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White House remains open to taxing health benefits, Obama plans town hall meeting

The White House remains open to taxing some health benefits to help pay for health care reform despite campaigning against the move last year, The Washington Post reports.

30 Jun 2009

Health reform questions continue to loom

Reuters reports that "President Barack Obama's drive to overhaul the U.S. healthcare system may be back on track thanks to Senate efforts to cut the price tag to $1 trillion, but a bipartisan deal on the sweeping proposal still is far from certain ... Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus was upbeat last week after announcing that panel members had found ways to bring the price tag to about $1 trillion over 10 years, down from an earlier estimate of a staggering $1.6 trillion ... Instead, the core group of negotiators -- three Democrats and four Republicans -- issued a tepid statement on Thursday merely affirming their commitment to continue negotiations."

30 Jun 2009

Think tank releases new health care framework

The Center for American Progress proposed a "fail-safe" mechanism designed to ensure that a health care overhaul wouldn't add to the federal deficit today. The plan, part of a financing proposal for health care legislation that was released at a breakfast with reporters, is aimed at addressing concerns that a revamping might not produce expected cost savings over the long run, leading to a big increase in the budget gap.

30 Jun 2009

U.S.-backed program trains Iraqi women to be nursing aids

Fox News examines a U.S.-supported program in Iraq that is equipping women with the skills they need to become nursing aids.

30 Jun 2009

New York Times examines one American's efforts to help Pakistanis with health care

The New York Times profiles the Comprehensive Disaster Relief Services (CDRS) hospital in Chikar, Pakistan, which was started by American Todd Shea after the 2005 earthquake in that country. The aspiring musician's life was turned over to rescue efforts after September 11, when he used his van to "ferry meals to firefighters at Ground Zero," according to the New York Times.

30 Jun 2009

News reports examine patients unable to pay health bills in Kenya's "cash starved" hospitals; "bad shape" of Uganda's facilities

The Los Angeles Times examines several stories of patients too poor to pay their hospital bills in Kenya that were held in a "makeshift patients' prison," until they escape or settle their debt. "Tragically, healthcare horror stories are common in Africa, where developing countries rarely have medical safety nets for the poor. But an increase in cases of cash-starved public hospitals and mortuaries detaining patients and even corpses over unpaid bills is spurring outrage in Kenya," writes the newspaper.

30 Jun 2009

Obama leaves door open to tax on health benefits

"President Barack Obama on Wednesday rejected the idea of fully taxing Americans' employer-provided health insurance benefits, but suggested he might be persuaded to tax so-called Cadillac coverage ... in the interest of a compromise with Congress," McClatchy/The Star-Telegram reports.

29 Jun 2009

Obama reaches out to Governors on health care

"A bipartisan group of governors told President Obama yesterday that they share his urgent desire to restructure the nation's health-care system but warned that any changes should not place more burdens on strained state budgets or eliminate innovative programs they already have in place," The Washington Post reports.

29 Jun 2009

Baucus signals finance committee progress on health overhaul bill

"A group of key Senate negotiators found a way to further reduce the price tag on the health care reform bill, bringing it in line with a $1 trillion target and moving the Senate Finance Committee closer to a deal, Chairman Max Baucus said Thursday," according to Politico.

29 Jun 2009

California Rulings: State can cut Medi-Cal benefits but not home care wages

"A federal judge on Thursday blocked a $2 hourly wage cut for California in-home care workers that was slated to begin July 1, potentially increasing California's budget deficit by another $98 million," The Sacramento Bee reports.

29 Jun 2009

President Obama joins in chorus of complaints about CBO figures

President Barack Obama joins the chorus of Democrats who criticize Congressional Budget Office numbers and claim that their analyses estimates aren't fair. The criticism comes after the agency provided $1 to $1.6 trillion estimates for two of the Democrats' draft health care reform bills.

29 Jun 2009

Warranties and reimbursements for family caregivers provide alternative payment methods

The New York Times reports on a proposal for a new health care reimbursement model that offers warranties to patients, a topic also examined in a piece by Francois de Brantes in the journal, Health Affairs.

29 Jun 2009

Critics escalate attacks on health care overhaul

Tensions are showing as health reform continues to be center stage on the President's and Congress' domestic policy agenda.

29 Jun 2009

Finance Committee Senators: Reform bill trimmed to less than $1 trillion

Some senators on the Finance Committee said Thursday they've moved closer to cutting their health reform bill's cost to under $1 trillion.

29 Jun 2009

Is President Obama fighting the last war?

Bill and Hillary Clinton are off saving the world, he through his global foundation and she via the State Department. But their presence looms over the health care debate as surely as if they were running the White House. Their epic failure to pass reform in 1994 has become the defining object lesson in how to botch health care legislation--a lesson President Obama has obviously taken to heart. Push for reform right away; let Congress hash out the details; and, above all, don't threaten people's current insurance arrangements. You can sum up Obama's strategy for health reform as "WWCD": What Wouldn't the Clintons Do.

29 Jun 2009

White House not ruling out taxing benefits, public plan compromise

Politico: "White House senior adviser David Axelrod says President Barack Obama would like to have a public option – or government-run insurance plan – as part of a health reform package, but will not insist on it.

29 Jun 2009

Obama, Democrats walking fine line on health overhaul

Various media outlets examined how negotiations for a bipartisan health care overhaul are facing challenges from Democrats as well as Republicans.

29 Jun 2009

Healthcare outcome boost needs better studies

Evidence suggests that outcomes in many clinical settings leave a lot to be desired, which means that research into quality improvement (QI) in clinical care has the potential to greatly improve the lot of patients. Now a study in the journal Medical Care Research and Review published by SAGE suggests that both theoretical and practical improvements in QI effectiveness studies could make these into much more powerful tools for positive change.

25 Jun 2009

Requirements for using e-health begin to emerge; public input needed, experts say

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (a.k.a. The Stimulus) set aside billions of dollars for hospitals to acquire electronic medical record systems, but one requirement for hospitals hoping to receive the money will be to share patient records with other facilities, the Dallas Morning News reports.

25 Jun 2009

Sources: Hospitals may strike deal to save $200 billion

Hospitals could sign on to an agreement with Senate health reform leader Max Baucus, D-Mont., and the White House to help save up to $200 billion as part of the overhaul plan, lobbyist and health industry sources tell Roll Call.

25 Jun 2009

Healthcare News

White House remains open to taxing health benefits, Obama plans town hall meeting

Health reform questions continue to loom

Think tank releases new health care framework

U.S.-backed program trains Iraqi women to be nursing aids

New York Times examines one American's efforts to help Pakistanis with health care

News reports examine patients unable to pay health bills in Kenya's "cash starved" hospitals; "bad shape" of Uganda's facilities

Obama leaves door open to tax on health benefits

Obama reaches out to Governors on health care

Baucus signals finance committee progress on health overhaul bill

California Rulings: State can cut Medi-Cal benefits but not home care wages

President Obama joins in chorus of complaints about CBO figures

Warranties and reimbursements for family caregivers provide alternative payment methods

Critics escalate attacks on health care overhaul

Finance Committee Senators: Reform bill trimmed to less than $1 trillion

Is President Obama fighting the last war?

White House not ruling out taxing benefits, public plan compromise

Obama, Democrats walking fine line on health overhaul

Healthcare outcome boost needs better studies

Requirements for using e-health begin to emerge; public input needed, experts say

Sources: Hospitals may strike deal to save $200 billion

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