Health Care For America Now

NEWS

Protesters greet health-insurance executives at roundtable in Providence - The Providence Journal

When the Clinton administration attempted to overhaul the health-care system in the 1990s, among the loudest voices raised in opposition was that of the health-insurance industry. The insurers financed the notorious “Harry and Louise” commercials that contributed to the Clinton plan’s failure.

Crowd protests Anthem profits - Cincinnati Enquirer

Shouting "Health-care now!" about 200 protesters Thursday afternoon rushed into the lobby of Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield at its Ohio headquarters in Mason.

House Backs Stimulus Bill, but It Stalls in Senate - New York Times

The House on Friday passed a bill intended to revive the economy with $61 billion of federal spending, but the Senate blocked consideration of a similar bill, and President Bush issued veto threats against both.

Churches Flex Influence on Health - The Orlando Sentinel

There are lots of reasons why many Americans don't go to the doctor. They don't have insurance. They're too busy. They don't trust the traditional health-care system.

Study: Cost of health care burdensome for farmers - Columbia Tribune

Richard Williams of Tipton hasn’t seen a doctor since 1985. His wife, Kate, rarely has either. So why do medical expenses rank among the highest costs for these two cattle ranchers?

Average Monthly Premium for Stand-Alone Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage Will Increase by 24% in 2009 to $37, According to Report - Kaiser Family Foundation

The average monthly premium for stand-alone Medicare prescription drug coverage will increase by 24% to $37 next year, according to an analysis of the plans by Avalere Health, the Wall Street Journal reports. The average monthly premium was $30 in 2008. Monthly premiums for the 10 most popular plans will increase by 31% next year, according to the analysis (Zhang/Fuhrmans, Wall Street Journal, 9/26). The 10 largest plans account for 61% of Medicare drug plan beneficiaries (Bloomberg/Arizona Daily Star, 9/16). CMS spokesperson Jeff Nelligan said premium increases are the result of rising drug prices and higher-than-expected usage of drug benefits (LaMendola, South Florida Sun-Sentinel, 9/26).

OPINION

Helping Hospitals - Los Angeles Times

So many unfunded federal mandates regarding illegal immigration stick in the collective craw of border states — whose schools, prisons and healthcare systems bear a disproportionate responsibility for the country's broken immigration policies — that it's hard to single out just one. But near the top of the list is Congress' requirement that hospitals provide emergency treatment to illegal immigrants and its amnesia about paying for it, an act of neglect with special implications for Southern California.

The Band-Aid Approach is Not the Cure for Medicare - Chicago Tribune

Congress — lobbied by seniors and physician groups — scrambled over the summer to prevent a 10.6 percent cut in the rate Medicare pays physicians. The measure eventually passed.

The Chances of Reform Are Now - You guessed it - Zero - The Health Care Blog

I would suggest that lots of things have changed since each candidate offered their health care reform plan.

Obama's health plan will cost at least $100 billion a year. That's now a non-starter.

McCain's health plan counts on deregulation of the health insurance industry. Do I even need to explain to you why that is a political non-starter in this environment?

Will We Need a Bailout of the Health Care System, Too? - The Health Care Blog

A huge bailout is being planned in Washington to avert a calamity that was brought about, in large measure, by the financial system operating the way financial operators told us it was supposed to function. The money is needed, we are told, to bail out the financiers who assured us — up until just a couple of weeks ago — that the system they operated was sound and would need no rescue.