Archive | May, 2012

In Senate, Centrist-Liberal Rift Broader Than Just Public Option

Though the question of whether Democratic leaders would include a public option in the Senate’s health reform bill has held the spotlight, a variety of other big issues also remain unresolved, The Hill reports. For instance, “Sen. Charles Schumer (N.Y.

Insurers Brace For Increase In COBRA Claims

The nation’s ailing economy continues to affect insurance companies, which could also face a wave of costly COBRA claims as policyholders rush to get treatment before government subsidies expire. The Associated Press reports: “The government’s effort to help workers keep health benefits after they lose a job could wind up costing WellPoint Inc.

Iowa Medical Home Provides Lessons For Health Care Reform

The Associated Press looks at what benefits medical homes may bring to health care by looking at one in Iowa: “A thousand miles from the health care debate in Washington, Dr. Don Klitgaard and his colleagues are carrying out their own reform in a small Iowa community.

Shocked By Re-Emergence Of Public Option, Business Groups Push Back

Business leaders who thought they had dodged a bullet when the Senate Finance Committee decided against offering a government-run public option as part of their health bill are pushing back after the plan’s re-emergence. The Wall Street Journal reports that several groups, including the Business Roundtable and the U.S.

A Look At The Public Insurance Options – What Exists And Who Would Have Access Under Proposed Reforms

One news outlet studies the practical meaning of public insurance option by examining some of the approaches that are already in existence. Meanwhile, another examines the number of people who would have access to the public plan. And a former insurance executive takes issue with the industry’s current stance.

Pelosi Chooses Compromise Approach To Public Option In Reform Bill

A health care reform bill set to be unveiled this morning will include a government-run public option for health insurance that will negotiate rates with insurers, much like private insurers operate.

Fine Print: Finance Bill May Cause Consumer Sticker Shock

Kaiser Health News staff writer Julie Appleby reports on how the fine print of the Senate Finance Committee’s health bill could impact some lower- and middle-class consumers. Proponents of the measure “say the legislation will limit the amount that lower- and middle-income people must pay for health insurance to a maximum of 12 percent of their incomes.

Appropriations Chairs Weigh Small Omnibus Combining HHS, Other Spending Bills

The fiscal year 2010 Labor-HHS-Education spending bill (HR 3293) will likely be rolled into a small omnibus package with other remaining appropriations bills to allow quick passage by the end of the calendar year, CQ Today reports. While the House has passed all 12 of its bills, the Senate has passed only seven and has five remaining.

Abortion Issues Unresolved As House Prepares To Unveil Health Reform Bill

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Thursday was set to unveil a health reform bill that includes the more moderate version of a public option and an expansion of Medicaid eligibility levels to 150% of the federal poverty level, though “sticking points in the legislation involving abortion and immigration remain unresolved,” the

Study Shows Lack Of Insurance May Have Figured In Nearly 17,000 Childhood Deaths

Lack of health insurance might have led or contributed to nearly 17,000 deaths among hospitalized children in the United States in the span of less than two decades, according to research led by the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center. According to the Hopkins researchers, the study, to be published Oct.