Health Reform in the House Wednesday, February 24, 10:00 a.m.
Hearing on Anthem Blue Cross Premium Hike
Committee On Energy & Commerce
Hearing Room TBD
More information here | Fact of the Day Twenty percent of adults with individual insurance coverage lack coverage for prescription drugs. (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 $49,509,925,555 since January 1, 2009 in Additional Premium Costs to Cover Care for the Uninsured. Under the Microscope WEEKLY ADDRESS: TIME TO MOVE FORWARD ON HEALTH CARE REFORM In his weekly address, President Barack Obama called on Democratic and Republican leaders to attend Thursday's bipartisan, public health care meeting in good faith to find reforms that work for American families and small businesses. With several health insurance companies announcing steep hikes in their rates – from 10 to over 30 percent – it is clear that the status quo is not working for the American people. Watch or download the Weekly Address or read the transcript on whitehouse.gov. WHITE HOUSE RELEASES PROPOSAL AHEAD OF THURSDAY MEETING Over the past year the House and the Senate have been working on an effort to provide health insurance reform that lowers costs, guarantees choices, and enhances quality health care for all Americans. Building on that year-long effort, the President put forward a proposal today that builds off of the legislation that passed the Senate and improves on it by bridging key differences between the House and the Senate bills. It also incorporates several Republican provisions. The proposal will serve as a framework for discussion during Thursday’s meeting. Key changes to the Senate bill include increasing affordability of insurance in the Exchange, eliminating the Nebraska FMAP provision, and providing increased support to states for the expansion of Medicaid. Read the proposal and its summary documents here.
Health Care Headlines Health-Care Shocker: Policy-holder's Premium Goes Up 69%
College-age kids get more than twice Anthem's average rate hike in California. [MarketWatch, 2/19/2010] Waxman Takes Insurance Company To Task Over Proposed Premium Hikes
House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) isn't buying health insurance company WellPoint's explanation for a subsidiary's proposed premium increases. [The Hill, 2/18/2010] Obama Details Plan to Expand Health Care to Uninsured
President Obama on Monday laid out for the first time a detailed legislative proposal for overhauling health care, largely sticking with the approach passed by the Senate with unified Democratic support in December but making concessions to the House version as well. [New York Times, 2/22/2010] Obama Proposal Targets Insurance-Rate Increases
President Obama will call for new government power to regulate insurance-rate increases as part of comprehensive changes to the health-care system that the White House will unveil on its Web site Monday, senior officials said. [Washington Post, 2/22/2010] President Obama Urges Democrats, GOP to Compromise at Health-Care Reform Summit
President Obama warned lawmakers on both sides of the aisle Saturday not to turn the upcoming White House health-care summit into "political theater," but rather "to seek common ground in an effort to solve a problem that's been with us for generations." [Washington Post, 2/21/2010] States Consider Medicaid Cuts As Use Grows
Facing relentless fiscal pressure and exploding demand for government health care, virtually every state is making or considering substantial cuts in Medicaid, even as Democrats push to add 15 million people to the rolls. [New York Times, 2/18/2010] Medicaid Enrollment Rises Nationwide, Analysis Finds
The recession has fueled the greatest influx of Americans onto Medicaid since the earliest days of the public insurance program for the poor, according to new findings that show caseloads have surged in every state. [Washington Post, 2/19/2010] Read a related New York Times editorial. Governors Focus On Health Care Reform
Gov. Joe Manchin (D- WVa.) discusses the environmental and health care reform efforts in his state, while Gov. Gary Herbert (R-Utah), says he thinks states should take the lead in health care issues. [NPR, 2/22/2010] Public Option Revival Gains Steam
The public option, the left’s favorite part of healthcare reform, is mounting an unexpected comeback.
[The Hill, 2/20/2010] A Cautionary Tale in Healthcare Reform
Two decades ago, New York passed a law requiring insurers to accept all applicants, even those with preexisting conditions. Now, premiums in the state are the highest in the nation by some estimates.
[L.A. Times, 2/21/2010] EDITORIAL: Summit Strategy
President Obama plans to unveil, in advance of Thursday's health-care summit, a merged version of the House and Senate bills. [Washington Post, 2/21/2010] OPINION: The Elephant at the Health-Care Summit
By E.J. Dionne Jr.
This week, particularly the health-care summit President Obama has called for Thursday, will determine the shape of American politics for the next three years. [Washington Post, 2/22/2010] | 