Tag: health care reform (page 5)

Via Firedoglake, I see the "teabaggers" will be out in force tomorrow at a health care event being conducted at a medical clinic for the homeless by Colorado Reps. Diana DeGette and Jared Polis, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. More details here.

I'll be attending, so if you're in the neighborhood, come on down.

Nancy Pelosi, Jared Polis and Diana DeGette will be at Denver’s Stout Street Clinic Tomorrow.

When: August 6, 2009, Time: 2:00 PM
Where: Stout Street Clinic
2100 Broadway, Denver, CO

Speaker Pelosi and Members of the Colorado Delegation will see firsthand how the economic recovery funds are being used to offer vital health care services, create jobs, and lay the foundation for health insurance reform,” DeGette’s office said Wednesday in a statement.

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We've heard lots of times that members of Congress have a great health care plan. The LA Times has an article today describing its benefits and how it differs from the private insurer plans the rest of us are offered.

We're paying for Congress' plan -- as well as the plans of other federal workers:

In all, taxpayers spent about $15 billion last year to insure 8.5 million federal workers and their dependents, including postal service employees, according to the Office of Personnel Management.

....The plan most favored by federal workers is Blue Cross Blue Shield, which covers a family for about $1,030 a month. Taxpayers kick in $700, and employees pay the rest. Seeing a doctor costs $20. Generic prescriptions cost $10. Immunizations are free. There is no coverage limit.

As to why we all can't have that plan: [More...]

How many ways can Congress find to scr*w the elderly? As a result of a compromise today, the Dems conceded more ground to conservatives on the health care bill.

The House Energy and Commerce Committee, which expects to approve the new version of the legislation by Friday, unveiled the newest version of the proposal at a legislative markup Wednesday. It would cut the cost of health-care reform by $100 billion and provide payment guarantees to rural hospitals.

...Across Capitol Hill, Senate Finance Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) announced that a draft of the reform package would provide coverage to 95 percent of Americans, be fully offset by tax increases and Medicare savings...

... The draft bill would provide more cost savings through Medicare than did previous versions, reducing the need for new revenue from about $500 billion in earlier drafts to "somewhat over $300 billion," according to Sen. Kent Conrad (D-N.D.), who is working with Baucus on the bill. The draft also would scale back Medicare payments to physicians, a long-promised but costly provision.

If you scale back Medicare pay to doctors, it seems to me you scale back the number of doctors willing to treat the elderly. If I'm wrong, then it's just another sign our elected officials are doing a lousy job of explaining the bill in terms the public can understand. [More...]

The House agreed today to put off a vote on health care reform until September.

Under the deal, the last of three House committees will be able to finish work on the legislation this week. But lawmakers will have time to review the 1,000-page bill before a floor vote in September.

I think that's wise. Act in haste, repent at leisure. That's what happened with the Patriot Act. I want to be sure every elected official knows exactly what's in this 1,000 page bill and what's been removed. And I wish journalists would take the time between now and September to explain it in lay terms to the public.

President Obama held an invitation-only telephone conference with bloggers today urging them to keep the pressure on Congress regarding his health care plan.

It is important just to keep the pressure on members of Congress because what happens is there is a default position of inertia here in Washington," the president said during an invitation-only conference call. "And pushing against that, making sure that people feel that the desperation that ordinary families are feeling all across the country, every single day, when they are worrying about whether they can pay their premiums or not... People have to feel that in a visceral way. And you guys can help deliver that better than just about anybody."

He even took questions: [More...]

Three House Committees worked together to draft a health care reform bill. The bill was release today. Ezra Klein at the Washington Post says it looks good.

For those that want to read the documents directly, the full bill is here. Fact sheets and summary documents are here.

I think I'll just keep reading Ezra.

President Obama enjoyed great support from trial lawyers in his presidential campaign. Even though, as I wrote here, he voted for a very bad tort reform bill.

So no one should be suprised he's now looking at reining in medical malpractice suits as a way to cut health costs. It's another one of his "middle ground" with Republican stances.

In closed-door talks, Mr. Obama has been making the case that reducing malpractice lawsuits — a goal of many doctors and Republicans — can help drive down health care costs, and should be considered as part of any health care overhaul, according to lawmakers of both parties, as well as A.M.A. officials.

He's not addressing capping lawsuit awards...at least not yet. [More...]

President Obama has released some details of his proposed health care plan. While providing health insurance for all (with a hardship waiver for those that can't afford it, he's also proposing major cuts to Medicare and Medicaid:

[H]e'd like to squeeze an additional $200 billion to $300 billion over 10 years from the Medicare and Medicaid government insurance programs for the elderly, disabled and poor.

He said he'd do it through such measures as better managing chronic diseases and avoiding unnecessary tests and hospital readmissions. Savings from such measures are uncertain.

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