Health Reform in the House | Fact of the Day If the health care system is not reformed, states would see a smaller share of its population getting health care through their job. Half of the states would see the number of people with employer sponsored health insurance fall by more than 10 percent. (Robert Wood Johnson Foundation) | | Follow Health Insurance Reform
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At the Time This Daily Dose Was Sent, Insured Americans Had Paid a “Hidden Tax” of $49,044,445,211 since January 1, 2009 in Additional Premium Costs to Cover Care for the Uninsured. Under the Microscope REPORT: OUR BROKEN HEALTH INSURANCE SYSTEM Across the country, families have seen their premiums skyrocket in recent years, and experts predict these increases will continue. Today HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius released a report on health insurance premium increases, including requested rate increases in Connecticut, Maine, Michigan, Oregon, Rhode Island and Washington. The report comes shortly after Anthem Blue Cross announced plans to raise rates on its California customers by as much as 39 percent. Health Insurance Reform legislation passed in the House and the Senate will help solve this problem of exorbitant rate increases. Provisions include: - Delivery System Reforms that encourage increased coordination and prevention to help contain costs
- Establishment of a health insurance Exchange Marketplace with smarter insurance regulation and better consumer protections including:
- Insurance Rate Reviews and public disclosure of rate increases leading up to the establishment of the Exchange and for insurance plans in the Exchange
- Greater Competition between insurers by creating increased transparency and consumer-friendly regulations to avoid cherry picking customers
- Insurance Reforms to help people stay covered
- Medical Loss Ratio Standards to ensure savings are passed on to consumers
- Removes the Antitrust Law Exemption for health insurance companies so they can be held accountable for price fixing, dividing up territories, or monopolizing their market
For more information on how health insurance reform is a solution to this problem, read Sebelius’ latest report Insurance Companies Prosper, Families Suffer, and TNR’s How to Beat the Blues. See more of the Consumer Protections & Insurance Market Reforms in House-passed H.R. 3962.
Health Care Headlines Rate Hikes On Health Insurance Prompt More Criticism From Obama Administration
The Obama administration stepped up its criticism Thursday of health insurers' recent efforts to raise their rates -- an attempt to harness public aggravation with the industry and rebuild momentum for broad changes to the nation's health-care system. [Washington Post, 2/18/2010] Democrats Hope Summit Will Revive Healthcare
Two Sundays ago, before the Super Bowl, President Obama showed up on TV. He announced a "healthcare summit" on February 25, a "bipartisan" affair, and said he wants it televised.
[U.S. News & World Report, 2/17/2010] ACP Urges Congress, White House To Build On Current Reform Legislation
In a new plea for Congress and the White House to move expediently on healthcare reform, the American College of Physicians had one central piece of advice: Don't start over. [Modern Healthcare, 2/17/2010]
Read ACP’s report. Republican Holds Out Hope on Health Care Overhaul
Unlike some of his lame-duck colleagues, Sen. Judd Gregg isn't disillusioned with Congress. Bipartisanship isn't dead, he says, and neither is health care reform. [Associated Press, 2/18/2010] Excise Tax on High-Cost Health Plans Would Have Nonunion Impact, Study Shows
A proposed tax on high-cost health insurance plans, an element of Democratic health-care legislation that has been strongly opposed by organized labor, would actually fall equally on nonunion plans, according to a new analysis. [Washington Post, 2/18/2010] Read the full analysis. OPINION: Soaring Premiums Show Need For Rx Overhaul
By Kathleen Sebelius, Department of Health and Human Services Secretary
Earlier this month, families opened their mail to another stark reminder of why we need to reform our broken health insurance system. [Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 2/17/2010] OPINION: Do We Really Want the Status Quo on Health Care?
By Nicholas D. Kristof
If you found a suspicious lump in your neck, you’d never put off dealing with it with the excuse: This is the loveliest neck in the world, and I don’t want to tinker with it. [New York Times, 2/18/2010]
Read the U.S. PIRG report Kristof cites. COMMENTARY: Yes, Let’s Talk About Backroom Deals
By Jonathan Cohn
The most effective Republican arguments about health care reform lately have been about procedure, not policy. [New Republic, 2/18/2010] | 