Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report Feature Highlights Recent Blog Entries

While mainstream news coverage is still a primary source of information for the latest in policy debates and the health care marketplace, online blogs have become a significant part of the media landscape, often presenting new perspectives on policy issues and drawing attention to under-reported topics. To provide complete coverage of health policy issues, the Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report offers readers a window into the world of blogs in a roundup of health policy-related blog posts. "Blog Watch," published on Tuesdays and Fridays, tracks a wide range of blogs, providing a brief description and relevant links for highlighted posts.

Igor Volsky of the Center for American Progress Action Fund's Wonk Room blog writes that the deregulation of the banking industry "offers a cautionary tale" in response to a recent article by McCain, in which he writes: "Opening up the health insurance market to more vigorous nationwide competition, as we have done over the last decade in banking, would provide more choices of innovative products less burdened by the worst excesses of state-based regulation." Beth Cappell on the Health Access Weblog notes that state requirements differ in regards to capital and financial solvency rules for health insurers and that McCain's proposal to allow people to buy insurance across state lines would remove such consumer protections. Jonathan Cohn on the New Republic's The Plank adds that state deregulation could result in more people being defrauded by fake health insurers.

Louise of Colorado Health Insurance Insider writes that the individual insurance market cannot be repaired through guaranteed issues policies alone because they raise premiums. Louise adds that health reform should "simplify and streamline our health care and health insurance systems" and separate insurance from employment.

The Health Business Blog's David Williams discusses the presidential nominees' positions on premium subsidies and changes to the tax treatment of health insurance.

Joe Paduda of Managed Care Matters critiques what he calls Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain's (Ariz.) plan to "deregulate" the health insurance market, saying that "the free market will not solve the health care crisis."

Michael Miller of the Health Policy and Communications Blog discusses a study (here) that found employees in high-turnover industries use less health services than employees in low-turnover industries (who have access to better benefits), but once retired those in high-turnover industries use more health care.

The Health Care Blog's Charlie Baker discusses Massachusetts' mandatory drug coverage requirement, which is slated to go into law in January 2009, calling it "the latest in a string of public policy decisions that is making health care insurance more expensive."

Health Populi's Jane Sarasohn-Kahn lists health care issues likely to get worse in the absence of health reform and concludes that "the lesson from financial markets is not to put off to 2012 what we can and should do in 2008."

Joanne Kenen from the New America Foundation's New Health Dialogue points to news that WebMD has partnered with the Commission on Presidential Debates to encourage questions on health care for the second town hall-style debate.

Sarah Rubenstein of the Wall Street Journal's Health Blog discusses a survey by UnitedHealthGroup of its customers, which found employees were much more likely to open a health savings account if their employer contributed to it. The survey also found customers making less than $25,000 annually were more likely to open an HSA although they contributed less to it.