THE DAILY DOSE: THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2009

Under the Microscope

POLL: Consumer Confidence in Health Care Drops 1.3 Points in May
As lawmakers discuss comprehensive health reform legislation amidst the backdrop of a struggling national economy, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) released the first-ever monthly measure of consumer confidence in American health care. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Care Consumer Confidence Index (RWJF Index) is conducted by the same researchers who oversee the well-known monthly consumer confidence index, reported each month since the 1940s. [Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, 6/17/2009]
Read press coverage by the Associated Press.

PROPOSAL: Crossing Our Lines: Working Together to Reform the U.S. Health System
Former Senators Howard Baker, Tom Daschle, and Bob Dole have come forth with a bipartisan proposal for health care reform. It is the culmination of an inclusive year-and-a-half effort that included strategic outreach to key health care stakeholders, a series of state-based public policy forums, and months of personal deliberations by the Leaders. Organized around four "pillars" of health reform, its policies are inextricably intertwined, and consequently work together to achieve more significant improvements in the health care system than could be achieved if they were considered in an isolated manner. [Bipartisan Policy Center, 6/18/2009]

Download the Summary here.
Read coverage of this proposal from the Associated Press,
The New York Times, CongressDaily, CQ HealthBeat, and in The Washington Post from David Broder and Ceci Connolly.

Health Care Headlines

• Report: Health Care Costs to Rise 9 Pct in 2010
  Employers who offer health insurance coverage could see a 9 percent cost increase next year, and their workers may face an even bigger hit, according to a report from consulting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers.
  [Associated Press, 6/18/2009]
  Download the Report here.
• Sebelius Says Obama Wants Health Overhaul Cost ‘Within the Bounds of Reason’
  Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius on Wednesday reiterated the administration’s determination to enact a health overhaul that does not add to the deficit — even as congressional committees struggled with the very question of how to provide expanded access and coverage at a politically acceptable cost. [CQ HealthBeat, 6/17/2009]
• Some Common Ground Emerges in Health Battle
  At the same time partisan divisions over health care are becoming increasingly stark, Democrats and Republicans in Congress are finding consensus on ideas that ultimately could be included in a final plan. [USA Today, 6/18/2009]
• U.S. Doctor’s Group Supports Health Care Reform
  Fixing the U.S. healthcare system will require extensive reforms, much like treating a patient with multiple organ failure, the president of the leading U.S. doctor's group said on Wednesday. [Reuters, 6/18/2009]
• State Lawmakers Push Hard For Public Insurance Option
  More than 700 state legislators are urging Congress and the White House to include a public plan in healthcare reform legislation, Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, and Rep. Steve Kagen, D-Wis., said Wednesday after receiving a letter from the group. [Congress Daily, 6/18/2009]
• Finance Panel Markup Slipping to July
  The Senate Finance Committee's markup of healthcare overhaul legislation appears to be slipping after CBO came in earlier this week with a $1.6 trillion price tag for a recent version of the panel's overhaul measure. [CongressDaily, 6/17/2009]
• Debate on Health Care Hits Snags At the Start
  The debate over a sweeping overhaul of the nation's health-care system got off to a rocky start in the Senate yesterday as lawmakers delayed action on one key bill and engaged in partisan sniping over another. [Washington Post, 6/18/2009]
• Labor Puts President on Notice Over Health Tax
  President Barack Obama and Congressional Democrats risk a major rift with their union allies if they decide to pay for health care reform by taxing employer-provided health benefits, according to union sources. [Roll Call, 6/18/2009]
• Bill Aims to Ease Transition from Hospital to Home
  When patients leave the hospital they often don’t get the detailed instructions or reminders they need to ensure proper follow-up care, contributing to costly readmissions to the hospital, researchers say.
  [CQ HealthBeat, 6/17/2009]
• OPINION: The Individual Mandate – An Affordable and Fair Approach to Achieving Universal Coverage
  By Linda Blumberg, PhD & John Holahan, PhD
  Some of the most prominent shortcomings of the U.S. health insurance market are rooted in the fact that the system is a voluntary one. [New England Journal of Medicine, 7/2/2009]
• OPINION: The ‘Bipartisan’ Trap in Health Reform
  By E.J. Dionne Jr.
  Where did we get the idea that the only good health-care bill is a bipartisan bill? Is bipartisanship more important than whether a proposal is practical and effective? And if bipartisanship is a legitimate goal, isn't each party equally responsible for achieving it? [Washington Post, 6/18/2009]