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Reid pushes for votes on healthcare bill

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:04:00 GMT

As Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid worked to nail down the votes needed to move to a final debate on healthcare legislation, a tepid assessment of the public insurance plan he crafted emerged as the latest potential obstacle to its passage, the Washington Post reports. A Congressional Budget Office analysis of the scaled-down public plan that Reid included in his $848 billion measure said it would have relatively little impact on the current system, would charge "somewhat higher" premiums than its private competitors, and would draw only about 4 million subscribers.

Senate healthcare bill faces crucial first vote

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:02:00 GMT

The Senate is expected to vote Nov. 21 on whether to take up health legislation that would cover five million fewer people than a companion bill passed by the House, but would cost less. A major difference between the bills is the effective date for important provisions, like the requirement for people to obtain insurance and the obligation of employers to help pay for it. Many provisions of the House bill would take effect in 2013. But to help hold down the cost of the bill, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid decided to delay the effective date for many provisions by one year, to 2014.

Aetna employees to be laid off, more cuts coming

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:59:00 GMT

As its customer base slips and healthcare reform looms, Aetna is laying off 625 employees now and will make a similar number of reductions early next year, the company announced. The layoffs are across many areas of the company, and Aetna is not exiting any markets or businesses, the company said. Aetna grew rapidly between March 2007 and September 2008, adding 5,700 jobs nationwide. The company had about 1,000 layoffs at the end of 2008 and no 2009 layoffs until now, the Hartford Courant reports.

Democrats woo voters with new benefits

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:27:00 GMT

Senate Democrats are touting the immediate benefits their health bill would bring to some Americans, although many of the benefits of the bill won't take effect for several years, the Wall Street Journal reports. But Democrats pointed to popular changes for consumers that kick in quickly: They include an immediate ban on insurers imposing lifetime caps on benefits and a ban on terminating coverage because an enrollee falls ill.

Business sours on overhaul as legislation veers to left

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:20:00 GMT

Chances of business supporting the Obama administration's health overhaul are fading fast after Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's bill took a liberal turn, the Wall Street Journal reports. The Obama administration has courted small businesses from the start, and at times executives have shown favor toward Democratic plans such as the bill passed by the Senate Finance Committee. But now several industry groups are banding together to ask Congress to scrap the current bills and start from scratch on a health overhaul, saying the public plan included in Reid's bill will pay lower rates and shift costs to those with private insurance.

Aetna Cutting 625 Jobs, More Expected in 2010

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:53:00 GMT

Hartford-based health insurer Aetna, which provides health benefits to more than 19 million members, has announced it is cutting 625 jobs, expects to cut a similar number of jobs at the end of the first quarter of 2010, and will consolidate field offices to reduce real estate costs.

Senate unveils healthcare bill

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 13:17:00 GMT

Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid presented an $848 billion healthcare overhaul package that would extend coverage to 31 million Americans and reform insurance practices while adding an array of tax increases. The Senate measure is similar in scope to legislation the House approved earlier in November. It would require most people to buy insurance, and if their employers did not offer affordable coverage, they would be able to shop for policies on new state-based "exchanges" that would function as marketplaces for individual coverage. Insurance companies would have to abide by new rules that would ban practices such as denying coverage based on preexisting conditions.

Senate health plan seeks to add coverage to 31 million

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 13:16:00 GMT

Democratic leaders in the Senate have unveiled their proposal for overhauling the healthcare system, outlining legislation that they said would cover most of the uninsured while reducing the federal budget deficit. Democrats expressed confidence that they would have the votes needed to move forward when the legislation hits its first test in the Senate. To get past that first procedural hurdle, Reid will need the votes of all 58 Democratic senators and the two independents aligned with them, the New York Times reports.

California Grades PPOs, None Receives Four Stars

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 13:16:00 GMT

California now provides what it calls the nation's "first interactive, consumer-friendly PPO Report Card," one- to four-star rating of five of the six preferred provider organizations in the state.

Germany strains to fund healthcare for all

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:31:00 GMT

Germany's century-old universal healthcare system is a model cited by reform advocates in the U.S. Congress, but it is buckling under the weight of a growing deficit that has forced the government to explore an overhaul. Under the German system, everyone is obliged to pay into the system and all who need care can get it. Costs are shared between employers and workers, whose premiums are staggered according to income. Recently, however, the costs of the system have exploded: Rising medical costs and unemployment will leave the system $11.1 billion short in 2010. Germany's sinking birth rate and rapidly aging population mean the gap will only get worse, the Wall Street Journal reports.

Insurers unlikely to alter policies in the debate over mammograms

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:22:00 GMT

The business of providing mammograms has been in steady decline in recent years as many clinics have opted out of the screening business because of low insurance reimbursements. For many of the hospitals and free-standing radiology clinics that perform mammograms, the service has become a loss leader, a way to attract patients who might then receive other services. Health insurers, including the federal Medicare program, have said they were unlikely to change coverage of mammograms in the immediate wake of new guidelines issued by the United States Preventive Services Task Force, the New York Times reports. The new guidelines recommend that women in their 40s no longer have annual mammograms and that women ages 50 to 74 have them only every other year instead of annually.

Beware of Medicaid Expansion Pitfalls

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:30:00 GMT

Medicaid expansion as a vehicle to insure more Americans is seen by many as a compromise to the public insurance plan. But expanding Medicaid programs isn't a cure-all—especially if permanent federal dollars aren't involved.

Three Democrats could block health bill in Senate

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 13:13:00 GMT

Senator Ben Nelson, Democrat of Nebraska, says he is not sure he is ready to help a Democratic healthcare proposal gain the 60 votes his party's leaders need to open debate on the measure later this week. Two of his fellow Democrats, Senators Mary L. Landrieu of Louisiana and Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas, are on the fence as well, raising the prospect that one or perhaps all three of them could scuttle the bill before the fight over it even begins on the Senate floor, reports the New York Times. Inability by the Democrats to advance the plan could require them to redraw the measure or switch to a more contentious procedural shortcut around the need for a 60-vote majority.

Coverage mandate under fire

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 13:11:00 GMT

Conservatives have opened a new front in the healthcare debate with the assertion that under the Democrats' plan, people who refuse to buy health insurance could spend five years in prison. Supporters of a health overhaul called that a scare tactic along the lines of last summer's uproar over "death panels," and said that scenario would virtually never happen, the Wall Street Journal reports. The notion has its origins in the bill's requirement that most Americans must get health insurance, with the help of government subsidies if necessary, or pay a special income tax of up to 2.5%. If someone refuses to get insurance and refuses to pay the tax, that person would be guilty of tax evasion.

Small firms scrapping, scaling back health plans

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 13:10:00 GMT

Across the country, businesses already strapped by the economy to turn a profit are sacrificing or scaling back employee health insurance plans because of their escalating costs. The crunch has particularly hurt smaller employers, who have become a centerpiece in the debate over how to overhaul the nation's healthcare system, the Associated Press reports. Both the House and Senate versions would offer temporary tax credits to offset a portion of the health insurance costs for businesses with fewer than 25 employees and average wages of less than $40,000. Small businesses also could more easily shop for policies through a new health insurance exchange.

Mammography outcry points to trouble for healthcare reform

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 12:41:00 GMT

A core tenet of the healthcare overhaul President Obama is pushing through Congress is that medical care can be improved, and costs contained, if the country relies more on experts to determine which procedures and treatments work best, the Los Angeles Times reports. But an expert panel's recommendation that women in their 40s should no longer get annual mammograms to screen for breast cancer sparked an outcry from those who say that the federal government is more interested in saving money than in improving women's health. Some Republicans jumped on the report as the kind of government intervention in medical decisions that Obama's healthcare plan would bring, reports the Times.

Senate Leaders Seek 60 Votes to Start Reform Debate

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 13:06:00 GMT

As of Monday, no Congressional Budget Office cost numbers for the Senate healthcare reform bill had been released. However, even without those CBO numbers, activity behind the scenes on the Senate side appears to show that no one is complacently waiting for the Thanksgiving break to roll around, especially Democrats.

Americans support taxing rich to pay for health bill

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 12:15:00 GMT

When it comes to paying for health overhaul, Americans see just one way to go: Tax the rich. That finding from a new Associated Press poll will be welcome news for House Democrats, who proposed doing just that in their sweeping remake of the medical system, which passed earlier this month and would extend coverage to millions of uninsured Americans. The poll found participants sour on other ways of paying for the health overhaul that is being considered in Congress, including taxing insurers on high-value coverage packages derided by President Barack Obama and Democrats as "Cadillac plans."

Study: Injured uninsured more likely to die in ER

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 12:13:00 GMT

Uninsured patients with traumatic injuries, such as car crashes, falls, and gunshot wounds, were almost twice as likely to die in the hospital as similarly injured patients with health insurance, according to a new study. The findings by Harvard University researchers surprised doctors and health experts who have believed emergency room care was equitable. The researchers couldn't pin down the reasons behind the differences they found. The uninsured might experience more delays being transferred from hospital to hospital. Or they might get different care. Or they could have more trouble communicating with doctors. The hospitals that treat them also could have fewer resources.

Reid considers raising Medicare tax for high earners

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 12:11:00 GMT

Pressing to begin the Senate's landmark floor debate on healthcare legislation this week—and to finish by the end of the year—Majority Leader Harry Reid is considering new ways to fund the bill by raising the payroll taxes that upper-income workers pay for Medicare. Reid is studying the idea, senior Democratic aides say, because of criticism of a plan approved by the Senate Finance Committee that would impose new taxes on insurance companies that offer expensive healthcare plans. But Reid is meeting resistance from centrist Democrats who believe the tax on expensive insurance plans could rein in the growth of health costs overall, while a payroll tax hike would not.