t_255406_136_f&fid=35303&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.assertivepatient.com%2F2009%2F08%2Fwship-prove-my-eligibility-twice-in-one-year.html This is insane--I just received another letter from WSHIP, the Washington State Health Insurance Pool, which insures people like me who the very-profitable nonprofits like Regence refuse to insure, asking that I prove my eligibility for coverage yet again. This is the second time in seven months. Isn't that just a bit insane? Hard to believe that WSHIP's goal is not to catch people who don't return the signed form on time by canceling their insurance, which is what happened last January. For a few days I sweated blood until I was able to get my insurance reinstated. I had sent the form in that time, but the first time WSHIP returned it to me, and the second time I sent it in, WSHIP lost it. So this time I'm mailing in the form registered mail so that WSHIP emplo... The Assertive Cancer Patient blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2688870 Mon, 10 Aug 2009 17:27:03 +0100 2688870 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2681872&cid=t_255406_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fi5vhGedyeBo%2F Before leaving for the August recess, the House of Representatives passed a bill (HR3139) to extend the authority for the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) until March 2010.  The program was set to expire on Oct. 1, 2009.   The bill now goes to the Senate.  Instead of taking up HR3139, the Senate should insist on real reforms to the NFIP, rather then a blanket extension. Since Hurricane Katrina, the NFIP has operated under a deficit of close to $17 billion, which had to be borrowed from the Treasury in order to pay claims.  Under the NFIP’s current structure, it cannot even make the interest payments on its borrowing; these losses will ultimately hit the taxpayer.  The Senate last Congress passed a strong reform bill that would have eliminated almost half of the subsidi... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2681872 Fri, 07 Aug 2009 15:26:39 +0100 2681872 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2678611&cid=t_255406_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2Fthh_-lMwHys%2F Abuse of propofol, the sedative that may have played a role in Michael Jackson’s death, is rising among medical professionals, the WSJ reports today. That’s led to pressure for the government to restrict the drug, sold under the brand-name Diprivan, as a controlled substance. Meanwhile, another fight over propofol has been going on for years: Whether insurers should pay for the drug to be used to sedate patients undergoing colonoscopies. Use of the drug can add several hundred dollars to the cost of the procedure, particularly if an anesthesiologist is present to administer it. Last year, Aetna announced a plan to cut back on its coverage of propofol for colonoscopies — then retreated from the plan a few weeks later. This issue goes at least as far back as 2005, when the ... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2678611 Thu, 06 Aug 2009 12:48:00 +0100 2678611 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2674328&cid=t_255406_111_f&fid=36048&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAHeartyLife%2F%7E3%2Fj9Mm20Zzo9g%2F The next time you go to the doctor, will you have to pay a co-pay at the desk? Or the entire bill? More and more, doctors are requiring full payment for their services at the time the patient is in the office. I understand that with the economy in the shape it is, more doctors are probably not getting payment for their services. However, I also think it’s lousy to demand payment right away at the office. Which is more important - that a patient was treated or that someone gets their money? I remember that I used to be able to go to the dentist and have them send me a bill later as well. That no longer applies today. I wonder if this trend with doctors and payments will continue? Image: sxc.hu. Share and Enjoy: Post from: Blisstree Full Payment at the Doct... A Hearty Life blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2674328 Thu, 06 Aug 2009 11:04:08 +0100 2674328 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2674322&cid=t_255406_109_f&fid=34730&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychiatrist-blog.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F08%2Ftreating-cosmetic.html I wrote a post about the hurdles one of my family members had getting insurance authorization for a medication for an infected nail. He surrendered and bought the medication at Walmart for $4 as the insurance company would not pay for the medication: the doctor had not indicated that the infection was causing pain or discomfort and so treatment was not approved-- of note, this doctor had never been denied this preauthorized medication for a patient before and was not aware he needed to specifically say the infection was causing pain or discomfort . Blog reader and physician Midwife With a Knife commented that onychomycosis (fungal nail infections) are really a cosmetic issue: should insurance even pay for such things?It's an interesting question as to what constitutes distress and discomf... Shrink Rap blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2674322 Wed, 05 Aug 2009 20:20:00 +0100 2674322 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2674223&cid=t_255406_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2009%2F08%2Famenable-mortality-us-health-care-system-versus-other-countries-.html As we noted previously, comparing different countries’ health care systems is tough because of the many variables involved, such as the fact that the U.S. has both the highest rate of overweight and obesity and the lowest smoking rate of the eight industrialized countries we’ve been looking at. And let’s not even get into matters like diet: how to compare Japanese who live on rice, fish, and vegetables to the wine-and-cheese-loving French to the fast-food-eating Americans? Enter the concept of "amenable mortality." Invented years ago in the United States and used worldwide by researchers ever since, it’s basically a body count of people who die for want of "timely and effective health care." A higher rate is bad, because it means the country’s health care sy... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2674223 Wed, 05 Aug 2009 17:55:59 +0100 2674223 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2674445&cid=t_255406_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F5gIM6toM9qQ%2F I’m entirely caught up in the media coverage of health care reform these days — so much so that I’m watching ads on youtube and advocacy sites, since I don’t always catch them on TV. Photo courtesy of elliott.goodwin (flickr.com) Autism Speaks has an ad that calls for all states to end insurance-based discrimination for families coping with autism treatments who now pay exorbitant out-of-pocket costs. (Fourteen states have already enacted legislation that forces insurance companies to pay for medically necessary, evidence-based autism therapies.) I know firsthand what a difference state requirements can make: Jeff and I were living in Baltimore and pursuing fertility treatment. Maryland is one of a handful of states that mandates insurers pay for the cost of fertili... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2674445 Wed, 05 Aug 2009 13:16:35 +0100 2674445 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2671124&cid=t_255406_165_f&fid=36767&url=http%3A%2F%2Fabctherapeutics.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F08%2Freforming-funding-for-school-based.html Nearly three years ago I offered to work for NYS for free to help tackle the problems of Medicaid fraud for special education services (see http://abctherapeutics.blogspot.com/2006/06/new-york-states-medicaid-problem-in.html). The system needs reform badly - and although I never expected to be asked to serve I was actually quite sincere in my concern and desire to effect some improvement in the system.As I predicted back then, there would eventually come a day of reckoning to pay for the fraud and abuse - and it seems that we are at that day. In today's Albany Times Union, reporter James M. Odato informs us that the New York State Education Department is withholding Medicaid payments to school districts in accordance with a settlement agreement that has NY State paying out hundreds of mill... ABC Therapeutics Occupational Therapy Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2671124 Tue, 04 Aug 2009 12:52:00 +0100 2671124 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2667411&cid=t_255406_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2F5xvhsK8iK-k%2F This morning’s WSJ notes that drug makers and energy companies spent big on lobbying in the second quarter of this year. That’s logical, given the big push on energy and health-care legislation. We were interested to learn more, so we took a look at the list of 20 top spenders on lobbying for the first half of 2009, compiled by the Center for Responsive Politics, a nonpartisan group that tracks this sort of thing. The top spender wasn’t a health-care group, but it’s one that’s been involved in the debate over health reform: The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which has spent $26.2 million on lobbying so far this year. Third on the list was PhRMA, the drug industry trade group, which spent $13.1 million. Pfizer was sixth at $11.7 million and Blue Cross/Blue Shield wa... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2667411 Mon, 03 Aug 2009 13:09:13 +0100 2667411 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2663919&cid=t_255406_87_f&fid=38368&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FDisruptiveWomenInHealthCare%2F%7E3%2FRBpTJzGiRBI%2F I just finished a great book; Why She Buys. I was stunned to learn just how much of the US economy is controlled by women: 65% of apparel, 52% of all auto and truck, 45% of consumer electronics and 70% of travel purchases. If influence over purchases is considered, women influence 80% of auto and truck, 91% of home, and 61% of consumer electronics purchases.     Wondering about health care? It turns out that Dr. Mom makes more decisions than Dr. Welby; directing 80% of expenditures. It’s not just “Dr. Mom,” I’m guessing, but Dr. Wife, Dr. Sister, Dr. Friend and Dr. Daughter (or Daughter-in-Law) who help with the health care maze.   A great book. I recommend it, though it raised my ire and blood pressure more than once as I realized how even with that level of seeming economic p... Disruptive Women in Health Care blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2663919 Mon, 03 Aug 2009 11:29:19 +0100 2663919 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2660928&cid=t_255406_136_f&fid=35303&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.assertivepatient.com%2F2009%2F07%2Fnot-sure-who-the-bad-guy-is-.html I went by the pharmacy at Northwest Hospital today to pick up a prescription for oral etoposide, one of two new cancer drugs that I'm adding to my regimen starting two weeks from today. At least I think I'm adding them ... When we pulled up at the pharmacy window, a staff person came over to explain that the pharmacy had not ordered the drug because the Medicare reimbursement was not sufficient to cover the cost. She said the pharmacy was not willing to eat the difference between the price of the drug and what Medicare would pay. I was supposed to get 14 pills of 50 mg. etoposide, and the cost was about $600. Medicare would pay less than $500, I was told. So I asked if I could pay the difference with my credit card, and was told no. The only alternativ... The Assertive Cancer Patient blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2660928 Sat, 01 Aug 2009 00:46:22 +0100 2660928 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2660717&cid=t_255406_87_f&fid=35747&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthaffairs.org%2Fblog%2F2009%2F07%2F31%2Fbuilding-a-health-marketplace-that-works%2F In the debate about health reform, many issues are getting an inordinate amount of attention, but one is not getting the detailed consideration it deserves. How it is finally resolved is likely to be one of the key factors of the ultimate plan’s success or failure. That issue is the design of the health insurance exchange. An exchange is a managed marketplace in which individuals can choose among a variety of health plans. Why do we need an exchange? An exchange would help to remedy serious deficiencies in the current health care system: • Lack of consumer choice. Most employees are offered only one insurance option. Health insurers usually don’t allow small employers to offer competing plans, due to high administrative costs and concerns about adverse selection; as a result, the... Health Affairs Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2660717 Fri, 31 Jul 2009 18:39:28 +0100 2660717 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2657590&cid=t_255406_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2F3Uqg8V4-x00%2F For the moment, anyway, the health-overhaul narrative out of Washington is that the congressional logjam may be breaking up, with things starting to flow again. The big House bill has been stuck in the Energy and Commerce Committee. But a deal is afoot there, with liberal Dems agreeing to modify the bill to make it more acceptable to the Blue Dog Democrats. One change: exempting more small businesses from the requirement to offer insurance or pay a fee. Also under the deal, payments to doctors and hospitals under a new, government-backed insurance plan wouldn’t be pegged to Medicare rates, as they were in the original bill. Meanwhile, over in the Senate, Max Baucus said the bill the Finance Committee is working on would cover 95% of Americans at a cost of less than $900 billion over ... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2657590 Thu, 30 Jul 2009 13:30:02 +0100 2657590 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2653674&cid=t_255406_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FrJHm1NlHc5M%2F Apparently, Americans are still OK with the idea of taxing rich people to pay for part of the big health-care overhaul now being debated in Washington. But they really don’t like the idea of requiring everyone to buy insurance. In the latest WSJ/NBC poll, 68% of respondents said raising taxes on families making more than $1 million a year was an “acceptable” option. But 60% of respondents said a mandate requiring individuals to buy insurance (with subsidies for people with low and moderate incomes) was “not acceptable.” That’s a huge swing from the WSJ/NBC poll last month, when only 31% of respondents said that option was “not acceptable.” (The wording changed slightly in July to note that people who could afford insurance but didn’t bu... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2653674 Thu, 30 Jul 2009 12:34:43 +0100 2653674 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2653931&cid=t_255406_129_f&fid=36036&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Fkelly-building-a-crohns-disease-community%2Fcrohn%25e2%2580%2599s-and-problems-with-doctor%25e2%2580%2599s-offices-and-insurance-companies%2F I have been having issues with my insurance company lately and I thought that I would share my dilemma.   Maybe someone out there has had a similar problem and could give me some advice. I go to a rheumatologist for my Crohn’s disease and for my bones.  I get inflammation in my joints which is linked to my Crohn’s and occasionally they will swell up so bad that I cannot walk. They say that it is like rheumatoid arthritis but is only my Crohn’s pretending to be RA (I don’t really have RA but the Crohn’s will mimic the RA symptoms).   I have osteoporosis from all of the prednisone that I have taken and have been taking Boniva to help build my bones back up. I have Aetna insurance and have up until recently, really liked them.  The co-payments are great (10$ for each visit) an... Life with Crohn's blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2653931 Wed, 29 Jul 2009 19:03:10 +0100 2653931 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2653671&cid=t_255406_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FqluhO8I2kB0%2F It’s not often that I can transition from my education beat to other hot topics, but an Inside Higher Ed story on colleges’ health-care benefits includes this little nugget: One trend documented in the survey that may concern many employees is the increase in “consumer driven” health insurance plans by colleges. These typically involve employees setting up tax-free accounts to pay for some care, and then high deductibles for major medical expenses. This year, 17 percent of colleges were offering the plans, up from 11 percent two years ago. So what’s so terrible about “consumer driven” health care, which from the article sounds like health savings accounts ? The story doesn’t say — nor does it give any details on who puts the money into... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2653671 Wed, 29 Jul 2009 17:31:12 +0100 2653671 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2648971&cid=t_255406_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2F9x4yZXNF9qY%2F One of the biggest questions gripping partisans in the health-reform debate is how many people could end up in a government-run health plan. Conservatives, who are against a public plan that would compete with private insurers, are touting a Lewin Group study that projects that more than 103 million Americans will move to a public plan. Hogwash, say liberals, bolstered by a Congressional Budget Office estimate that only 11 million to 12 million Americans would do so. The Lewin report containing the 103 million figure was commissioned by the Heritage Foundation, a conservative group, and quickly became conservatives’ best weapon against the current House bill. Liberal Dem Rep. Pete Stark of California jumped on the report, putting out a missive last week titled “Fact Versus Fiction: The ... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2648971 Wed, 29 Jul 2009 12:36:03 +0100 2648971 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2648991&cid=t_255406_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F07%2Fare-health-plans-of-very-rich-different.html Yesterday, the New York Times published an intriguing story about "Cadillac" (that is, expensive) health insurance plans,Goldman Sachs is one of the nation’s richest banks, and hundreds of top Goldman employees have a health care package to match — one of the 'gold-plated Cadillac' plans cited by those involved in the health care debate in Washington.Goldman’s 400 or so managing directors and its top executive officers participate in the bank’s executive medical and dental program as part of their benefits, according to documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The program generally costs the bank $40,543 in premiums annually for each participant’s family.Those taking part in the plan include the company’s chief executive, Lloyd C. Blankfein, and four other t... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2648991 Tue, 28 Jul 2009 20:50:00 +0100 2648991 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2648976&cid=t_255406_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FBcQMk5mIiCw%2F Some notes from this morning’s papers on key players — both absent and present — in the national debate over health care: Several big personalities who might have helped craft deal have been largely absent from the process, writes the WSJ’s Gerald Seib. He lists John Dingell, the long-serving congressman recently ousted from his perch as chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee; Ted Kennedy, who has been away from the Senate much of the time because he is being treated for cancer; Tom Daschle, who nearly became both health-reform czar and HHS chief; and John McCain, whose status as the recent Republican presidential candidate may make it tougher for him to make deals with the Democrats. Then there are the six key members of the Senate Finance Committee wh... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2648976 Tue, 28 Jul 2009 12:51:03 +0100 2648976 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2645523&cid=t_255406_137_f&fid=35426&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FTheAlzheimersReadingRoom%2F%7E3%2FZBaeEJYMaeY%2Ftweet-your-senator-on-healthcare.html Healthcare insurance reform is currently a hot issue. You can make your voice heard via Twitter--by Tweeting your Senator in favor of healthcare reform.Tweet Your Senator is a new feature now available at BarackObama.com.Tweet Your Senator is easy and simple to use. You enter your zipcode and a pre-populated tweet is created that is directed at one of you Senators.After you are done entering your zipcode, you press a button, and the tweet goes up to your Twitter page and is ready to be sent. If your senator is not on Twitter, the tweet will include your Senator's name rather than their Twitter handle.The Tweet Your Senator page also contains an interactive map that is very interesting. If you tweet you might see your face.To Tweet Your Senator go here.Advice and Insight into Alzheimer's di... Alzheimer's Reading Room, The blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2645523 Tue, 28 Jul 2009 00:39:39 +0100 2645523 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2645264&cid=t_255406_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fx4Uq-hxjADo%2F In a recent article Ralph Nader attacks several critics of Obama’s health care reform proposal, including Cato: Now enters the well-insured libertarian Cato Institute with full-page ads in the Washington Post and The New York Times charging Obama with pursuing government-run health care. A picture of Uncle Sam pointing under the headline “Your New Doctor.” Nonsense. The well-insured people at Cato should know better than to declare that this “government takeover” would “reduce health care quality.” I agree that Cato employees are “well-insured” – a description so appropriate that Nader used it twice in a single paragraph. At Cato we have Health Savings Accounts, which are probably the closest thing to free market health insurance allowed by law. It’s nice to see Nad... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2645264 Mon, 27 Jul 2009 18:30:47 +0100 2645264 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2645265&cid=t_255406_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FRsxZ4OyyBg4%2F Here’s a poor, unsuccessful letter to the editor I sent to The Washington Post: “Like Car Insurance, Health Coverage May Be Mandated” [July 22, page A1] paints a misleading picture of proposals to require Americans to purchase health insurance – i.e., an “individual mandate.” First, the article lacks balance.  It cites three politicians who support an individual mandate but none who oppose it, a group that includes a majority of Republicans.  The article claims an individual mandate “has its roots in the conservative philosophy of self-reliance,” even though most conservatives, including the movement’s flagship magazine National Review, oppose the idea.  The closest the article comes to offering an opposing perspective is one conservative who has supported an indiv... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2645265 Mon, 27 Jul 2009 18:15:36 +0100 2645265 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2645266&cid=t_255406_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fi7W1qQskV3k%2F According to Don Johnson of The Health Care Blog: Speculators seem to be betting that a watered down health insurance reform bill won’t hurt health insurers, hospitals, drug makers or medical device and supply manufacturers. Stocks for almost all of these health sectors and for exchange trade funds that track health stock indexes turned higher last week. In other words, those with real money at stake don’t believe that health reform will hurt the firms that make a living off of America’s highly inefficient health sector — President Obama’s assurances notwithstanding. Johnson provides seven possible explanations for this development, including: 3. If the very liberal Coastal Democrats who lead Congress and most of the five committees drafting health insurance l... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2645266 Mon, 27 Jul 2009 17:14:36 +0100 2645266 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2645273&cid=t_255406_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FEMa-TNTzYU4%2F President Obama and other leading Democrats have proposed creating a new government health insurance program as an “option” for Americans under the age of 65. In a new study, Cato scholar Michael F. Cannon shows that government programs cost more and deliver lower-quality care than private insurance. “If Congress wants to make health care more efficient and increase competition in health insurance markets, there are far better options,” argues Cannon. Fannie Med? Why a "Public Option" Is Hazardous to Your Health, Cato Policy Analysis No. 642 (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2645273 Mon, 27 Jul 2009 14:18:49 +0100 2645273