September 22, 2009

September 18: Health Care Reform News

By Kelley Luckstein

Health Reform’s Missing Ingredient

“MY guiding principle is, and always has been, that consumers do better when there is choice and competition,” President Obama said last week in an address to Congress on health care reform. It’s a good principle, one that may determine the ultimate success or failure of reform, but unfortunately it’s not really guiding the Senate bill unveiled on Wednesday or any of the other health reform legislation now under consideration in Congress … To stay competitive, insurers would need to follow the example of places like the Mayo Clinic and offer good, low-cost coverage.

 

New York Times by Ron Wyden, 09/17/09

 

TOP STORIES

Affordability is Major Challenge for Reform

The Washington Post

September 18, 2009

 

The Baucus plan attempts to make insurance more affordable through a variety of mechanisms, including lowering premiums for everyone who purchases coverage directly from an insurer rather than through their employer.

 

Baucus will Tinker with Health Bill to Mollify Critics

The Wall Street Journal

September 18, 2009

 

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus said he expects to make adjustments to his health care plan, in a bid to solidify support for the bill.  

 

Additional Coverage:

Baucus Pleases Few with Health Care Bill - The Washington Post

 

Congress Veers Left on Health Care

The Wall Street Journal

September 18, 2009

 

The Baucus bill has been rejected by Democrats.

 

Mandatory Insurance is Unconstitutional

The Wall Street Journal

September 18, 2009

Federal legislation requiring that every American have health insurance is part of all the major health care reform plans now being considered in Washington - such a mandate is profoundly unconstitutional.

STATE NEWS

Massachusetts is a Health Care Model

The Wall Street Journal

September 18, 2009

 

The state’s system insures 97% of its residents.

 

SCHIP

Many Children in CHIP Receive Little or No Care

Healthleaders Media

September 18, 2009

 

Nearly one-third of children enrolled in SCHIP receive no or very little care, while 72% of the program's spending is concentrated on 10% of children with chronic conditions.

 

 

MEDICARE/MEDICAID

Is Medicare a Model to be Followed or Avoided?

The Wall Street Journal

September 18, 2009

 

Letters to the editor re: Medicare.   

 

 

 

REFORM EFFORTS

Baucus and the Threshold

The New York Times - Op-Ed

September 17, 2009

Max Baucus’s plan for health care reform needs to change, and the direction in which it changes will determine whether it is a bill worth passing.

Health Care Reform and the President’s Faithful Helpers

The Wall Street Journal

September 18, 2009

 

Claiming that the opposition is "bearing false witness" by spreading misinformation about his health care plan, President Barack Obama has asked religious leaders to become the latest conscripts in the battle over health care reform.

 

Left and Right Plot on Baucus Bill

Politico

September 18, 2009

 

A day after Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus released a health care bill, Democrats and Republicans retreated to their separate corners as both parties plotted their strategy to shape the legislation.

New Tax in Senate Health Plan Draw Bipartisan Fire

The New York Times

September 18, 2009

 

Senators of both parties said they would seek significant changes in a Democratic proposal to tax generous high-cost health insurance policies.

 

President Obama to Speed up Tort Reform

The Washington Post

September 18, 2009

 

President Obama moved to accelerate a $25 million program aimed at softening the pinch of medical malpractice lawsuits.

 

Rockefeller Stands Up for Liberals on Health Care

The New York Times

September 18, 2009

 

After months in which the White House had seemed to ignore liberals as it courted centrists to join the president's signature cause, liberal lawmakers have finally attracted the administration's attention.

 

Conservatives Use Liberal Playbook

Politico

September 18, 2009

 

In health care reform, Conservatives are coming for Democrats on their blind side - the left - and evidence is everywhere.

 

 

NEW ADMINISTRATION

Plan for a Kennedy Successor Advances

The New York Times

September 17, 2009

 

The Massachusetts House of Representatives on Thursday approved legislation allowing Gov. Deval Patrick to appoint an interim successor to Senator Edward Kennedy.

 

 

EMPLOYERS

9 in 10 Employers Will Reduce Benefits if Health Reform Increases Their Costs

Health Populi

September 18, 2009

 

It's cost above everything when it comes to U.S. employers and health reform.

Labor Department Wants Exemption for GM Health Plan

The Washington Post

September 18, 2009

 

The Labor Department said it is seeking an exemption for General Motors' new retiree health care plan that would carry out the automaker's plans to transfer company securities into the health care trust.

 

 

Tags: health care reform, Health Policy, Health Policy

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