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Hospitals, White House reach accord on cuts to pay for reform

Major hospital groups reached an agreement Monday with the White House and Senate Democrats to accept $155 billion in payment cuts over ten years, a concession that would help pay for proposed health care reforms, the Washington Post reports.

7 Jul 2009

Democrats navigate reform - opposition from unions, Liberals

"Unionized workers have fought to preserve their relatively expensive health plans through contract talks, sometimes at the expense of wage increases," CQ Politics reports. "Now, with some unions airing televised ads targeting senators who support the idea of counting some health benefits as taxable income, pressure is increasing on Capitol Hill to look elsewhere to offset the cost of a health care overhaul."

7 Jul 2009

Veterans call for greater improvements for veteran services

Services for veterans have improved recently, but many veterans say more improvements still need to be made.

7 Jul 2009

Insurers open storefronts, raise rates to adjust to new reality

"Buying health insurance has become such a complex decision that Blue Cross and Blue Shield Florida is trying a new sales tactic: storefronts near big malls," the St. Petersburg Times reports.

7 Jul 2009

Seattle-area health cooperative offers alternative health system model

Innovations in care by a Seattle-area cooperative and clinic are shaping debate about what health care reform around America should look like, The New York Times reports.

7 Jul 2009

Alzheimer's patients fight for quicker Medicare coverage

NPR reports on the struggle of Alzheimer's patients who don't have health insurance trying to find ways to pay for their care and lobby for greater protections for themselves.

7 Jul 2009

Short-timer Whitehouse has his say

"While Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) is expected to be on the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee only for a short time, he should have a major effect on health reform," Roll Call reports.

7 Jul 2009

Senator Kennedy's absence from health care reform debate looms large

Roll Call reports that lobbyists feel Senator Edward Kennedy's absence: "With the health care reform debate in full tilt, it's fair to assume that the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee is the key player in producing the final version of the Senate's package.

7 Jul 2009

Children's hospital a model for benefits, struggles of health IT

An Associated Press examination of the "new all-digital Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh" reveals the benefits of electronic health records in action, and the steep climb the hospital took to achieve those improvements.

7 Jul 2009

Need for Federal insurance Czar questioned

"Health care overhaul legislation from President Barack Obama's congressional allies would create a federal insurance czar with sweeping new powers to oversee medical plans nationwide, an idea already drawing fierce criticism," The Associated Press reports. "State insurance commissioners are objecting, saying it would duplicate what they now do without offering any better protection for consumers. Conservatives are calling it a textbook example of a big government mentality."

7 Jul 2009

$40 million made available for children's health care enrollment efforts

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced today that states and local organizations can apply for $40 million worth of outreach grants "to enroll more eligible children in health-insurance programs," according to the Wall Street Journal.

7 Jul 2009

TV ad wars beginning over health overhaul proposals

The Associated Press reports that ads focused on congressional efforts to overhaul the nation's system are now appearing and will heat up as the summer progresses. "Through June 27, $31 million has been spent for roughly 47,000 TV ads on health care this year, says Evan Tracey, president of the Campaign Media Analysis Group, a firm that tracks issue advertising. That's double the roughly $14 million the insurance industry spent in 1993 and 1994 for the famous 'Harry and Louise' ads..., but a fraction of the $250 million Tracey guesses will ultimately be spent this year."

7 Jul 2009

Maine fights for Senators' votes, Grassley can't satisfy either side

Senators home for the Fourth of July recess found activists on each side of the health care debate waiting for them.

7 Jul 2009

Obama urges groups to stop attacks

"President Obama, strategizing... with congressional leaders about health-care reform, complained that liberal advocacy groups ought to drop their attacks on Democratic lawmakers and devote their energy to promoting passage of comprehensive legislation," The Washington Post reports.

7 Jul 2009

Lawmakers seek compromise on health overhaul proposals

Democrats and Republicans are saying that they will need to compromise on a government-run public plan if they are to meet the deadline of having a bill on the Senate floor by the August recess, The Associated Press reports.

7 Jul 2009

Minnesota clinics serving many more thanks to stimulus dollars

As Minnesota braces for some cuts to public health programs, the state's network of community health centers is being buoyed by money from the federal stimulus that will expand coverage to the un- and underinsured in that state, The Minnesota Post reports.

7 Jul 2009

'Consumer-directed' plans rise in popularity as businesses scramble to cut health costs

High-deductible health insurance plans coupled with health savings accounts (tax-advantaged funds for covering medical costs), are becoming the plan of choice for Connecticut's small businesses newly offering insurance to employees, Hartford Business reports.

7 Jul 2009