Health and Technology

Healthcare compromise revealed

Obama, other Dems praise new health compromise - Forbes.com.

Obama hailed "a creative new framework that I believe will help pave the way for final passage of legislation and a historic achievement for the American people." He said, "I support this effort, especially since it's aimed at increasing choice and competition and lowering cost."

A provision opening Medicare to uninsured Americans between the ages of 55 and 64 drew praise from some liberals.

Has Stimulus increased EMR/EHR adoption?

This Friday marks the close of the first reporting period for Recovery Act funds. Any grants or loans awarded between February 17th (the signing of the bill) and September 30th will be reported in the survey. Results will be posted on Recovery.gov. 

Survey: What affect has the Stimulus Bill had on EMR adoption rates? 

respond here

Read Full Blog Post via www.softwareadvice.com

Health Care Proposals Compared

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Health care legislation is taking shape in both the House and Senate. Details are being negotiated and any final bill would have to meld proposals from both chambers. A look at various proposals:

Here are the names of the various proposals and the answer to "HOW YOU CHOOSE YOUR HEALTH INSURANCE":

1. The Senate Finance Committee's bill: Self-employed people and small businesses could pick a plan offered through new state-based purchasing pools. Employees would be generally allowed to keep their work-provided coverage.
2. The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee's bill: Individuals and small businesses could purchase insurance through state-based purchasing pools called American Health Benefit Gateways.
3. The House Democratic bill (three committees have approved slightly different versions that still must be merged): Through a new Health Insurance Exchange open to individuals and, initially, small employers; it could be expanded to large employers over time. States could opt to operate their own exchanges in place of the national exchange if they follow federal rules.
4. The House Republican outline: No new purchasing exchange or marketplace is proposed. Health savings accounts and flexible spending plans would be strengthened.
5. President Obama's proposal: Small businesses and people without access to affordable insurance through their employer or elsewhere would have access to a new exchange starting in 2013. Illegal immigrants would not be able to shop in the exchange.

Read the full article for the scoop on each plan:
WHO'S COVERED:
COST:
HOW IT'S PAID FOR:
REQUIREMENTS FOR INDIVIDUALS:
REQUIREMENTS FOR EMPLOYERS:
SUBSIDIES:
BENEFITS PACKAGE:
INSURANCE INDUSTRY RESTRICTIONS:
GOVERNMENT-RUN PLAN:
HOW YOU CHOOSE YOUR HEALTH INSURANCE:
CHANGES TO MEDICAID:

------

Sources: Associated Press research, Kaiser Family Foundation.

via www.nytimes.com

Reality Check: FAQs on Health Insurance Reform

Frequently Asked Questions about Health Insurance Reform | Health Insurance Reform Reality Check.

"Rationing" I have heard many people worry that health care will be "rationed" under health reform. I won’t be able to get certain tests or procedures. What if I want those tests and what if they detect something that could save my life? 

Burdening Government Isn’t health reform going to put more burdens on federal and state governments because we will be covering more people without insurance? 

Cost This legislation is going to cost more than a trillion dollars, how can we afford that? 

Uninsured vs. Costs Why should people with insurance pay to cover those who don’t have it? They are already paying for the uninsured. 

Seniors You keep talking about expanding insurance coverage by cutting Medicare. Why would health reform be good for seniors? 

A lot of seniors seem to be concerned about a provision in the House bill that would provide counseling for end of life care. They think it sounds like the government will come along every five years and require you to talk about how you want to end your life. 

Insurance Exchange & Public Option What is the insurance exchange? What are the benefits of the public option? 

TRICARE and Military Families I am active duty military and I am worried that health reform will affect my care under TRICARE.

These questions are addressed here 

WWJD about Healthcare?

This is refreshing to see faith groups suggest action oriented initiatives to inspire health-care reform discussions.  

The Columbus Dispatch : Faithful push for action on health-care reform. 

God wouldn't deny anyone a doctor, affordable medicine or any other medical needs, religious leaders are preaching in the midst of a nationwide debate about health-care reform.  Faith groups are lobbying Congress and working to gain support among laypeople for a health-care system that offers affordable coverage to all, though they largely leave the specifics of how that would happen to the legislators. 

• West Ohio Conference of the United Methodist Church is asking members to contact their representatives. Congress is on recess until after Labor Day, and members are holding town meetings in their districts and providing other opportunities for constituents to weigh in on health care.        
• An interfaith coalition called Faithful Reform in Health Care, based in Cleveland, is asking its members to hold "health-care Sabbaths," a chance to pray for both uninsured and insured Americans who are being overwhelmed by the cost of health care.
• Representatives of Ohio Jewish Communities have traveled to Washington to ask lawmakers to protect access to long-term care for the elderly, disabled and others who need it. 
• The United Methodist Church has created www.1010challenge.org, which encourages visitors to the Web site to take one new action for health-care reform every week. Such acts include "tell a friend" and "organize/participate in a prayer vigil." 
• On Monday 8/10, an interfaith group is to announce a new campaign, "40 Days for Health Reform." It will include a TV ad featuring Catholic, mainline Protestant and evangelical pastors, as well as dedicating Aug. 28-30 as a weekend for pastors to deliver sermons on health care. 
• The First Congregational Church, United Church of Christ, in Downtown Columbus, is planning a news conference Aug. 18 with other pastors and rabbis. They'll call for more civility in the debate, after seeing news reports of lawmakers' town-hall meetings that devolved into raucous shouting matches. 

FACT CHECK: Distortions rife in health care debate

The Associated Press: FACT CHECK: Distortions rife in health care debate.

WASHINGTON — Confusing claims and outright distortions have animated the national debate over changes in the health care system. Opponents of proposals by President Barack Obama and congressional Democrats falsely claim that government agents will force elderly people to discuss end-of-life wishes. Obama has played down the possibility that a health care overhaul would cause large numbers of people to change doctors and insurers.

Until Listening to this NPR Story, I was unaware of these Medicare sponsored life support warehouses being built in California. End Of Life Care In America, A Doctor's Diagnosis : NPR. (mentioned at 33 minutes)   

This government money could be much better spent, in my opinion.   I like what this Doctor recommends, calling it artificial vital organ functioning, instead of 'life support'.  In the elderly, it is just delaying the inevitable, they have no chance of recovering from it. 

Be Informed: 8 basic consumer protections

If you’re like most Americans, there’s nothing more important to you about health care than peace of mind. 

Given the status quo, that’s understandable. The current system often denies insurance due to pre-existing conditions, charges steep out-of-pocket fees – and sometimes isn’t there at all if you become seriously ill. 

It’s time to fix our unsustainable insurance system and create a new foundation for health care security. That means guaranteeing your health care security and stability with eight basic consumer protections: 

• No discrimination for pre-existing conditions
• No exorbitant out-of-pocket expenses, deductibles or co-pays
• No cost-sharing for preventive care
• No dropping of coverage if you become seriously ill
• No gender discrimination
• No annual or lifetime caps on coverage
• Extended coverage for young adults
• Guaranteed insurance renewal so long as premiums are paid

Learn more about these consumer protections at Whitehouse.gov. 

Over the next month there is going to be an avalanche of misinformation and scare tactics from those seeking to perpetuate the status quo. But we know the cost of doing nothing is too high. Health care costs will double over the next decade, millions more will become uninsured, and state and local governments will go bankrupt. 

It’s time to act and reform health insurance, drive down costs and guarantee the health care security and stability of every American family. You can help by putting these core principles of reform in the hands of your friends, your family, and the rest of your social network. 

Thank you, 
Barack Obama 

Health Insurance Consumer Protections.

Overview: The Affordable Health Choices Act

Health Care Reform Series: The Affordable Health Choices Act.

by Jenny Kakasuleff

• President Obama has requested that Congress have a bill ready for his signature by the fall. He has largely left the craftsmanship of the legislation up to lawmakers, but has indicated his desire to reach three primary goals:

1. Reform the system by: expanding coverage, improving quality, lowering cost, honoring patient choice, and holding insurance companies accountable
2. Scientific and  technological advancements   
3. Preventative care 

• The AHCA would create state health insurance exchanges, modeled similar to those in the Massachusetts universal health care plan. But unlike the PCA, which left participation in the health exchanges optional, the plan offered by democrats would make participation mandatory. The goal of the exchanges is to streamline services in the health insurance sector by creating a one-stop-shop where consumers can compare different plans.
• Individual mandates are an essential piece to the overall puzzle and the wisdom behind “community rating.” The only way the health care system will be able to absorb the costs of including individuals with pre-existing conditions, is by ensuring the young and healthy demographic are enrolled in a minimal “catastrophic illness” plan, thereby allowing the healthy to subsidize the costs of the sick.
• The AHCA would mandate employers either provide insurance and contribute to premiums for their employees, or contribute to a public option. Small employers would be exempt, but there is no definition yet on what defines a small employer. Since the penalty of not participating will likely be less than the cost of participating, employees can expect their employers to discontinue offering insurance. The economic incentive to not provide coverage has been growing, and with a public option, the moral and social incentive to provide it becomes even less, as employers rationalize it is better for business to allow employees to purchase their own plan—and they are probably right. How many businesses suffer from a one million dollar yearly surcharge when someone on the payroll develops a serious illness?
• According to Jonathan Gruber, an economist with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, removing the burden of employer-sponsored coverage would incentivize a boom in entrepreneurialism. He further notes:

The example I think of is the 50-year-old engineer at IBM whose wife is a cancer survivor and who wants to start his own company. He's just not going to do it in today's world, because he just can't take that chance on health insurance. In a world of health reform, he can do that.

These points are excerpted from

Health Care Reform Series: The Affordable Health Choices Act.

by Jenny Kakasuleff

Hospitals give and take on Health Reform Proposal

The Associated Press: White House, hospitals reach deal on health care.

Of the $155 billion in projected savings from hospitals, about $40 billion to $50 billion would come from reducing federal payments hospitals receive for providing care to uninsured and low-income patients, according to lobbyists. Those payments are now made through the Medicare and Medicaid programs. The Medicaid cuts would be apportioned by state, as 10 percent annual reductions beginning around 2015.

About $100 billion more would come from reductions in planned Medicare payments to hospitals. A small amount of savings would come from trimming the money hospitals get for preventing patients from being readmitted for additional care.

Hospitals would also get something out of the deal. They won an agreement that if the Finance Committee's legislation includes a public health insurance plan, it would reimburse hospitals at above the rates Medicare and Medicaid pay, which hospitals have long complained are insufficient.

Small Business Summary of House Healthcare Proposal

Health insurance reform details coming into focus - Business First of Columbus: .

How small businesses would fare under House health-care proposal: 

• Small businesses and individuals could comparison shop among private and public plans in a national health insurance exchange. 

• Employers could either provide health insurance to their employees or pay a fee based on 8 percent of their payroll to the government. 

• Employers that offer coverage would have to pick up 72.5 percent of the cost of premiums for full-time employees and 65 percent for a family policy. 

• Employers could contribute a share of the expense of coverage for part-time employees or contribute to the health insurance exchange. 

• Small businesses under a size threshold yet to be determined would be exempted from the employer responsibility requirement.

• Small businesses that can’t afford coverage would get a tax credit to help them pay for it. 

Source: House committees on Ways and Means, Energy and Commerce, and Education and Labor