The LA Times says States, not Congress, really have the power to thwart health reform.
And Politico says seniors fled the Dems, largely due to fear of Medicare cuts. False, unfounded fear. Wait until they see what the Republicans do to Medicare.
Kaiser Health News says the Republicans have to decide whether to go for repeal or something less.
And the great and always insightful Jonathan Cohn takes apart GOP arguments against reform. Agree or disagree, Jonathan is always worth reading.
I think I've got you covered now. Enjoy the read. Jennifer
Monday, November 8, 2010
Monday News
Was health reform the reason for the midterm gains by Republicans? Exit polling says no. But on 60 Minutes, President Obama says he was surprised by the cost of health reform.
The NY Times reports that children in military families seek mental health care more often than the "norm."
The Washington Post asks whether some treatments are too expensive? A vaccine for prostate cancer extends life about 4 months and costs $93,000. Should it be covered by Medicare?
Does spending more for drugs make us healthier?
The Wall St Journal writes on the trend of doctors going to work for hospitals rather than setting up private practices. Is this good for patients?
Much to think about. Jennifer
The NY Times reports that children in military families seek mental health care more often than the "norm."
The Washington Post asks whether some treatments are too expensive? A vaccine for prostate cancer extends life about 4 months and costs $93,000. Should it be covered by Medicare?
Does spending more for drugs make us healthier?
The Wall St Journal writes on the trend of doctors going to work for hospitals rather than setting up private practices. Is this good for patients?
Much to think about. Jennifer
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Sunday Don't-These-Guys-Ever-Take-a-Day-Off E
More stories about how the GOP plans to mess with health reform. The NY Times focuses on how the GOP can defund reform efforts.
In a particularly drastic move, Texas considers withdrawing from Medicaid. Texas already has horrible gaps in health care for its uninsureds. This would be a disaster.
The LA Times says the Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plans are now fully up and running. If you haven't had insurance for 6 months, here's your option. I've heard that they are actually cutting premiums to make these plans even more attractive. Check it out at www.healtcare.gov.
Here's a great story about caregiver support -- the unforgotten, most of the time.
That's it for me for today. Back in full tomorrow. Jennifer
In a particularly drastic move, Texas considers withdrawing from Medicaid. Texas already has horrible gaps in health care for its uninsureds. This would be a disaster.
The LA Times says the Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plans are now fully up and running. If you haven't had insurance for 6 months, here's your option. I've heard that they are actually cutting premiums to make these plans even more attractive. Check it out at www.healtcare.gov.
Here's a great story about caregiver support -- the unforgotten, most of the time.
That's it for me for today. Back in full tomorrow. Jennifer
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Saturday Quickie
After all the post-election noise about health reform, it's time to take a step back and catch our breath. So here are just a couple of interesting clippings.
Here's a story about a partnership between a large physician group and an insurer. They will work together to prevent hospital readmissions, help patients make end of life decisions, and manage complex care. I know we need experiments and innovation, but I don't want my insurance company in this mix at all. It makes me very uncomfortable.
Scientists plead with Congress to pass the stem cell research bill during the lame duck session "while they still can." Sounds right to me.
And now I'm going back to bed. Jennifer
Here's a story about a partnership between a large physician group and an insurer. They will work together to prevent hospital readmissions, help patients make end of life decisions, and manage complex care. I know we need experiments and innovation, but I don't want my insurance company in this mix at all. It makes me very uncomfortable.
Scientists plead with Congress to pass the stem cell research bill during the lame duck session "while they still can." Sounds right to me.
And now I'm going back to bed. Jennifer
Friday, November 5, 2010
Finally Friday News
The Washington Post explores what the Republicans really can do to undermine health reform. No repeal; maybe a tweak here and there, and they surely can gum up the works. But will the American people reward them for creating gridlock? Here's the LA Times's take. And here's Politico's version, which says Senate Minority Leader McConnell knows repeal is unlikely, but they will try to take it apart piece by piece. Huffington Posts says it will be a "shadow war" that characterizes health reform as a spending bill, and repeal or frustrate pieces of it in the name of cutting the deficit. Of course, Senator McConnell is quite frank about his goal, which is to make sure President Obama does not get re-elected -- it really has nothing to do with principled disagreement with health reform.
The Wall St. Journal says a bigger obstacle to reform may be at the State level, with Republican Governors vowing to frustrate the implementation effort. (I must say, though, that the complaint about unfunded mandates is really hollow in light of the many, many millions of dollars that already have been granted to the States to pay for implementation.)
Here's another wonderful essay by Dr. Pauline Chen -- this one about the patient's experience with new treatments which have side effects that are difficult to live with.
And here's a story of a patient who fell through the cracks -- went to the emergency room and didn't see a doctor for TWO DAYS! The hospital calls it a Swiss cheese event. Is that supposed to be funny?
Here's an online guide to Medicare enrollment as the open enrollment start date of November 15 approaches. If you're on Medicare, please review your plans and do your homework to make sure you're in the best plans for you. You won't get another chance for a year.
That's it to start the day. Have a good one. Jennifer
The Wall St. Journal says a bigger obstacle to reform may be at the State level, with Republican Governors vowing to frustrate the implementation effort. (I must say, though, that the complaint about unfunded mandates is really hollow in light of the many, many millions of dollars that already have been granted to the States to pay for implementation.)
Here's another wonderful essay by Dr. Pauline Chen -- this one about the patient's experience with new treatments which have side effects that are difficult to live with.
And here's a story of a patient who fell through the cracks -- went to the emergency room and didn't see a doctor for TWO DAYS! The hospital calls it a Swiss cheese event. Is that supposed to be funny?
Here's an online guide to Medicare enrollment as the open enrollment start date of November 15 approaches. If you're on Medicare, please review your plans and do your homework to make sure you're in the best plans for you. You won't get another chance for a year.
That's it to start the day. Have a good one. Jennifer
Thursday, November 4, 2010
"Legislative Guerilla Tactics"
Not my words. Read here. If the GOP cannot repeal health reform, it will use "legislative guerilla tactics." According to the Associated Press -- not exactly a liberal leaning news organization. Wow. Jennifer
Thursday Back to Reality Edition
The election is over -- some good news, some bad. But now it's time to get back to the business at hand. So here's today's health news:
The NY Times says it wasn't just about health reform. Roughly half of all voters support health reform. Former budget director Peter Orzsag pleads for saving the health reform bill. He says it will save money in the end. Still, the Republicans promise a big fight over health reform -- again. Here's more on the GOP's agenda. And industry insiders start to plot strategy, focusing on the parts of reform that they would like to see repealed or amended. More on that here. Both President Obama and Harry Reid have already said they're open to amendments, although they tried compromise before and didn't get very far, says Politico. So we'll find out -- are the Republicans really interested in making things better, or do they just want to defeat President Obama at any cost?
Meanwhile, copays for preventive care are about to be eliminated due to the new law, says the LA Times. A lot depends on how your doctor bills for it, but when you get to the start of your next plan year, this provision of reform will kick in. The idea is to get people to go for regular check-ups to catch health issues before they get really expensive.
In the real world outside the beltway, Medicare Part D open enrollment begins this month. This is your annual chance to see if you're on the best plan for you. Take the opportunity to look around.
And here's a really interesting piece on how to control medical costs. When Medicare reduced reimbursement rates for a prostate cancer therapy that they say has no real clinical benefit for many patients, the people who needed it still got it, but the people who didn't really need it got it far less often. A way to control costs or a deprivation of care? You decide.
And don't forget to turn your clocks back this week-end. USA Today shares things you can do with the extra hour. I plan to use it to get an extra hour's sleep! Jennifer
The NY Times says it wasn't just about health reform. Roughly half of all voters support health reform. Former budget director Peter Orzsag pleads for saving the health reform bill. He says it will save money in the end. Still, the Republicans promise a big fight over health reform -- again. Here's more on the GOP's agenda. And industry insiders start to plot strategy, focusing on the parts of reform that they would like to see repealed or amended. More on that here. Both President Obama and Harry Reid have already said they're open to amendments, although they tried compromise before and didn't get very far, says Politico. So we'll find out -- are the Republicans really interested in making things better, or do they just want to defeat President Obama at any cost?
Meanwhile, copays for preventive care are about to be eliminated due to the new law, says the LA Times. A lot depends on how your doctor bills for it, but when you get to the start of your next plan year, this provision of reform will kick in. The idea is to get people to go for regular check-ups to catch health issues before they get really expensive.
In the real world outside the beltway, Medicare Part D open enrollment begins this month. This is your annual chance to see if you're on the best plan for you. Take the opportunity to look around.
And here's a really interesting piece on how to control medical costs. When Medicare reduced reimbursement rates for a prostate cancer therapy that they say has no real clinical benefit for many patients, the people who needed it still got it, but the people who didn't really need it got it far less often. A way to control costs or a deprivation of care? You decide.
And don't forget to turn your clocks back this week-end. USA Today shares things you can do with the extra hour. I plan to use it to get an extra hour's sleep! Jennifer
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