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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and the federal government struggle to update Medicaid though a maze of waiver programs and patches to an increasingly outdated law, their efforts are a little like trying to add disc breaks and electronic ignition to a 1965 Plymouth.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.
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., said Wednesday that a preliminary Congressional Budget Office score of his panel’s draft health care overhaul package would cost under $900 billion over the next decade and provide health coverage to 95 percent of uninsured Americans.
There are ways to reduce expensive diseases, but they must be deployed strategically. This story comes from our partner NPR News.
To raise money to help pay for a health overhaul, Sen. John Kerry is proposing taxing insurance companies on expensive “Cadillac” policies. A new group of opponents is emerging: employers who “self-insure.” They say they shouldn’t have to pay taxes on the benefits they give their workers.
Mary Agnes Carey and Eric Pianin of Kaiser Health News provide an update on health overhaul negotiations on Capitol Hill.
Mary Agnes Carey and Eric Pianin of Kaiser Health News provide an update on health overhaul negotiations on Capitol Hill.
A study published earlier this year finds 1 out of 5 older patients who are discharged from a hospital will return within a month, costing Medicare about $17 billion a year. A program in Philadelphia assigns nurses to follow up with discharged patients in order to prevent readmission. This story comes from our partner NPR News.
Consumer and patients’ groups criticize proposal that would let employers bestow bigger premium discounts on employees who embrace wellness programs.
Mary Agnes Carey discusses the possibility of a House floor vote, the ‘gang of six’ on the Senate Finance Committee and other health overhaul activity on Capitol Hill this week.
