Archive | May, 2012

Big freeze costs insurers Pounds 650m

INSURERS paid out Pounds 650m in weather-related claims as the UK suffered the coldest winter for 30 years, a trade body said today. Around 335,000 claims were made between December 18 and January 13 …

Physical Therapists Unite To Support The Uninsured

The American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) is urging residents across the country to contact their local elected officials and members of the media to draw attention to the problem of the nation’s uninsured during “Cover the Uninsured Week,” March 14-20…

Administration, Health Insurers Point Fingers At Each Other In Premium Hike Dust-Up

The Obama administration and insurance industry executives are continuing their battle over rate increases. Politico: “Insurance industry executives sat down with administration officials in the White House last week to justify their rising premium costs, attributing them to increasing medical costs. But it’s an answer President Barack Obama apparently wasn’t buying…

Senate Test Vote Today On Bill To Extend COBRA Subsidy, Doc Fix And State Medicaid Funding

The Senate is poised to consider a measure today that would include extending subsidies for COBRA benefits and unemployment insurance, prevent the Medicare payment cut for doctors and provide additional funding to state Medicaid programs…

Stupak Indicates Abortion Compromise Possible For Health Bill

Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Mich., who is leading a coalition of anti-abortion Democrats standing in the way of party leadership efforts to pass a health bill, signaled Monday that the impasse may be close to resolution…

Health Overhaul Policy Tidbits

NPR: For those who have forgotten what the Senate’s bill would actually do as the debate has turned to politics and procedure, “a short refresher” may come in handy…

Today’s Opinions And Editorials

The Emotion of Reform The New York Times For the Democrats, expanding health care coverage is an emotional hot spot. Over the past year, Democrats have fought passionately for universal coverage (and) there is something morally impressive in the Democrats’ passion on this issue…

Cornyn And Boehner Sharpen Criticism Of Obama Health Proposal

News outlets report on health care remarks from GOP leaders. “National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman John Cornyn said Monday that if some type of health care legislation is able to limp its way out of Congress, GOP candidates across the country are poised to make it the premiere issue of the fall campaign,” Politico reports…

Obama Attacks Insurers, Rallies Public To Press Congress To Approve Health Reform

“The White House is mounting a stinging, sustained broadside against health insurance rate increases,” The Washington Post reports, adding that President Obama “and his health secretary staged a two-pronged attack Monday in a stern letter to health insurance chief executives and a speech in which the president castigated insurance companies 22 times…

GOP Candidate For Calif. Gov. Switches Positions On Abortion-Related Issues

California Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner, who is seeking the Republican gubernatorial nomination, took liberal positions on abortion-rights issues when he unsuccessfully ran for state Assembly in 2004, the Los Angeles Times reports. Poizner’s past statements supporting abortion-right issues contradict the conservative stance he has taken in his current campaign…