The State Children's Health Insurance Program (S-CHIP) needs to be reauthorized by the Congress. That will cost $13 to $15 billion over the next five years--something I detailed in an earlier post.Compounding the S-CHIP budget dilemma, Medicare physicians are scheduled to have their fee payments cut by 10% on January 1, 2008.When the last Congress reversed the scheduled 5% fee cut for 2007, in
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The Individual Health Insurance Market Isn't Ready for Primetime
Julie Appleby has an article on the front page of Monday's USAToday covering an issue I dealt with in an earlier post--insurers using post-claim underwriting to rescind people's health insurance policies.President Bush's health plan proposal would encourage consumers to buy their own health insurance. The President, and many others, believe that giving individuals more control over their health
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It's the Cost of Health Care Stupid!!!
We have seen a number of new health care proposals--many I recently cited in a post.My old friend and health care policy mentor, Henry Simmons, who is President of the National Coalition on Health Care, recently released a statement on President Bush's health care proposal.One of the key points he made is that any health reform proposal must be comprehensive and able to slow the growth in health
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Is the Bush Health Plan Tilted Too Far In Favor of Health Savings Accounts (HSAs?)
Chris Lee has an article in today's Washington Post that raises an important question.Has President Bush gone too far in tilting his new health care proposal in favor of health savings accounts (HSAs)?The President would level the health insurance tax preference playing field for consumers whether they get their health insurance at their place of employment or buy it in the individual
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Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) and The Massachusetts Plan--Two Great Experiments
In the wake of the President Bush's new health plan, much has been said about whether we should move to reform the health care system by building upon the traditional employer-based system (preferred by most Dems) or move to a system more controlled by individuals (preferred by most Republicans and the President).Democrats claim the President's plan would wreck the employer-based system--
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The Bush Health Care Plan and U.S. Health Care Reform
It’s a new day in the health care debate. Reform is breaking out everywhere.2007 is shaping up to be the “Year of the Possible” with notable health care reform proposals coming from a number of places almost at once:The new Democratic Congress is setting an ambitious health care agenda as they look to first reauthorize the very successful Medicaid State Children’s Health Insurance Program (
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More on the Bush Health Plan
My good friend Bill Boyles of Health Market Survey offers these comments regarding the President's upcoming health proposal (my own post is below this one):New Bush Proposal Takes Intriguing ApproachAfter six years of offering the same old thing, President Bush Tuesday will propose a creative new health reform that is drawing support from both sides of the political spectrum and could be taken
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New Bush Health Plan Proposal to Be Announced in State of the Union Address
President Bush is about to announce an interesting health care proposal that would cap the tax benefits on the most generous health benefit plans––often held by higher paid executives and some labor unions and use the revenue to cut the number of uninsured.Individuals, whether they got their health insurance from work or paid for it themselves, would get a standard deduction of $7,500 for an
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SCHIP Reauthorization--Will Medicare HMOs Pay for Some of It????
In the post below, I reviewed the need to reauthorize the very successful State Children's Health Insurance Program (S-CHIP).The Congress will have a real challenge coming up with the needed money--$13 billion to $15 billion. Finding the money will be hard because of the House Democrat's pledge to fully fund any spending--their "pay-as-you-go" policy.Where will the money come from?First, the
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Back to "Regular Order"--The House Medicare Part D Drug Bill and SCHIP Reauthorization
The debate over the House Medicare drug negotiation bill is now moving over to the Senate.My post from last Friday (next post below) still reflects what I am seeing on this issue. The Senate will move a drug bill on "regular order" which means we will see the standard committee hearings and process that could lead to floor action later in the spring or summer. The House Medicare Part D drug
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