On the News With Thom Hartmann: MT Follows VT’s Lead on Path to State-Level Single-Payer Health Care

Can the states do what the federal government has failed to do and initiate public programs that can eventually solve national problems as they incubate slowly a the state level? Some governors and state legislatures seem to think the answer is yes. Yes to state public health plans and yes to state public banks.

On the News With Thom Hartmann: Montana Follows Vermont’s Lead on Path to State-Level Single-Payer Health Care, and More:

“Governor Brian Schweitzer of Montana said he plans to ask the federal government to exempt his state from requirements in the Affordable Care Act – so that he can set up a universal, single-payer system like in Canada. Earlier this year – the state of Vermont started moving in the same direction too. Governor Schweitzer said he wants to create a system modeled after the Canadian province of Saskatchewan – where less is spent on healthcare – but there are better results and people live longer. Today – Canada has a nationwide single-payer system – but it started with one province – Saskatchewan – and spread across the rest of the nation. Let’s hope we see the same thing sweep across America.” (Read the rest)

Enrollment In Medicare Advantage Increases, Defies GOP’s Doomsday Predictions Of Mass Coverage Loss

By Igor Volsky on Sep 12, 2011 at 2:05 pm

One of the most common Republican narratives during the health care reform debate argued that lowering the subsidy to private insurers participating in Medicare Advantage would force companies to stop offering coverage, causing 10 million seniors to lose their Medicare benefits. Republicans introduced numerous amendments instructing Congress to remove the cuts to the Medicare Advantage program and Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) even urged seniors to rip up their AARP cardsin protest of the organization’s support for the reductions.

But on Friday, a new report from the Kaiser Family Foundation found that the GOP’s dire predictions are not coming true. In fact, “enrollment in Medicare Advantage continued to rise despite changes in the law that froze Medicare Advantage payment rates to 2010 levels”:

(read the article)

Want to Know What You’re Health Insurers to Consumers: Buying Before You Buy It?

Only If You Pay for It. By Wendell Potter

A couple of years ago, when Sen. Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia asked me to testify about little-known health insurance industry practices at a hearing of his Senate Commerce Committee, I initially was reluctant. I knew that if I was completely honest, my life would change forever.

What he was asking me to do was to disclose practices that have contributed to the growing number of Americans without insurance, the even faster growing number of us who are underinsured, and the phenomenal increase in insurance industry profits over the years, even as the ranks of those without coverage swelled.

(read the rest)

Too many doctors for today’s paying customers?

One problem with the health industry is that General Practitioners aren’t doctors any more. They are referral clerks. For the first time in over 20 years of being a Kaiser patient I can no longer see my specialist without going through my primary care physician, who sent me to the wrong specialist the last time I needed one. I had to call the specialist she sent me to, explain my problem, and get him to tell her I know more about my problem than she does. Not a comforting thought.
A few weeks ago, I was amazed by a call from my husband’s dental assistant, informing me know that, although he is maxed out of his coverage for this year, he can set up a cleaning appointment for next year. How hard up are they if they need to beg for appointments months in advance?
Are we seeing a market correction? More supply than paying customers? Maybe the details of the new health bill, being thrashed out in Congress, can address this problem by paying lower rates. Lowering rates should increase demand for services and doctors can go back to being doctors and healers. Educating more medical specialists should help drive the costs down as well, though I’m sure the AMA is fighting that.

More Solid Proof That Obamacare Is Working

The Policy Page , from Forbesblog

By RICK UNGAR

Recent data provided by the nation’s largest health insurance companies reveals that a provision of the Affordable Care Act – or Obamacare – is bringing big numbers of the uninsured into the health care insurance system.

And they are precisely the uninsured that we want– the young people who tend not to get sick. (read the article)

Healing of America

Healing of America

Notes from author T.R. Reid, interview from the Commonwealth Club:
Mr. Reid was hired by Penguin Press and PBS to study national health systems around the globe. He found that most country’s fit into one of these four models.
1. The Beverage model – National health care service by the government. Britain, France, Italy, New Zealand have this one. Services are provided and paid for by the government. Taxes are high but everyone is covered, and costs about half what they are in the US. This is a socialized, single-payer system. In the US, only the US congress and veterans get this.
2. Bismark or German plan in Switzerland, Scandinavia and Japan. This is a mandatory private non-profit insurance plan paid by the worker/employer. Doctors are private. This is what we have in the US, although the costs are lower than what we pay.
3. NHI National Health Insurance model, called Medicare which Canada, Australia, Taiwan, S. Korea, Mexico and a lot of newly wealthy companies are going this route. This is a blend of the Beverage and the Bismark plan. The providers are private and the government pays the bills. Everybody pays a premium to the government and everyone is covered. The US Medicare system designed by Lyndon Johnson for those over 65 was based on this system.
4. The no-insurance out-of-pocket system – most of the world has this system. If you have money get can buy health care, if not, you are on your own. This applies to poor Americans as well who have no money or insurance.

US. has all the models.
Four Reasons Why other Most countries commit to one system for everybody:
1. It is cheaper, simpler, and easier to manage health care without the billing and administrative costs.
2. There is a major financial incentive to provide preventive care because it is cheaper than treating an illness later, unlike in the US where the bill is based on treatment, not health of the patient.
3. It is fairer if everybody get the same access to the same care at the same cost.

Number one lesson is that health care reflects the morals of the country. If you make the moral commitment, you well cover everyone. If we had the will all the other countries can show us the way.

Vt. House passes single-payer health care bill

By Dave Gram Associated Press / March 24, 2011

MONTPELIER, Vt.—Every Vermonter could sign up for state-financed health insurance under a bill passed by the House on Thursday that would put the state on a path to a single-payer health care system by the middle of this decade.

(read more)

CIGNA Whistleblower on GOP’s Repeal Smokescreen & How It Is Providing Cover for Insurance Companies

By Kevin Gosztola from OpEdNews.com

Wendell Potter, CIGNA whistleblower and author of Deadly Spin: An Insurance Company Insider Speaks Out on How Corporate PR Is Killing Health Care and Deceiving Americans stops by The Nation for a conversation about health reform, insurance companies, and how progressives might better understand PR spin and its influence on the health reform legislation. Potter illuminates what the insurance company won and didn’t win during the reform process and how they are now using deliberations over health reform regulations at the state and federal level to win more victories…

(read the rest)

There is more to do

Campaign for Better Care

Where Are We Now? Six Months After Health Reform There is Much to Celebrate…And Lots of Work Ahead

Published on September 23, 2010 in Debra Ness. 0 Comments

Debra Ness, President, National Partnership

Six months ago today, President Obama signed the health care bill into law.  And with his signature, our health care system was opened up for renovation. But, like any remodeling job, we’ve got a long way to go before the final product will be ready for a ribbon cutting ceremony.

So, why is the six month anniversary of the Affordable Care Act important?  Because today some key provisions in the law go into effect – and that means it’s time to take stock of where we are and where we’re going. Meaningful implementation of the health reform law – implementation that focuses on what’s best for patients and families – in the months and years ahead is critical.  But there is already much to celebrate.

(new blog)

Reconciliation Bills

What’s Next With Health Care (And Why This Process Was Madness)

by Marian Wang, ProPublica – March 22, 2010 1:06 pm EDT

• Sometimes things are a little clearer in retrospect. Now that health care reform has passed in the House, it seems there are two main questions in people’s minds:

• What’s next?
• Why, procedurally, was the legislative process so confusing and painful to watch?

Let’s answer that second question first. To help do that, we’ve drawn up some helpful infographics.