CQ’s Carey Discusses Economic Stimulus, Salmonella Outbreak, Health Care Reform
CQ HealthBeat Associate Editor Mary Agnes Carey discusses Congress' approval of the economic stimulus package, the recent salmonella outbreak and prospects for overhauling the U.S. system in this week's "Health on the Hill from Kaisernetwork.org and CQ."Carey says that Congress last week approved a $787.2 billion economic stimulus bill that contains a number of health care provisions, including $87 billion for states' Medicaid programs and $19 billion for health care providers to adopt health information technology. The measure also provides for federal subsidies to cover 65% of the cost of health insurance premiums under COBRA for as long as nine months. The COBRA extension would apply to workers who were "involuntarily terminated" between Sept. 1, 2008, and Dec. 31, 2009, and whose annual incomes do not exceed $125,000 for individuals or $250,000 for families, Carey says.
Carey continues that last week, officials from the Peanut Corporation of America were subpoenaed to testify before the House Energy and Commerce Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee. PCA is the company linked with the recent nationwide salmonella outbreak that has sickened 600 people and killed eight, as of Feb. 8, according to Carey. PCA officials invoked their Fifth Amendment right to avoid possible self-incrimination, Carey says. During the hearing, lawmakers discussed the problems with current food safety regulations and expressed the need for Congress to do more to protect food safety, Carey reports. FDA is continuing to investigate the matter, as is Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), who is questioning whether food safety violators are appropriately penalized.
Lastly, Carey discusses a recent Senate Budget Committee hearing where Congressional Budget Office Director Douglas Elmendorf testified that without changes to current health care policy, the number of uninsured U.S. residents younger than age 65 will reach about 54 million in 2019. Elmendorf added that the high and rising cost of health care places an increasing burden on federal, state and local governments. At the hearing, he said that there needs to be significant changes to the way health care is delivered, including providing incentives to providers who control costs and improve quality. He added that there needs to be a shift away from the fee-for-service model. Also during the hearing, Committee Chair Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) said that in addition to the health care provisions in the stimulus package, more must be done. He added that simply increasing funding to expand coverage will not solve the problem and will saddle future generations with "a very heavy burden" (Carey, "Health on the Hill from Kaisernetwork.org and CQ," 2/17).
The complete audio version of "Health on the Hill," transcript and resources for further research are available online at kaisernetwork.org. This is part of the Morning Briefing, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.
