Health On The Hill – May 3, 2010
Some states have told the Department of Health and Human Services that they intend to establish their own high-risk health insurance pool while others have said they want the federal government to do it.
All Coverage
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Opinion Column
Playing Chicken
Sensible public policy shouldn’t ask people to reduce that health care bill by bargaining with their doctors over prices and using things (as one Republican U.S. Senate candidate recently suggested) like chickens to pay for care. It should prevent that kind of financial exposure in the first place.
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Medicare Advantage Plans Earn So-So Quality Grades
An analysis by the consulting firm Avalere Health finds less than a fourth of the roughly 11 million people enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans as of this spring belonged to plans that had earned four- or five-star quality ratings from Medicare officials.
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Boehner: GOP Will Repeal Health Care Law
House Republican Leader John Boehner has said that his party will repeal the new health care law if the GOP gains a congressional majority in November.
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Consumer Confusion Triggers Crackdown By States On Discount Health Plans
In discount health plans, consumers pay a fee for access to a network that offers reduced charges for doctor visits and other care, but the patient is responsible for paying all costs up front. State officials and consumer groups say some of the plans are not legitimate.
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Federal Employee Health Program Unlikely To Extend Young Adult Coverage On Parents’ Plan This Year
The federal government says current law will likely keep it from following the lead of some private insurance companies that will begin offering coverage this year to young adults.
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Small Business Owners Have Mixed Reviews On Health Law’s Tax Credits
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce says the tax credit offered to small business owners to cover their employees could be a burden; others say it will help them afford insurance for their workers.
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Cancer Patients’ Dilemma: Expensive Pills Vs. Invasive Chemo Treatment
Gaps in insurance policies make oral drugs too pricey for some cancer patients.
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Analysis: Everything You Need to Know About the Fiscal Commission
President Barack Obama’s fiscal commission meets today for the first time. Here’s a guide to help you follow the proceedings.
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Cancer Patients’ Dilemma: Expensive Pills or Invasive Chemo Treatment
Cancer patient Jere Carpentier would prefer taking a pill to having intravenous chemotherapy in a doctor’s office. But she
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Transcript: Health On The Hill – April 26, 2010
The new health law mandates that states adhere to several changes, including setting up high-risk health insurance pools by June. Jackie Judd and Noam Levey discuss where efforts now stand.
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Health On The Hill: April 26, 2010
The new health law mandates that states adhere to several changes, including setting up high-risk health insurance pools by June.
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New Health Law Brings Better Coverage For Women
Among the many goals of the new health law is one that hasn’t received much attention: to improve women’s experiences in the health insurance world.
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Opinion Column
The Hidden Costs of Publicly Financed Private Health Insurance
There is a hidden cost how we fund health insurance in the U.S.: insurers have more information about health care than the taxpayers that help fund it. The system’s opacity gives insurers the upper hand in debates over government payment rates.
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New Health Law Will Require Industry To Disclose Payments To Physicians
Doctors who accept speaking fees, five-star meals and other compensation from pharmaceutical or medical device companies will soon see their names — and the value of the gifts they accept — revealed on the Web.
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Balanced Budget Out of Reach, Many Experts Warn
President Obama’s fiscal commission faces a daunting task in reducing the deficit.
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Federal Officials Confirm A Shift In Medicaid Drug Rebates
The Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services confirms that some discounts states received from drugmakers will now be shifted to the federal government.
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Poll Finds More Confusion Than Anger Over New Health Law
The first Kaiser Health Tracking Poll released since health overhaul became law shows that most people are confused — not angry.
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Opinion Column
Will Private Long-Term Care Insurance Supplement the CLASS Act?
CLASS takes a step towards moving long-term care financing from the welfare-like Medicaid program to an insurance-based system. But CLASS alone won’t get there. Private insurance, currently a niche product that covers only about seven million Americans, will have to play an important role as well.
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Black Americans Look To Health Plan For New Hope
Many African-Americans hope the health care overhaul will cut the high rates of chronic disease in their communities. But not everyone is convinced the bill will ease the health disparities they face.
