Viewing entries tagged with 'Morning Headlines'
Morning Headlines: July 1, 2009
Posted by The Campaign on July 01, 2009 at 9:06 AM
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The Wall Street Journal: Institute Offers Blueprint for U.S. Effort to Compare Medical Treatments
“The nonprofit Institute of Medicine provided a road map Tuesday for a new U.S.-backed effort to compare medical treatments and give doctors and patients better information to guide care for dozens of diseases and conditions.”
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The New York Times: Panel Suggests U.S. Medical Priorities
“An influential scientific advisory panel has recommended that federal officials give top priority to comparing the effectiveness of competing medical strategies in areas that include treating prostate cancer, reducing hospital infections and lowering the rate of unwanted pregnancies.”
MORNING HEADLINES: June 30, 2009
Posted by The Campaign on June 30, 2009 at 6:26 AM
“With Democrats deeply divided over health legislation, President Obama is trying to enlist the nation’s governors and his own army of grass-roots supporters in a bid to increase pressure on lawmakers without getting himself mired in the messy battle playing out on Capitol Hill.”
“This year, 39% of doctors said they’d communicated with patients online, up from just 16% five years earlier, according to health-information firm Manhattan Research, a unit of Decision Resources Inc. So far, the most common digital doctor services are the simplest ones, like paying bills, sending lab results and scheduling appointments. But patients like Ms. Rust are also using computers to deal with issues that usually require a trip to the doctor’s office.”
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Politico: Health bill on summer reading lists?
“Passing comprehensive health reform was already a huge task. Now a conservative group wants a pledge from every lawmaker to actually read the entire bill before voting.”
Headlines from the Weekend
Posted by The Campaign on June 29, 2009 at 2:43 PM
“The cost problem has multiple causes, but a primary one is the overuse of medical services and technology. Today’s health insurance system gives physicians and hospitals little incentive to practice medicine cost-effectively. And as long as they can pass their costs on to consumers in the form of ever-rising premiums, insurance companies don’t need to be disciplined spenders either. To create the right incentives, insurers should move away from paying for each treatment or service performed for a patient -- an approach that rewards volume, not effectiveness -- and instead base reimbursements on the treatment plans that produce the best results.”
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The Washington Times – Seven cross aisle for health care ‘coalition’
“Seven Senate Finance Committee members from both sides of the aisle have emerged as the key negotiators on a health care reform plan as President Obama’s August deadline quickly approaches.”
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The Washington Post: Ruth Marcus – A Tail Wags The Dog on Health Reform
“The health-care debate is focused these days way too much on the tail and not nearly enough on the rest of the dog. The disappointing result could be a stubby little tail attached to a poorly designed -- not to mention astonishingly expensive -- dog.”
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Roll Call – Health Care Ads Could Pick Up After the Break
“The intensifying health care debate is following Members of Congress home to their districts during this week’s recess. A long list of industry and interest groups have taken out advertising spots, are activating grass-roots networks and are planning Member meetings outside the Beltway.”
AHIP’s Perspective:
“‘We have really ramped up our efforts to engage the health plan community,’ said…a spokesman for AHIP, which will be involved in more than 75 town-hall and other events across the country this week. ‘We are encouraging health plan employees from across the country to get involved, reach out to their Member of Congress, talk about what they do and the value they’re adding to the health care system.’”
MORNING HEADLINES: June 26, 2009
Posted by The Campaign on June 26, 2009 at 6:00 AM
- Politico: Baucus' 'coalition of the willing'
"Senate Finance Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) calls them the 'coalition of the willing,' a group of four Republican and three Democratic senators, including himself, that may well determine health care reform in the Senate."
"Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus said the cost of health-care options being weighed by his panel can be cut to his goal of $1 trillion, potentially removing a major stumbling block to the legislation's passage."
- The Wall Street Journal: The Dangers of Fannie Mae Health Care
"President Obama and most congressional Democrats say they want to preserve private health insurance. They also want to add a 'public plan' to compete with private insurance plans. Their basic argument is that a public plan would offer needed competition, save money through low administrative costs and zero profits, realize greater economies of scale, and be a superior negotiator of the prices of medical services and technology. The first three arguments are bogus. The fourth argument is only half-bogus..."
MORNING HEADLINES: June 25, 2009
Posted by The Campaign on June 25, 2009 at 8:37 AM
"As the recession continues and unemployment climbs, surveys suggest many Americans are cutting costs by delaying or forgoing preventive health care."
"President Obama took to the airwaves to make his case for healthcare reform Wednesday night, seeking to assure middle-class voters that his plans would not disrupt what they already have."
- The Hill: $285B switch might remove health hurdle
"House Democrats are considering a budget maneuver that would reduce the headline cost of restructuring healthcare by $285 billion."
- Kaiser Health News: Analysis: Why Health Care Reformers Are Wooing Skeptical Seniors
"In many ways, seniors have the least to gain from an overhaul of the health care system. Thanks to Medicare, they're the only age group that already has universal coverage. And they have had a drug benefit since 2005."
MORNING HEADLINES: June 24, 2009
Posted by The Campaign on June 24, 2009 at 8:45 AM
· The New York Times: Baucus Grabs Pacesetter Role on Health Bill As President Obama’s effort to overhaul the health care system seems to hit one roadblock after another in Congress, he is counting on Senator Max Baucus, a political shape-shifter and crafty deal maker who is not fully trusted by either party, to help him clinch his top domestic priority. · The Washington Post: Most Americans Want Health Reform but Worry About Costs, Quality A majority of Americans see government action as critical to controlling runaway health-care costs, but there is broad public anxiety about the potential impact of reform legislation and conflicting views about the types of fixes being proposed on Capitol Hill, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll. · The Washington Post: ‘Public Option’ May Be Highest Hurdle in Senate The “public option” has emerged as the crux of the unfolding debate over health-care reform on Capitol Hill, an ideological flash point that has become perhaps the greatest challenge for the Senate negotiators attempting to reach a compromise that could actually become law.
Morning Headlines: June 23, 2009
Posted by The Campaign on June 23, 2009 at 9:03 AM
- The New York Times: A Personal, Coordinated Approach to Care
"In a medical home, the family doctor helps patients get specialty care when they need it and, through electronic records, keeps careful track of treatments and informs specialists of the patients' progress. The connections between the professionals who work on each case are seamless and convenient. Doctors and patients have easy access to medical information, and patients with chronic ailments are called regularly to reinforce treatment regimens and see how they are doing."
- Associated Press: House Democrats to open hearings on health bill
"House Democrats are pushing forward with a partisan health care bill even as a key Senate Democrat labors to achieve an elusive bipartisan compromise on President Barack Obama's top legislative priority."
- The Wall Street Journal: A Doctor's Reflections on Health-Care Reform
"I believe that in order to reduce costs, we must give the public incentives for preventing chronic disease, increase the reimbursement for office visits, and implement medical malpractice tort reform. With these changes, I am certain that we can provide more adequate insurance coverage for all."
"Few senators know that Sens. Max Baucus (D-Mont.) and Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) have had a quiet friendship over the years, but that relationship may prove pivotal for Democrats' hopes of passing a health reform package."
Morning Headlines: June 22, 2009
Posted by The Campaign on June 22, 2009 at 6:52 AM
- The New York Times: Panel Might Revise Health-Care Bill
"Senator Charles E. Grassley of Iowa, the top Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, said on Sunday that the panel would consider revisiting its version of health-care legislation to gain more support."
"An overhaul of the nation's health care system could help do away with one of the most aggravating and expensive experiences for millions of individuals and small businesses: shopping for insurance on the open market."
From AHIP's perspective:
"Everybody supports the idea of one-stop shopping. The question becomes, how is it structured?"
- Los Angeles Times: Diagnosing the Problem
"As lawmakers spar over ways to improve the healthcare system, however, it's worth keeping in mind the broad agreement among doctors, hospitals, insurance companies and consumer advocates about what needs to be fixed, and why it needs to be done now."
"In the Senate, two committees have jurisdiction over health care reform, and both are preparing landmark bills."
From AHIP's perspective:
"And Robert Zirkelbach, spokesman for America's Health Insurance Plans, said that his boss, Karen Ignagni, was among many who participated in the HELP workhorse sessions. He gave both committees high marks for embarking on an 'open and inclusive' process."
Morning Headlines: June 19, 2009
Posted by The Campaign on June 19, 2009 at 8:34 AM
- The Chicago Tribune: Private insurers step into spotlight on health-care reform
"America's Health Insurance Plans launched a blog Wednesday and quoted media reports from AMA immediate past president Dr. Nancy Nielsen espousing the importance of private health plans."
- The New York Times: Obama Tries to Seize Moment of Opportunity on Health Care
"In their heart of hearts, few in the Obama administration would have predicted late last year that they would be this well positioned by June to achieve a major victory on health care."
- Associated Press: Promises, Promises: Obama's health plan guarantee
"President Barack Obama rarely equivocates when he promises that his health care plan will let people keep the coverage they have. His vow sounds reassuring and gets applause, but no president could guarantee such a pledge."
- The Wall Street Journal: Mr. Burd Goes to Washington
"As most of corporate America sits on the health-care sidelines -- issuing vague statements, trying not to offend a new U.S. president -- Mr. Burd has charged into the political debate. 'I'm here because health-care simply isn't a partisan issue,' he says. There is what works, and what doesn't. 'I'm genuinely concerned someone might try to solve this by nationalizing health care, at the moment we at Safeway have proven that it is the market that reins in costs.'"
- Politico: Senator Tom Daschle - Bipartisan health reform is possible
"To understand the profound political difficulties inherent in reforming our health care system, one need only turn to recent headlines in POLITICO: 'Dems vs. Dems on Health Bill'; 'A Moderate Bloc on Health Care?'; 'Health Plans Abound for GOP.' Clearly, reaching consensus on health care reform is a significant challenge, but we can no longer afford to wait."
