Health Reform in the House | Fact of the Day Almost half (45.8 percent) of people of color under the age of 65 went without health coverage for some or all of the two-year period 2007-2008.
(Families USA) | Health Resources |
Under the Microscope ANALYSIS: Regional Variations in Spending and Health Outcomes Under Medicare
Below are articles and a resource on the wide variations in Medicare spending around the country.
The Cost Conundrum
[McAllen, Texas] is one of the most expensive health-care markets in the country. Only Miami—which has much higher labor and living costs—spends more per person on health care. In 2006, Medicare spent fifteen thousand dollars per enrollee here, almost twice the national average. The income per capita is twelve thousand dollars. In other words, Medicare spends three thousand dollars more per person here than the average person earns. [New Yorker, 6/1/09]
Slowing the Growth of Health Care Costs – Lessons from Regional Variation
Most observers see rising costs as an inexorable force, blame advancing technology, and conclude that only by rationing beneficial care or making draconian price cuts can we slow the growth of health care costs. But a careful look at variations in spending growth and spending patterns among U.S. regions reveals a more optimistic picture.
[New England Journal of Medicine, 2/26/09]
Examine your state in the Dartmouth Atlas of Health Care, an interactive map showing reimbursements to hospitals by state and referral region.
Health Care Headlines Republicans Complain About Plan for Health Insurance
Republican frustration with Democratic plans to remake the health care system boiled over Thursday, as Republicans complained about the size, shape and cost of the emerging proposal.
[New York Times, 6/5/2009] Blue Dogs Demand Tight Constraints on Any Public Health Plan Option
Conservative House Democrats set strict conditions Thursday for any government-run insurance plan Congress creates as part of a health care overhaul, ruling out support for a plan that resembles Medicare — the option favored by many liberals. [Congressional Quarterly, 6/4/2009] Drugstore Health Clinic Treating More Ailments
Amid the economic downturn and slow growth for retail and outpatient medical-care services, pharmacy giants Walgreen Co. and CVS Caremark Corp. are rolling out specialized services at their in-store clinics, going beyond treatment of routine maladies. [Chicago Tribune, 6/5/2009] The Moment of Truth
A picture of a handsome young man riding a bucking bronco hangs in the office of Max Baucus. The Democratic senator from Montana was a novice in the rough world of rodeo three decades ago, but when challenged he did not hesitate. The nerve-racking ride that ensued foreshadowed his current wild adventure. As chairman of the Senate’s Finance Committee, this relatively unknown figure has emerged as a central force in the struggle over health reform. [The Economist, 6/4/2009] Fixing Health Care: When Patients Don’t Know Best
Few spontaneous injuries are as obvious as a rupture of the Achilles tendon. That ropelike cord in the back of our ankles carries enormous loads. It resists, literally, a thousand pounds of tension when a person, even of normal weight, runs or jumps. When the tendon pops, it's not subtle; many patients report actually hearing a bang. It hurts a lot. And most characteristically, they suddenly lose all "down power" in the ankle, making it impossible to get up on tiptoe. [TIME, 6/5/2009] The Big Five Health Care Dilemmas
Max Baucus, the Senate's point man on health care, sounds supremely confident when he talks about the odds that Congress will pass its most sweeping piece of social legislation since the New Deal. "Meaningful, comprehensive health-care legislation passes this year. That's a given," he declares, sipping a bottle of water in his functionally furnished hideaway office just steps from the Senate chamber. "It's gonna pass. It's gonna happen. There's no doubt about it." [TIME, 6/5/2009] Taking the Hill
Sometime in the next few weeks, Congress and the White House will descend into the labyrinthine politics of comprehensive health care reform. For Barack Obama, this signals the end, in a sense, of the eventful prologue to his presidency. [New York Times Magazine, 6/2/2009] OPINION: Obamacare's AntidoteBy Michael Gerson, Ryan Hertog Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations
It is a political fact that all the divisive debates and massive expenditures of the early days of the Obama presidency -- from stimulus spending to bank bailouts to the nationalization of auto companies -- have been distractions from an aside within a sideshow. [Washington Post, 6/5/2009] OPINION: Keeping Them HonestBy Paul Krugman, Professor of Economics and International Affairs at Princeton University
“I appreciate your efforts, and look forward to working with you so that the Congress can complete health care reform by October.” So declared President Obama in a letter this week to Senators Max Baucus and Edward Kennedy. The big health care push is officially on. [New York Times, 6/5/2009] OPINION: Medicare, Start the BiddingBy Peter Bach, former advisor to CMS administrator (05-06) & doctor at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
Every year, like half a million other doctors, I sign on to the government’s largest no-bid, no-compete contract. We agree to treat Medicare patients for a set rate, and Medicare agrees to take all of us on board, whether or not our services are needed in the city or town where we practice. [New York Times, 6/3/09]
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