More State Perspectives
| September 30, 2009 | Posted by ITUP under Blog |
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The economic crisis has taken a heavy toll on state revenues, and as a result many Medicaid programs faced significant shortfalls. This proved extremely problematic, as recessions are precisely when Americans need help from pubic sources the most. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) attempted to close the gaps… more
Amendments Abound
| September 29, 2009 | Posted by ITUP under Blog |
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The amendment process continues today in the Finance Committee, where both public option amendments were voted down after extensive deliberation. The more ambitious public option amendment lost on a 8-15 vote. The Schumer public option amendment (the ‘weaker’ of the two public option amendments) failed by a 10-13 vote with… more
State Contributions in Reform
| September 28, 2009 | Posted by ITUP under Blog |
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The Executive Office of the President’s Council of Economic Advisers recently released a report entitled “The Impact of Health Insurance Reform on State and Local Government.” This is an especially hot button issue, for states have concerns of any increase to their budgets (mainly through proposed Medicaid expansions) especially when… more
House Can Reduce Spending, Senate Amending
| September 25, 2009 | Posted by ITUP under Blog |
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Multiple developments on both sides of Congress today: The House received their scoring request from CBO, showing that a public plan option set at Medicare payment rates would save $84 billion compared to the Blue Dog desire for rates to be negotiated. The score will be quite a talking point… more
The Cost of Ethnic Disparities
| September 24, 2009 | Posted by ITUP under Blog |
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There is a plethora of research on health disparities between racial and ethnic groups, and much of the disparity is attributed to health access and socio-economic status. The Urban Institute recently revealed a fascinating paper that quantifies the actual cost burdens of racial and ethnic health disparities in the population.… more
Premium Subsidies Calculator
| September 23, 2009 | Posted by ITUP under Blog |
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All the proposals on the table include an individual mandate, meaning you will be legally obligated to have health insurance. Let it be clear that this is the ONLY way to achieve 95-100% coverage levels outside of a single payer system (mostly due to the fact that relatively healthy people… more
Finance Committee Kickoff
| September 22, 2009 | Posted by ITUP under Blog |
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I attended the first Finance Committee mark up today, where each Senator gave an opening statement prior to the start of tomorrow’s amendment process. Some of the more interesting developments included: – Senator Grassley’s (R) newfound argument against an individual mandate suggesting a new reinsurance program as an alternative, and… more
‘Coverage Denial for Dummies’
| September 21, 2009 | Posted by ITUP under Blog |
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You may have heard anecdotes about what pre-existing conditions insurance companies will use to deny ‘high risk’ individuals health coverage, but have you ever wondered to what extent these practices go in order to limit the companies’ bottom line? Entire departments (and a good part of your insurance premium) are… more
This is the Status Quo
| September 17, 2009 | Posted by ITUP under Blog |
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I imagine that someone you know (or maybe even you) has serious qualms about health reform, be they ideological issues, the timing, worries about the deficit, or maybe the fact that you are an insurance billionaire. Nevertheless, recent statistics show just how badly a situation inaction has left us in.… more
Baucus, the CBO, and my summary
| September 16, 2009 | Posted by ITUP under Blog |
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The Finance Committee draft was finally released today, and its title is “America’s Healthy Future Act.” Criticisms of the draft abound on both sides of the aisle; Dems see it as conceding too much and the relevant Republicans aren’t supporting it either (but more importantly they aren’t OPPOSING it yet).… more
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