March 24: Health Care Reform News
Health care expert gives perspective on Health Care Reform Bill
Beginning in 2014, the Health Care Reform Law will requires nearly all Americans to have health insurance.
Jeff Korsmo, Executive Director of the Mayo Clinic Health Policy Center discussed with us what Americans can expect.
"There are alot of differing opinions. We haven't taken a formal position one way or another on the bill. In some areas it moves us forward. There is some concerns across the board cuts to pay for the bill," said Korsmo.
Korsmo says long term health care costs should drop.
"Long term, we believe those pay for value provisions... changing the way we pay for health care so we don't just pay for procedures, but instead we pay for quality. That should begin to drive the cost down," said Korsmo.
WXOW, 3/23/2010
How to fight ObamaCare
Let’s begin our reaction to the passage of ObamaCare by remembering Winston Churchill’s famous formulation with which he introduced his war memoirs: In defeat: defiance; In war: resolution; In victory: magnanimity; In peace: good will…Restore the Medicare cuts mandated in this bill…
Try to peel away enough votes to stop the cuts from driving doctors and hospitals to adopt the course already taken by the Mayo Clinic in refusing to take Medicare patients.
The Hill by Dick Morris, 3/23/2010
Austin House members criticize Republican call for health-care lawsuit
Republican lawmakers banded together on Tuesday, calling on Minnesota Attorney General Lori Swanson to file a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the federal health care reform bill signed by President Obama…
The health care reform bill could have a big financial impact on Mayo Clinic when it comes to a proposal to continue a state health care program for low-income Minnesotans known as General Assistance Medical Care…
Mayo Clinic lobbyist Frank Iossi said that under the GAMC plan passed by the Senate, the clinic's reimbursement rates would drop from two-thirds of actual costs to one-sixth of costs. He said Mayo Clinic and Mayo Health Systems would lose between $15 million and $20 million.
Post-Bulletin, by Heather Carlson,
Additional HCR mentions:
Post-Bulletin (Editorial)
Top stories
Obama Signs Health Care Overhaul Bill, With a Flourish
The New York Times
March 24, 2010
With the strokes of 20 pens, President Obama signed his landmark health care overhaul — the most expansive social legislation enacted in decades — into law on Tuesday, saying it enshrines “the core principle that everybody should have some basic security when it comes to their health care.”
Obama Signs Health-Care Reform Bill
The Washington Post
March 24, 2010
During a ceremony at the White House, President Obama signed the contentious healthcare reform bill into law on Tuesday. The event provided clues about how the administration plans to sell the measure to a skeptical public: as a moral necessity of historic proportion.
Senate Starts Debate on Final Health Care Piece
USA Today
March 24, 2010
Opening what may be a final chapter in the current health care debate, the Senate voted today to formally begin work on a 153-page, fix-it bill Democrats say will improve President Obama's landmark law.
With Senate ‘Fixes' Bill, GOP Sees Last Chance to Change Health-Care Reform
The Washington Post
March 24, 2010
Hours after President Obama signed healthcare legislation into law, the Senate began a debate on another piece of the package. The debate gives Republicans one last chance to alter the bill before it begins to transform insurance coverage for millions of Americans.
Highlights: President Obama Signs Health Bill
Kaiser Health News
March 24, 2010
Kaiser Health News has video highlights of the health bill signing ceremony at the White House Tuesday, and a full transcript of the remarks from President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden.
Insurance
California Panel Wants Say on Health Insurance Rate Hikes
The Los Angeles Times
March 24, 2010
A proposal to make insurance companies justify rate hikes was passed in the California Assembly's Health Committee, the Los Angeles Times reports. The bill would put health insurers and health maintenance organizations under the same regulation that covers automobile and other types of property insurance. It would also require approval of some rate hikes by state agencies, the Times reports.
Transparency/Safety
Top Psychiatrist Calls for Ethics Cleanup Around 'Big Pharma'
USA Today
March 24, 2010
American psychiatrists need to break away from a "culture of influence" created by their financial dealings with the drug industry, the head of the National Institute of Mental Health said in a leading medical journal.
Caesarean Births Are at a High in U.S.
The New York Times
March 24, 2010
Caesarean section rate in the United States reached 32% in 2007, the country's highest rate ever, health officials are reporting. Critics say the operation is being performed too often, needlessly exposing women and babies to the risks of major surgery.
Wellness/Chronic Care
Health Law Will Make Calorie Counts Hard to Ignore
AP/Yahoo News
March 24, 2010
A requirement tucked into the nation's massive health care bill will make calorie counts impossible for thousands of restaurants to hide and difficult for consumers to ignore. More than 200,000 fast food and other chain restaurants will have to include calorie counts on menus, menu boards and even drive-throughs.
State news
Virginia, 13 Other States Sue Over Health-Care Law
The Richmond Times-Dispatch
March 24, 2010
Minutes after health-care legislation was signed into law by President Barack Obama yesterday, Virginia made good on its promise to sue the federal government over it, joining at least 13 other states that are legally challenging the health-system overhaul.
Jackson Health System's Long-Term Plan in the Works
The Miami Herald
March 24, 2010
While Miami-based Jackson Health System renegotiates a contract with its second major union, its executives and governing board members are starting a new analysis of the public hospital system and working out a long-term plan for a "Sustainable Jackson."
Medicare/Medicaid
Last Minute Deal On Medicare Highlights Dilemma On Curbing Costs
Kaiser Health News
March 24, 2010
A last-minute deal to win votes for the health care overhaul underscores the political dilemma for Congress as it tries to reduce health care costs.
Reform efforts
Video: Dr. Toby Cosgrove, President and CEO of Cleveland Clinic (takes a bit of time to load)
Fox News
March 23, 2010
Dr. Toby Cosgrove discusses health care reform on America's Nightly Scoreboard.
For Many Interest Groups, Health-Care Bill's Passage Isn't the End
The Washington Post
March 24, 2010
Interest groups that spent the past year fighting over President Obama's healthcare overhaul are quickly transforming themselves, working to sway the law to their benefit while helping the lawmakers who supported them during the legislative debate.
In Health Care Bill, Obama Attacks Wealth Inequality
The New York Times
March 24, 2010
The health reform bill that President Obama signed is the federal government's biggest attack on economic inequality since inequality began rising more than three decades ago.
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