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For the tens of thousands of individual insurance agents nationwide, proposed changes to the health care system could radically alter how they do business.
In interviews, two agents talk about how they are bracing themselves for the post-reform environment. One thinks her fellow agents are too complacent, the other says “in every adversity, there is opportunity.”
A trade group says insurers only make 1 cent off every dollar spent on health care. But that figure measures insurer profits against all the money pumped into the U.S. system. Economists say profits are traditionally calculated by how much insurers spend versus how much money they take in.
On a conference call with reporters Tuesday morning, Karen Ignagni, President and CEO of America’s Health Insurance Plans, said the “Washington politics as usual” of finger pointing at health insurers is hurting the process of trying to forge consensus on health reform.
On a conference call with reporters Tuesday morning, Karen Ignagni, President and CEO of America’s Health Insurance Plans said the “Washington politics as usual” of finger pointing at health insurers is hurting the process of trying to forge consensus on health reform.
Many voters agree the current system is broken, but the “confusing babble” from D.C. sounds worse.
Obama and congressional leaders hope to reduce health care spending by promoting prevention to catch disease early. But some insurance and health officials say such efforts-although laudable-may not cut overall health costs.
Jackie Judd talks with Eric Pianin about the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s vote last Friday, wrapping up its work on major health care legislation, before Congress adjourns for the August recess.
Jackie Judd talks with Eric Pianin about the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s vote last Friday, wrapping up its work on major health care legislation, before Congress adjourns for the August recess.
While states and the federal government struggle to update Medicaid though a maze of waiver programs and patches to an increasingly outdated law, their efforts are a little like trying to add disc breaks and electronic ignition to a 1965 Plymouth. It is, in the end, still a 1965 Plymouth.
NPR’s Linda Wertheimer talks with Billy Tauzin, president and CEO of PhRMA, the biggest trade association for the prescription drug industry.
Democratic and Republican lawmakers will offer their constituents very different takes on pending health care legislation during the August recess. Democrats will say the bills will “hold insurance companies accountable” and guarantee lower costs and more choice, while the Republicans will warn against a government takeover that will undermine competition and drive up costs.
An agreement between the House leadership and conservative Democrats sparked protests from states worried about higher Medicaid costs and liberals upset about the paring back of subsidies.
Dr. David Scheiner wants to make a house call to one of the most famous houses in the world. For 22 years, he was President Obama’s doctor. Now, he would like to counsel his former patient and says the President should be doing more to heal the system’s ills by holding out for a single-payer approach to health reform.
One funding option before Congress is to tax expensive health insurance plans. But it’s not as simple as taxing the rich to help the poor. Many other Americans benefit from such plans, from union workers to big city residents to those employed by small businesses. This story comes from our partner NPR News.
Medicare data tell a different story about a public plan option.
After weeks of painstaking talks, Democrats celebrated breakthroughs on health care overhaul on both sides of the Capitol. Yet many lawmakers and health care experts said that yesterday’s events marked only one step on the very bumpy road to a final deal that President Barack Obama might sign into law.
Unions and advocates for low-income workers are criticizing a possible Senate Finance Committee move to drop an employer mandate in favor of a “free-rider” penalty. The provision would require companies to pay for part of the subsidies for uninsured workers to buy health insurance on the proposed exchanges. Business lobbyists say it’s better than a straight mandate.
Jackie Judd talks with Eric Pianin, reporting from Capitol Hill, on today’s significant developments. A stalemate between Blue Dogs and House Energy and Commerce Committee chairman Henry Waxman was broken, and in the Senate Finance Committee, a new CBO score was substantially less than what had been projected. Listen to the Interview
The little-known crime of medical identity theft can cause havoc – victims end up with big bills and wrong medical records. A new federal “Red Flags Rule” would require physician offices, among other businesses, to spot phony IDs. Doctors protest that the regulation could have “serious adverse consequences” for patients, even as the government tries to protect them.
Jackie Judd talks with Eric Pianin, reporting from Capitol Hill, on today’s significant developments. A stalemate between Blue Dogs and House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman was broken, and in the Senate Finance Committee, a new CBO score was substantially less than what had been projected.
