October 21: Health Care Reform News
The Dartmouth Atlas Study: EM’s Bitter Pill
According to the Dartmouth Atlas of Health Care, care for people with chronic disease now accounts for more than 75% of ALL health care spending. One third of Medicare spending each year is spent on patients with chronic diseases who are in the last two years of their lives. And most of these patients have CHF, chronic lung disease, or cancer. Moreover, if Medicare spending is not reined in, it is expected to double over the next decade, reaching $4 trillion by 2017…
The key to improvement, according to the Dartmouth Group, lies in emulating the systems that are efficient. The group claims that if Medicare was benchmarked to the efficiency of the Mayo Clinic, the nation would save $50 billion over four years in Medicare expenditures alone.
Emergency Physicians Monthly by Mark Plaster, M.D., 10/2009
Top stories
Senate Democrats Hit Snag With Doctor Payment Bill
The New York Times
Oct. 20, 2009
Senate Democrats backed down from their effort to increase Medicare payments to doctors without offsetting any of the cost over the next 10 years.
House Democrats' Desired Health Bill Would Cost $871 Billion
The Washington Post
Oct. 21, 2009
House leaders have cut the cost of their health-care overhaul to around $871 billion over the next decade, Democratic sources said Tuesday night, and were working to line up votes for the package with the aim of bringing it before the full House early next month.
Liberals Increase Pressure for Public Insurance Plan in Health Bill
The Washington Post
Oct. 20, 2009
Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid is facing intensifying pressure from liberal lawmakers to revive a proposed government insurance plan before health-care reform legislation reaches the Senate floor, amid signs that moderate Democrats may be warming to the idea.
Pelosi Pushes Strong Public Option
Politico
Oct. 20, 2009
Speaker Nancy Pelosi told Democrats Tuesday night that she wants to move forward with the more liberal version of a House health reform bill that would peg government-run coverage to Medicare – setting up a clash with moderates in her caucus who oppose the plan. Related: House Dems Want Medicare for Everyone, The Hill
U.S. Health Care Reform Looks Anemic
The Economist/The Star Tribune
Oct. 19, 2009
The health bill that this week moved a big step closer to President Obama's desk fails -- not completely, but very largely -- to address the government-exploding problem of cost inflation.
Wellness/Chronic Care
In Shift, Cancer Society Has Concerns on Screenings
The New York Times
Oct. 20, 2009
The American Cancer Society says screenings can come with a risk of overtreating many small cancers while missing cancers that are deadly.
Reform efforts
Dems Eye Insurance Industry's Antitrust Protection
The Washington Post
Oct. 21, 2009
Top Senate Democrats intend to try to strip the health insurance industry of its exemption from federal antitrust laws, according to congressional officials. It's the latest evidence of a deepening struggle over President Barack Obama's effort to overhaul the health care industry.
Dr. John Kitzhaber's Unorthodox Ideas On Reforming Health Care
Kaiser Health News
Oct. 21, 2009
A Q&A with Dr. John Kitzhaber, former governor of Oregon.
New Malpractice Idea in Health Care Debate
AP/Yahoo News
Oct. 20, 2009
President Barack Obama's willingness to consider alternatives to medical malpractice lawsuits is providing a boost for taking such cases out of the courtroom and letting experts, not juries, decide their merits.
Lawmakers to Fight for Rural Hospitals Despite Budget Concerns On Reform
Kaiser Health News
Oct. 19, 2009
Several senators - including Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Sam Brownback, R-Kan., and Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad, D-N.D. - want to help rural hospitals in their states get the funding boost that comes with the "critical access" designation. The catch: The same senators are among those pushing hardest to hold the line on the cost of health care reform.
Who Will Rein in Healthcare Costs? Don’t Look to Congress
The Christian Science Monitor
Oct. 20, 2009
The issue of controlling healthcare costs is so contentious that Congress may opt for a bill that punts much of the task to an independent commission.
Obama Takes a Health Care Hiatus
The New York Times
Oct. 20, 2009
As Congressional leaders and White House officials huddle behind closed doors to settle their differences on health care legislation, one of the most powerful voices in the debate — President Obama’s — has grown noticeably quieter.
Poll: Americans Skittish Over Health Changes
USA Today
Oct. 21, 2009
Americans are increasingly worried about the cost and quality of medical care that could result from President Obama's effort to revamp health care, but a majority still trust him more than Republicans to change the system, a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll shows.
Ill-Conceived Ranking Makes for Unhealthy Debate
The Wall Street Journal
Oct. 21, 2009
During the health-care debate, one damning statistic keeps popping up in newspaper columns and letters, on cable television and in politicians' statements: The U.S. ranks 37th in the world in health care. The trouble is, the ranking is dated and flawed, and has contributed to misconceptions about the quality of the U.S. medical system.
Employers
Insurance Exchanges Called Key to Health Care Puzzle
San Francisco Chronicle
Oct. 21, 2009
Supporters of health care reform told senators Tuesday that insurance exchanges are a critical part of proposed health care legislation for small businesses, which are cutting jobs and coverage to keep up with insurance costs.
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