Monthly Archives: November 2009
Consumer Guides
| November 12, 2009 | Posted by ITUP under Blog |
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The news of the day out of the Senate is Harry Reid’s newly proposed surtax to finance health reform. The provision would increase the Medicare payroll tax on incomes above $250,000, though it is not clear how much higher it would be above the current rate of 1.45%. It is… more
The Path Through the Senate
| November 11, 2009 | Posted by ITUP under Blog |
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If you are curious as to why the Senate debate is going to take so much longer compared to the House (which only took 10 days), Suzy Khimm over at The New Republic lays out an interesting overview of the Senatorial process. There are many more procedural hurdles to clear… more
MICRA: Tort Reform from California
| November 10, 2009 | Posted by ITUP under Blog |
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Tort reform is one of the pillars of the conservative health reform strategy, and though definitely not cost-containment’s silver bullet there is widespread recognition on some of the effects of medical liability. Beyond excessive costs in malpractice insurance and some medical malpractice payouts, there is concern that much of the… more
The California Vote
| November 9, 2009 | Posted by ITUP under Blog |
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Here is a link to a useful New York Times application that breaks down the House vote by every state and district. As you can see, every California Democratic Representative voted yes on the measure, including all seven Blue Dogs. I have included two images that should be viewed side… more
History in the Making
| November 6, 2009 | Posted by ITUP under Blog |
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President Obama will officially endorse H.R. 3962 today, and the House will vote on the measure as early as tomorrow evening. You may wish to contact your Representative to voice your opinion on the legislation by calling 1-800-828-0498 or clicking here to here to identify and write to your Congressperson.… more
More House Resources
| November 5, 2009 | Posted by ITUP under Blog |
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ITUP has put together a few good resources covering the House legislation, including: My overview summary Cost-containment provisions A detailed outline of insurance market reform provisions by bill section In other news, the AMA, AARP, and the American Cancer Society have all officially endorsed the House bill. The CBO has… more
Permalink Counting Down to Friday, Counting Up the Votes
| November 4, 2009 | Posted by ITUP under Blog |
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Speaker Pelosi released the Manager’s Amendment last night, which includes some new provisions for the House bill like strengthening antitrust regulation and providing states money to rein in exorbitant premium rate increases. The amendment is highly symbolic, though, as it marks the final amendment to the bill and begins the… more
3962, CBO, GOP
| November 3, 2009 | Posted by ITUP under Blog |
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Heres a few links to pertinent documents from the House: HR 3962 Full text Section-by-Section Breakdown CBO Score of HR 3962 PDF GOP Health Bill The House Republican leadership has drafted their own health reform bill, and it is on it’s way to the CBO for scoring. The plan focuses… more
The Uninsured and Public Program Eligibility
| November 2, 2009 | Posted by ITUP under Blog |
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We can say with near certainty that health reform will contain an expansion of Medicaid, possibly even to all individuals up to 150% FPL as seen in the House bill. Expanding eligibility is only half the battle, though, as actual enrollment and retention in the program requires a concerted effort… more
