Health Reform in the House Tuesday, June 16th, 10:00 a.m.
Hearing on Terminations of Individual Health Policies by Insurance Companies
Committee On Energy & Commerce
Subcommittee On Oversight And Investigations
2123 Rayburn House Office Building | Fact of the Day Approximately 50 percent of rural employees work for small businesses. People working for small businesses are twice as likely to be uninsured.
(Center for Rural Affairs) | Health Resources |
Under the Microscope WEEKLY ADDRESS: President Obama Calls for Real Health Care Reform
The President has long noted that skyrocketing health care costs will be disastrous for our long term national debt unless we pass real reform. In last Saturday’s Weekly Address, the President also explains how he will cover the upfront costs of reform by eliminating overpayments to Medicaid and Medicare and driving down costs contributing to governments health care expenditures across the board. [The White House, 6/13/2009]
Read the President’s Fact Sheet on Savings in Medicare and Medicaid.
Read coverage of the President’s proposals in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and CQ Today.
REPORT: Front and Center: Ensuring that Health Reform Puts People First
This report focuses on those who would benefit from health reforms outlined earlier by the Commonwealth Fund, including the estimated 116 million working-age adults—two-thirds of all adults—who report that they are uninsured or underinsured, have medical bill or debt problems, or experience difficulties obtaining needed care. A national health insurance exchange with competing private plans and a new public plan has the potential to provide greater choices, better benefits, and more affordable premiums. [Commonwealth Fund, 6/11/2009]
Health Care Headlines Obama: Health System a ‘Time Bomb’
President Barack Obama described the American health care system Monday as a “ticking time bomb” in need of a drastic overhaul – and said that part of that fix must include the controversial public insurance option.
[Politico, 6/14/2009]
Read a related story in the Chicago Sun Times here. House Democrats Plan to Boost Physician Pay, Then Scrap SGR
House Democrats are planning to boost Medicare payments to physicians by 1 percent to 1.3 percent in 2010 and scrap the current Medicare payment formula thereafter, according to an attendee at a meeting with Democratic staffers last week. [CQ HealthBeat, 6/15/2009] Health CEOs Call for $500 Billion in Costs Savings in Medicare
As Congress debates how to rein in cost and at the same time improve quality in the nation’s health care system, top executives from nine health provider organizations Friday endorsed a set of ideas tied to coordinated care for patients that they predicted could save the Medicare system some $500 to $600 billion in 10 years. [CQ HealthBeat, 6/12/2009] Sebelius: Health Plan Would Cut Costs
The administration's top health-policy official on Sunday said President Barack Obama's plan to create a government-run health insurance program would bring competition to private insurers and lower health-care costs nationwide. [Wall Street Journal, 6/15/2009] To Pay for Health Care, a Taxing Debate
Even as Senate Finance Committee members move steadily toward limiting the tax-free status of employer-provided health benefits, they face another difficult decision on how to structure such a cap.
[CQ Today, 6/12/2009] Read a related story in the Washington Post. Affordable Health Insurance Elusive in Rural U.S.
Larry Harbour is celebrated in Nebraska as a model entrepreneur. But the 33-year-old owner of LB Custom Chrome and Detail in rural Broken Bow, Neb., is an illness or injury away from losing his business. [NPR, 6/14/2009] EDITORIAL: Doctors and the Cost of Care
As the debate over health care reform unfolds, policy makers and the public need to focus more attention on doctors and the huge role they play in determining the cost of medical care — costs that are rising relentlessly. [New York Times, 6/13/2009]
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