January 14: Health Care Reform News
TOP STORIES
Obama and Lawmakers Seek Accord on Health Care
The New York Times
January 14, 2010
With a growing sense of urgency, President Obama and top Congressional Democrats held a marathon negotiating session on Wednesday in an effort to thrash out agreements on sweeping health care legislation.
Additional Coverage
Obama Joins Congressional Leaders in Talk to Work Out Health Care Kinks - The Washington Post
Democrats Make ‘Significant’ Progress in Health Talks - The Wall Street Journal
Obama Pushes for Health Bill Deal - Politico
Daschle Handicaps the Final Health Bill
The New York Times
January 13, 2010
Tom Daschle makes predictions for the final health bill yesterday at the JP Morgan's annual health care conference.
INSURANCE
Senators Call for Repeal of Insurers’ Antitrust Exemption
The New York Times
January 13, 2010
Senator Patrick J. Leahy and 18 other senators sent a letter to President Obama and Democratic Congressional leaders urging them to repeal the limited exemption for insurers from federal antitrust laws as part of the final version of major health care legislation.
TRANSPARENCY/SAFETY
Baucus: Why Health Care is Expensive
The New York Times
January 13, 2010
To continue the conversation about why health care in America is so expensive and what the legislation emerging in Washington would or would not do about it, the Prescriptions blog asked Senator Max Baucus to answer a few questions.
Full Report from Moderate Democrat Think Tank
Third Way
January 14, 2010
Today, moderate Dem think tank Third Way will release a report on reform that finds over the next 15 years: American businesses will collectively spend $684 billion less on health insurance premiums; workers will spend $190 billion less on premiums and Medicare spending growth will slow by more than one percentage point.
STATE NEWS
Proposals Clash on States’ Role in Health Plans
The New York Times
January 14, 2010
Should someone in Idaho or Nevada have significantly different health care coverage from someone in Massachusetts? That is one of the biggest questions Congress will be wrestling.
Wisconsin health Official Says Hospital Tax a Success
The Chicago Tribune
January 14, 2010
Wisconsin hospitals paid the state $382 million more in the first year of a new tax on their revenues - a great success as it allowed the state to collect $1.65 in federal reimbursements for Medicaid for every $1 taxed.
MEDICARE/MEDICAID
Tax Expansion Could Pay for Health Care Overhaul
The Los Angeles Times
January 14, 2010
Democratic congressional leaders are considering applying the Medicare payroll tax not just to wages but to capital gains, dividends and other forms of unearned income.
REFORM EFFORTS
The Constitutionality of the Individual Mandate for Health Care
NEJM
January 13, 2010
The constitutional test is whether Congress could reasonably conclude that its taxing and spending programs promote the general welfare of the country.
Uncomfortable Arithmetic, Whom to Cover - Versus What to Cover
NEJM
January 13, 2010
Policymakers and patient advocates are reluctant to acknowledge that in a world of scarce resources it will not be enough to eliminate waste: we will have to make active choices in our public insurance programs between increasing the number of people covered and increasing the generosity of that coverage.
NEW ADMINISTRATION
Reid Faces Battle in Washington and At Home
The New York Times - Magazine Preview
January 12, 2010
The health care negotiations demonstrated Reid’s command of the Senate and his sway among his fellow Democrats which contrasts with his perhaps equally remarkable inability to master other elements of the contemporary politician’s game.
EMPLOYERS
“Play-or-Pay” Insurance Reform for Employers, Confusion and Inequity
NEJM
January 13, 2010
Rather than fostering transparency, the play-or-pay approach results in confusion about who is paying how much for what coverage, would not address existing inequities, and could add further inequities to our system.
Tags: health care reform, Health Policy, health policy center
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