Health Reform in the House | Fact of the Day Seventy percent of adults with an existing health problem who were not covered through an employer and tried to buy health insurance in the individual market in 2007 were not able to because they could not afford it. (Commonwealth Fund) | | Follow Health Insurance Reform
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At the Time This Daily Dose Was Sent, Insured Americans Had Paid a “Hidden Tax” of $49,141,847,545 since January 1, 2009 in Additional Premium Costs to Cover Care for the Uninsured. Under the Microscope HOUSE COMMITTEE Requests Clarification From WellPoint Yesterday, Energy & Commerce Committee Chairman Henry A. Waxman and Subcommittee Chairman Bart Stupak wrote to the President and CEO of WellPoint, asking that she address an apparent conflict between the company’s public explanation for the premium increases it is seeking in the individual health insurance market in California and the data the company has submitted to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. WellPoint has attributed its proposed 39% rate increase in part to the recession, which the company says forced healthy individuals to drop coverage. Yet, data the company submitted to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners appears to indicate that in 2009, membership did not decrease, but increased significantly – by over 7%. Next week the Committee is holding a hearing on the proposed rate increases in California. Read the Letter from House Chairmen.
Health Care Headlines Obama to Offer Health Bill to Ease Impasse as Bipartisan Meeting Approaches
President Obama will put forward comprehensive health care legislation intended to bridge differences between Senate and House Democrats ahead of a summit meeting with Republicans next week, senior administration officials and Congressional aides said Thursday.
[New York Times, 2/19/2010] Obama Keeps All-Democratic Health Care Option Open
The White House signaled Thursday that an aggressive, all-Democratic strategy for overhauling the nation's health care system remains a serious option, even as President Barack Obama invites Republicans to next week's televised summit to seek possible compromises. [Associated Press, 2/19/2010] Rising Premiums Help Justify Obama's Latest Healthcare Push, Sebelius Says
A renewed push for healthcare overhaul is being driven partly by the need to stem escalating insurance costs that are stripping families and small businesses of their health coverage, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said Thursday. [L.A. Times, 2/18/2010] Premiums Jump 14 Percent on Medicare Private Plans
Millions of seniors who signed up for popular private health plans through Medicare are facing sharp premium increases this year — another sign that spiraling costs are a problem even for those with solid insurance. [Associated Press, 2/19/2010] EDITORIAL: Soaring Premiums Reflect Unsustainable Health System
It feels so right to be angry at health insurance companies. Insurers deny coverage to people who need it, cancel policies for flimsy reasons when people get sick, and now they've enraged customers in California and other states by proposing to jack up some premiums by almost 40%. Are they kidding?
[USA Today, 2/19/2010] EDITORIAL: The Lesson of Anthem Blue Cross
Clients were understandably furious when Anthem Blue Cross, the largest for-profit health insurer in California, announced huge rate increases for people who buy their own insurance: an average increase of 25 percent, and a 35 percent to 39 percent rise for a quarter of the purchasers. [New York Times, 2/19/2010] OPINION: California Death Spiral
By Paul Krugman
Health insurance premiums are surging — and conservatives fear that the spectacle will reinvigorate the push for reform. [New York Times, 2/19/2010] | 