ICYMI: Kaiser Family Foundation's Drew Altman on Delays in Benefits in Reform Bill
Posted by The Campaign on December 22, 2009 at 8:34 PM
In an article from the Associated Press entitled "Pain before gain in health care overhaul", the AP quotes Kaiser Family Foundation president Drew Altman saying this about the bill:
"There's going to be an expectations gap, no question about that. People are going to see their premiums and out-of-pocket costs go up before the tangible benefits kick in."
For the full article, click here.
ICYMI: AHIP's Robert Zirkelbach on CNN Discussing the Senate's Vote
Posted by The Campaign on December 21, 2009 at 11:38 AM
AHIP's Robert Zirkelbach appeared on CNN early this morning to discuss the Senate's vote and AHIP's view on health care reform.
CNN:
AHIP's Robert Zirkelbach on Fox News Special Report:
AHIP PERSPECTIVE: AHIP STATEMENT ON SENATE HEALTH CARE REFORM LEGISLATION
Posted by The Campaign on December 19, 2009 at 6:05 PM
AHIP STATEMENT ON SENATE HEALTH CARE REFORM LEGISLATION Washington, DC – Karen Ignagni, President and CEO of America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), released the following statement today on the Senate health care reform legislation: “The debate before us today is not whether insurance market reforms are needed. In fact, health plans proposed and support a complete overhaul of insurance market rules and new consumer protections to ensure all Americans have guaranteed access to affordable, portable coverage. The critical policy questions are whether the current legislation can bend the cost curve and result in a sustainable system. While the bill makes important improvements in access and takes steps towards cost-containment, it lacks accountability to ensure that costs are brought under control. Moreover, this bill includes provisions that will increase costs for families and small businesses and disrupt the quality coverage on which millions of Americans rely today.” Barriers to affordability: · A new $70 billion premium tax that will increase the cost of health care coverage for millions of Americans and fall primarily on small businesses and those who purchase coverage in the individual market. · More cost shifting to patients with private coverage as providers are forced to make up for hundreds of billions in reduced Medicare payments. · New market and rating rules that will increase premiums for individuals and small businesses with coverage today. Disruptions for current policyholders: · New regulatory requirements and benefit mandates that go into effect beginning next year – before access provisions go into effect – that will cause major disruption for millions who have already enrolled in their plan for next year. · A new federal plan that would preclude many high-quality plans from participating and increase complexity in the exchanges. · Arbitrary caps on administrative costs that will undermine essential health care services, such as disease management and care coordination programs, investments in health information technology, programs to root out fraud and abuse in the health care system, and new administrative simplification requirements. · Major cuts in Medicare Advantage benefits beginning next year that will ultimately result in millions of seniors losing their current coverage. “These issues need to be resolved if the country is to make health care coverage more affordable and put the system on a sustainable path. Health plans will continue to work to solve the problems that have been identified.” ###
ICYMI: The Economist -- The Necessity of an Individual Mandate
Posted by The Campaign on December 18, 2009 at 11:01 AM
"You cannot have universal health insurance without a mandate. Every country in the world that has a universal health-insurance system either requires its citizens to buy health insurance, or includes its citizens in a default insurance programme automatically and taxes them for it (which is effectively the same thing). The reasons for this are simple, and have been covered hundreds of times since the current debate over universal health insurance began during the Democratic presidential primaries in late 2007."
"If you don't oblige everyone to buy health insurance, then many young and healthy people will bet on not needing insurance, and will decline to buy it. That shrinks the remaining pool such that it is made up of older, sicker people with higher medical costs, and thus premiums will rise. That in turn will cause more healthy people to leave the system. This is the phenomenon of 'adverse selection'. Ultimately you're left only with rich old sick people, and nobody else can afford insurance. This is known as an insurance death spiral. If you want affordable, universal health insurance, then everyone has to buy in."
For the full article, click here.
Poll Vault: Recent Polls Show Majority Believe Taxes Will Increase Under Current Reform Proposals
Posted by The Campaign on December 17, 2009 at 3:35 PM
Las Vegas Review-Journal Opinion Poll - 12/09
80% believe their taxes will go up vs. 11% who think taxes will not go up.
55% believe they will pay more in taxes or insurance costs under current bill vs. 9% less
Economist/YouGov – 12/6-8/09Bloomberg Poll - 12/3-7/09
57% oppose imposing additional taxes on health care industries, including insurers, drugmakers and medical device manufacturers vs. 38% who favor.
Poll Vault: Recent Polls Show Majority Believe Deficit Will Increase Under Current Reform Proposals
Posted by The Campaign on December 17, 2009 at 1:31 PM
Rasmussen Reports - 11/29/09
60% believe health care reform legislation will increase the deficit vs. 17% believe it will reduce the deficit.
ABC News/Washington Post Poll - 12/10-13/09
Two-thirds (66%) say the health-care reforms would add to the federal deficit, with two-thirds (66%) of those people calling such an increase "not worth it." 11% said reforms would decrease the deficit.
Quinnipiac Poll - 12/1-6/09
74% who think the current reform proposal will add to the deficit vs. only 19% of voters think that the POTUS can keep his pledge that health insurance reform will not add to our federal budget deficit over the next decade.
CNN / Opinion Research Corporation Poll - 12/2-3/09
If a bill similar to the one that the Senate is considering becomes law, do you think the federal budget deficit would or would not increase? 79% Would happen vs. 19% Would not happen.
Poll Vault: Recent Polls Show Majority Believe Costs Will Increase Under Current Reform Proposals
Posted by The Campaign on December 17, 2009 at 1:29 PM
Thompson Reuters Poll - 12/3/09
Believe the amount of money spent on healthcare will be less 12 months from now: 52 percent strongly disagree vs. 13 percent strongly agree.
Fox News/Opinion Dynamics – 12/8-9/09
23% think current reform proposal will save them money vs. 64% who think it will cost them money.
ABC News/Washington Post Poll - 12/10-13/2009
53% think their own health care will cost them more under current proposal.
55% think the country’s health care system’s overall costs will be more.
Rasmussen Reports - 12/12-13/09
57% say costs will go up if the plan passes vs. 17% say costs will go down.
Quinnipiac Poll - 12/1-6/09
63% say that extending health insurance to all will raise their cost of health care vs. 30% say it will not.
Battleground (Tarrance/Lake Research) - 12/09
41% of Americans think lowering costs should be the #1 priority of health care reform vs. 28% ensuring every American has insurance vs. 22% improving quality of health care.
But only 11% of Americans think lowering costs has been the main priority of the President vs. 63% ensuring every American has insurance vs. 7% improving quality of health care.
ICYMI: Senate Bill Cuts Funding for Safety Net Hospitals
Posted by The Campaign on December 17, 2009 at 1:00 PM
A San Jose Mercury News article focuses on a provision in the Senate bill that will negatively impact California.
Here are a few key excerpts:
"Safety net hospitals, such as Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, serve everyone regardless of their ability to pay."
For the full article, click here. "The Senate would also cut Medicare funding to DSH hospitals by $20.6 billion over the next decade...Combining the cuts to Medicaid and Medicare, the Senate version of the health care reform bill would mean $42.8 billion less in funding for DSH hospitals over the next 10 years, $22.5 billion more than the cuts contained in the House bill.""What will this mean to VMC? Put simply, it could well mean the difference between staying open — or not.""In concept, health care reform is designed to lessen the pressure placed on safety net hospitals by providing insurance to the uninsured. But in California and here in Silicon Valley, we are likely to continue to have a large number of uninsured people...""...this exceptional public health system could collapse under the weight of costly uninsured and underinsured patients if the Senate version of health care reform passes."
ICYMI: Ruth Marcus Says Reform Debate Disregards True Cost Drivers
Posted by The Campaign on December 17, 2009 at 12:21 PM
The Washington Post's Ruth Marcus writes about misconceptions regarding GRP and points to real drivers of healthcare costs.
Here are a couple key excerpts:
"Setting that aside, the argument by Dean and his fellow public-planners is that only with a government-run insurance plan alongside private insurers will there be a mechanism to ensure competition and keep down costs. But premium increases are driven in significant part by the rising price of underlying goods and services."
"Consolidation among hospitals has reduced insurers’ ability to bargain for better prices. Pharmaceutical makers are far more profitable than insurers -- and the wholesale price of brand-name prescription drugs has risen by 9 percent in the past year."
For the full Op-Ed, click here.
ICYMI: Chicago Tribune -- Polls Show Public Envisioning Higher Costs and Lower Quality Brought By Congress's Health Reform Proposals
Posted by The Campaign on December 17, 2009 at 11:47 AM
A Chicago Tribune editorial shows that Congress's healthcare agenda no longer reflects what the public wants.
Here are a few key excerpts:
"The 'public option' -- a major intrusion of government into the private health insurance business -- is history...So apparently is the 'trigger'...Gone, too, is the notion of allowing some Americans to buy into Medicare at age 55, 10 years earlier than everyone else gains coverage. That proposal was a huge and awesomely expensive down payment on government-run health care for all."
"The Senate is scaling back its ambitions for health care reform, way back, and that's a good thing."
"But Congress needs a reality check, not a presidential shove. While lawmakers have been busy plugging in and tossing out proposals like jigsaw pieces, many Americans have grown wary. In a recent CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll, only 22 percent of Americans said they thought the health care proposals in Congress would help them or their families. That's 22 percent!"
"A Washington Post-ABC News poll released Wednesday echoed those fears: 53 percent of those polled envisioned higher costs for themselves if the proposed changes go into effect. Yet only 37 percent thought their quality of care would improve under a new system."
"That's no groundswell for dramatic change. Just the opposite."
For the full editorial, click here.
