March 19: Health Care Reform News
Model health care at Mayo Clinic?
The Mayo Clinic is hailed for its ability to keep health care costs down and quality up. Dr. Denis Cortese and CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta reports.
CNN, 3/19/2010
Walz inclined to vote for health reform bill
First District Rep. Tim Walz is poised to cast a "yes" vote on legislation that would overhaul the nation's health care system. The Democrat said that while he still needs to see the final bill language and deficit reduction estimates before he makes a final decision, he said he is inclined to support the measure.
"Obviously, we have said from the beginning that health care reform is an absolute necessity. The Mayo Clinic has been clear on that, our employers have been clear on that and I hope we end up with a product we can support," Walz said…
Mayo Clinic Health Policy Center spokesman Randy Schubring said the clinic is working with lawmakers to get payment reform language included in the final bill. He said the clinic will offer its analysis of the bill once the final language is available.
Post-Bulletin, by Heather Carlson, 3/18/2010
TOP STORIES
The Washington Post
March 19, 2010
See a summary of the Senate health care bill and how it compares with the House reconciliation package.
House Leaders Announce $940 Billion Health Care Compromise Bill
The Washington Post
March 19, 2010
House leaders announced a $940 billion compromise that would extend coverage to the vast majority of Americans, cut billions of dollars from Medicare, and impose new taxes on the wealthy and the well-insured.
Additional Coverage:
Fine-Tuning Led to Health Bill’s $940 Billion Price Tag - The New York Times
On Health Reform’s Price Tag - Score One for Skepticism - The Washington Post - Op-Ed
How to Think About Future Health Care Spending - NEJM
Democrats Say Health Bill Will Pay for Itself in the Long Run
The New York Times
March 19, 2010
House Democrats initiated a 72-hour countdown, unveiling a nearly final version of the legislation that promptly won additional support with a promise that the bill would more than pay for itself over the next decade.
INSURANCE
Health Insurers Toughen Stance in Disputes over Hospital Rates
The Wall Street Journal
March 19, 2010
Health insurers are fighting demands by hospitals for sharply higher reimbursement rates by threatening to drop the hospitals from their health plan networks and blaming them for higher insurance premiums.
TRANSPARENCY/SAFETY
Congressional Budget Office’s Sunny Forecast Carries Big Uncertainties
The Washington Post
March 18, 2010
The CBO announced the proposed health care deal would cut the deficit by $138 billion over the coming decade, the reality is considerably messier.
NEJM
March 18, 2010
Democrats’ strategy of pushing ahead with comprehensive health care reform is risky - most Americans won’t see visible benefits for years.
The Specter of Financial Armageddon - Health Care and the Federal Debt in the United Stated
NEJM
March 18, 2010
The government now pays for approximately half of all health care costs in the United States, and projections of growing federal debt largely reflect anticipated increases in health care spending.
The Potential Health Effects of Citizens United
NEJM
March 18, 2010
Although it may not initially appear to concern health, Citizens United has important implications for health care providers and public health.
Abortion Rates and Health Care Reform
NEJM
March 18, 2010
The recent experience in Massachusetts suggests that universal health care coverage has been associated with a decrease in the number of abortions performed, despite liberal public and private funding of abortion.
WELLNESS/CHRONIC CARE
Primary Care Unappealing to Many Medical Students
Healthleaders Media
March 19, 2010
Huge salary disparities and onerous student loans appear to be dampening the enthusiasm of medical school students for primary care.
STATE NEWS
Cornhusker Kickback Gets the Boot in Health Care Bill
Associated Press
March 19, 2010
Democrats decided to kill the extra $100 million in Medicaid funds for Nebraska but include special treatment for Tennessee and North Dakota.
REFORM EFFORTS
The New York Times - Op-Ed
March 19, 2010
The best chance in decades of fixing this country’s broken health care system has now come down to whether the House’s Democratic majority will approve the already strong Senate version of the bill with a promise of some changes.
The New York Times - Op-Ed
March 19, 2010
All it will take to make this happen is for a handful of on-the-fence House members to do the right thing - here’s hoping.
As Passage of Health Care Reform Nears, A Change to Fix Washington, Too
The Washington Post - Op-Ed
March 19, 2010
Passing a health care reform bill would restore not only a measure of trust and confidence in our political process but also, more significantly, trust and confidence in ourselves.
The Wall Street Journal - Op-Ed
March 19, 2010
Memo to future presidents: Never stake your entire survival on the painful passing of a bad bill; never take the country down the road to Demon Pass.
Health Care Bill Heads for Showdown
USA Today
March 19, 2010
The day of reckoning is Sunday - when House Democrats hope to pass a revised 10-year, $940 billion package expanding coverage to 32 million people.
Health Reform is a Risk Worth Taking
The Washington Post - Op-Ed
March 19, 2010
Every piece of legislation is in some sense a wager: that it will accomplish what is intended; that its costs will be as anticipated; that the promised funding will materialize - voting for the health reform package, in those terms, is a huge gamble.
The Wall Street Journal - Op-Ed
March 19, 2010
Even the political panic over the 2008 Troubled Asset Relief Program, amid an incipient financial collapse and a Presidential election, looks like regular order compared to this ObamaCare mayhem.
Politico
March 19, 2010
The Democrats’ yearlong health reform push picked up unmistakable momentum Thursday as the votes began to fall into place for a history-making roll call Sunday that could achieve the party’s decades long goal of expanding health care.
NEW ADMINISTRATION
Reuters
March 19, 2010
Review recent questions and answers about what the battle to pass health care legislation means to the Democratic president.
Fate of Presidency on the Line
Politico
March 19, 2010
One caucus member told POLITICO that Obama won him over by “essentially [saying] that the fate of his presidency” hinged on this week’s health reform vote in the House.
MISCELLANEOUS
In Health Care Votes, Democrats Weigh Success vs. Survival
The New York Times
March 19, 2010
Democratic party leaders are deciding which politically endangered lawmakers will be given absolution to vote no.
Roll Call
March 19, 2010
House Democrats officially gained two and lost two on Thursday as they continued their painstaking zigzag toward 216 votes.
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