Problems could start this fall for customers buying individual health policies, say independent experts, with more insurers likely to exit state markets around the country, and those remaining seeking higher rates. Low-income people who qualified for expanded Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act, or ACA, might be shielded for a year or two. Combine that with uncertainty about the Trump administration's intentions, and "there would be an increased number of insurers exiting the market, leaving more counties without any coverage," Levitt added. [...] voters might not blame Obama for the problems and instead turn their ire on Trump and the Republicans. Insurers say their major worry currently is the reluctance of the White House and Congress to guarantee billions of dollars in "cost sharing" subsidies that help cover deductibles and copayments for low-income consumers. In theory "repeal now, replace later," would create space for orderly health care negotiations while Congress attends to other pressing business, such as raising the federal borrowing limit. Funding for expanded health insurance coverage would be continued for another two years, thereby setting a deadline for lawmakers to act. With past similar schemes, "Washington has been incapable of acting," said GOP adviser Lanhee Chen, who served as policy director for 2012 Republican candidate Mitt Romney.
Reported by SeattlePI.com 5 hours ago.
'Repeal now, replace later' has immediate consumer impact
↧
↧
Uncertainty lingers in California despite failed GOP health repeal
State officials, health insurers and consumer advocates are breathing a tentative, temporary sigh of relief after the GOP campaign to repeal the Affordable Care Act collapsed Tuesday due to lack of Republican support. [...] many worry that the lingering instability the Trump administration has already injected into the insurance market could continue, making it difficult for insurers and consumers to predict health insurance costs in the near future. The administration has also threatened to end a critical stream of federal funding, known as cost-sharing subsidies, that helps insurance companies pay for care for millions of low-income Americans. The federal government spends $7 billion a year on the cost-sharing subsidies nationwide, and $750 million of it goes to help about 680,000 low-income Californians cover co-pays and deductibles. “We’re pleased it appears the ACA will continue to be the law of the land, but there remains a lot of uncertainty about what may happen next and whether funding will be there,” said Gary Cohen, vice president of government affairs for Blue Shield of California, the largest health insurer on Covered California. Currently, all California counties have at least two insurers offering plans through Covered California, the state exchange where low-income residents who receive ACA federal subsidies can buy insurance plans. “This decision is based on the ongoing federal uncertainty around the repeal and replacement attempts of the Affordable Care Act and the dramatic potential impacts such uncertainty has on the rates and on California consumers,” Covered California said in a statement Tuesday. On Tuesday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell pushed for action on a previous repeal bill the Senate passed in 2015, but fell short of the GOP votes needed to bring that measure to consideration.
Reported by SFGate 3 hours ago.
↧
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona Elects Greenberg Traurig’s Rebecca Burnham as Board Chair
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona (BCBSAZ) has appointed Greenberg Traurig Phoenix office Shareholder Rebecca Burnham, to serve as chair of its board of directors.
(PRWEB) July 18, 2017
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona (BCBSAZ) has appointed Greenberg Traurig Phoenix office Shareholder Rebecca Burnham, to serve as chair of its board of directors. Burnham commenced her two-year term as chair on June 1, 2017.
Burnham will lead a 16-member board that develops and oversees policies that impact the company’s ranks from the executive level to management. Burnham was first appointed to the BCBSAZ board of directors in 2008 and previously served as the board’s vice chair.
With more than 36 years of experience, Burnham is practiced in legislative and public policy matters pertinent to the real estate industry. She holds a Bachelor of Science from Arizona State University, where she graduated magna cum laude, and a Juris Doctorate from the University of California at Los Angeles.
Burnham holds many professional accolades. She was honored as one of AZRE’s Most Influential Women in 2016 and has been listed in Best Lawyers in America from 1998-2017 and Chambers and Partners from 2005-2017.
Outside of her professional life, Burnham is active in her community. She is a member of the ASU Foundation Women and Philanthropy program, Urban Land Institute, Valley Partnership and Valley of the Sun United Way, Tocqueville Society, Arizona Women’s Forum and Home Builder’s Association of Central Arizona. She also sits on the Child Crisis Arizona Foundation board of directors.
About Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona (BCBSAZ) is committed to helping Arizonans get healthier faster and stay healthier longer. With a focus on connecting people with the care they need, BCBSAZ offers health insurance and related services to nearly 1.5 million customers. BCBSAZ, a not-for-profit company, is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association. The company employs nearly 1,500 people in its Phoenix, Chandler, Flagstaff and Tucson offices. Through advanced clinical programs and community outreach, BCBSAZ is moving health forward. To learn more, visit azblue.com.
About Greenberg Traurig's Phoenix Office
In Arizona, Greenberg Traurig counsels clients on a wide range of critical issues, such as litigation, mergers and acquisitions, dispute resolution, securities, labor and employment, real estate, public finance, bankruptcy, and intellectual property matters.
About Greenberg Traurig, LLP
Greenberg Traurig, LLP (GTLaw) has more than 2,000 attorneys in 38 offices in the United States, Latin America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East and is celebrating its 50th anniversary. One firm worldwide, GTLaw has been recognized for its philanthropic giving, was named the largest firm in the U.S. by Law360 in 2017, and among the Top 20 on the 2016 Am Law Global 100. Web: http://www.gtlaw.com Twitter: @GT_Law. Reported by PRWeb 3 hours ago.
(PRWEB) July 18, 2017
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona (BCBSAZ) has appointed Greenberg Traurig Phoenix office Shareholder Rebecca Burnham, to serve as chair of its board of directors. Burnham commenced her two-year term as chair on June 1, 2017.
Burnham will lead a 16-member board that develops and oversees policies that impact the company’s ranks from the executive level to management. Burnham was first appointed to the BCBSAZ board of directors in 2008 and previously served as the board’s vice chair.
With more than 36 years of experience, Burnham is practiced in legislative and public policy matters pertinent to the real estate industry. She holds a Bachelor of Science from Arizona State University, where she graduated magna cum laude, and a Juris Doctorate from the University of California at Los Angeles.
Burnham holds many professional accolades. She was honored as one of AZRE’s Most Influential Women in 2016 and has been listed in Best Lawyers in America from 1998-2017 and Chambers and Partners from 2005-2017.
Outside of her professional life, Burnham is active in her community. She is a member of the ASU Foundation Women and Philanthropy program, Urban Land Institute, Valley Partnership and Valley of the Sun United Way, Tocqueville Society, Arizona Women’s Forum and Home Builder’s Association of Central Arizona. She also sits on the Child Crisis Arizona Foundation board of directors.
About Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona (BCBSAZ) is committed to helping Arizonans get healthier faster and stay healthier longer. With a focus on connecting people with the care they need, BCBSAZ offers health insurance and related services to nearly 1.5 million customers. BCBSAZ, a not-for-profit company, is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association. The company employs nearly 1,500 people in its Phoenix, Chandler, Flagstaff and Tucson offices. Through advanced clinical programs and community outreach, BCBSAZ is moving health forward. To learn more, visit azblue.com.
About Greenberg Traurig's Phoenix Office
In Arizona, Greenberg Traurig counsels clients on a wide range of critical issues, such as litigation, mergers and acquisitions, dispute resolution, securities, labor and employment, real estate, public finance, bankruptcy, and intellectual property matters.
About Greenberg Traurig, LLP
Greenberg Traurig, LLP (GTLaw) has more than 2,000 attorneys in 38 offices in the United States, Latin America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East and is celebrating its 50th anniversary. One firm worldwide, GTLaw has been recognized for its philanthropic giving, was named the largest firm in the U.S. by Law360 in 2017, and among the Top 20 on the 2016 Am Law Global 100. Web: http://www.gtlaw.com Twitter: @GT_Law. Reported by PRWeb 3 hours ago.
↧
46% of population covered by private health insurance as market grows
Average premium rose marginally last year by 0.3 per cent to €1,177 per person
Reported by Irish Times 12 hours ago.
↧
South Africa: As National Health Insurance Nears, Dodgy Doctors Better Watch Out
[Bhekisisa] Criminal networks are targeting your medical aid rands but could you be part of the problem too?
Reported by allAfrica.com 10 hours ago.
↧
↧
Allianz Worldwide Care Launch International Health Insurance Plans for Intergovernmental Organisations
DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Allianz Worldwide Care has today announced the launch of a new international health insurance solution aimed at small to medium sized IGOs.
Reported by Business Wire 8 hours ago.
↧
A Real Plan To Make The Affordable Care Act Even Better
Short of a single-payer system, here are three ways we could greatly improve both the availability and the affordability of health insurance.
Reported by Huffington Post 9 minutes ago.
↧
Greenberg Traurig’s Bill Gausewitz to Speak at the 28th Annual ACIC General Counsel Seminar
Global law firm Greenberg Traurig, LLP’s Bill Gausewitz will speak at the 28th Annual Association of California Insurers’ (ACIC) General Counsel Seminar in San Diego, July 27.
(PRWEB) July 19, 2017
Global law firm Greenberg Traurig, LLP’s Bill Gausewitz will speak at the 28th Annual Association of California Insurers’ (ACIC) General Counsel Seminar in San Diego, July 27. His session, “A Law Looks at Forty: How Has the APA Delivered on Its Promises?” takes place at 1:15 p.m. in the Crystal Ballroom.
The seminar is an educational event for insurance professionals – particularly in the legal community – that offers the insight and information they need for their businesses. Taking place at the U.S. Grant Hotel, the event features panels on blockchain technology, social host liability, attorney-client privilege for in-house counsel, and working with judges. The full agenda can be seen here.
Gausewitz is a shareholder in the firm’s Sacramento office. He has more than 20 years of experience drafting and backing California state legislation and serving in a number of positions within the Legislature, including the U.S. House of Representatives, the California State Assembly (Republican Caucus), and the California State Senate (Republican Policy Office). Gausewitz earned an M.A. (1981), J.D. (1979), and B.A. (1976) from the University of California, Los Angeles.
About Greenberg Traurig’s Government Law & Policy Practice
Greenberg Traurig’s Government Law & Policy Practice combines the capabilities of its Federal Practice in Washington D.C. with its state and local practices across the country. The firm’s national team of governmental affairs professionals and attorneys spans major political and commercial capitals throughout the United States, including: Albany, Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, New York City, Philadelphia, Sacramento, Tallahassee, Washington, D.C. Most recently, Greenberg Traurig was named “Law Firm of the Year” for Government Relations by the U.S. News-Best Lawyers 2014 edition of Best Law Firms. The practice also received the most first-tier Government Relations rankings in the U.S.
About Greenberg Traurig’s Insurance Regulatory & Transactions Practice
Greenberg Traurig’s Insurance Regulatory & Transactions Group brings together lawyers from its national and international offices with experience in a broad variety of complementary disciplines – including insurance regulatory, tax, corporate finance and securities, securitization and structured finance, litigation, health care, and governmental affairs – to support clients from all segments of the insurance industry. The group provides tailored legal services designed to meet the varied needs of our clients in the areas of insurance regulation, legislative and public policy advocacy, life and health insurance, property and casualty insurance, premium finance, securitization and derivatives, and insurance litigation.
About Greenberg Traurig, LLP
Greenberg Traurig, LLP (GTLaw) has more than 2,000 attorneys in 38 offices in the United States, Latin America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East and is celebrating its 50th anniversary. One firm worldwide, GTLaw has been recognized for its philanthropic giving, was named the largest firm in the U.S. by Law360 in 2017, and among the Top 20 on the 2016 Am Law Global 100. Web: http://www.gtlaw.com Twitter: @GT_Law. Reported by PRWeb 5 hours ago.
(PRWEB) July 19, 2017
Global law firm Greenberg Traurig, LLP’s Bill Gausewitz will speak at the 28th Annual Association of California Insurers’ (ACIC) General Counsel Seminar in San Diego, July 27. His session, “A Law Looks at Forty: How Has the APA Delivered on Its Promises?” takes place at 1:15 p.m. in the Crystal Ballroom.
The seminar is an educational event for insurance professionals – particularly in the legal community – that offers the insight and information they need for their businesses. Taking place at the U.S. Grant Hotel, the event features panels on blockchain technology, social host liability, attorney-client privilege for in-house counsel, and working with judges. The full agenda can be seen here.
Gausewitz is a shareholder in the firm’s Sacramento office. He has more than 20 years of experience drafting and backing California state legislation and serving in a number of positions within the Legislature, including the U.S. House of Representatives, the California State Assembly (Republican Caucus), and the California State Senate (Republican Policy Office). Gausewitz earned an M.A. (1981), J.D. (1979), and B.A. (1976) from the University of California, Los Angeles.
About Greenberg Traurig’s Government Law & Policy Practice
Greenberg Traurig’s Government Law & Policy Practice combines the capabilities of its Federal Practice in Washington D.C. with its state and local practices across the country. The firm’s national team of governmental affairs professionals and attorneys spans major political and commercial capitals throughout the United States, including: Albany, Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, New York City, Philadelphia, Sacramento, Tallahassee, Washington, D.C. Most recently, Greenberg Traurig was named “Law Firm of the Year” for Government Relations by the U.S. News-Best Lawyers 2014 edition of Best Law Firms. The practice also received the most first-tier Government Relations rankings in the U.S.
About Greenberg Traurig’s Insurance Regulatory & Transactions Practice
Greenberg Traurig’s Insurance Regulatory & Transactions Group brings together lawyers from its national and international offices with experience in a broad variety of complementary disciplines – including insurance regulatory, tax, corporate finance and securities, securitization and structured finance, litigation, health care, and governmental affairs – to support clients from all segments of the insurance industry. The group provides tailored legal services designed to meet the varied needs of our clients in the areas of insurance regulation, legislative and public policy advocacy, life and health insurance, property and casualty insurance, premium finance, securitization and derivatives, and insurance litigation.
About Greenberg Traurig, LLP
Greenberg Traurig, LLP (GTLaw) has more than 2,000 attorneys in 38 offices in the United States, Latin America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East and is celebrating its 50th anniversary. One firm worldwide, GTLaw has been recognized for its philanthropic giving, was named the largest firm in the U.S. by Law360 in 2017, and among the Top 20 on the 2016 Am Law Global 100. Web: http://www.gtlaw.com Twitter: @GT_Law. Reported by PRWeb 5 hours ago.
↧
Shouldn't leave town until this is complete: Trump urges Senate Republicans to pass healthcare bill
President Donald Trump pushed Senate Republicans on Wednesday to take another stab at repealing or overhauling Obamacare, calling all 52 Republican senators to the White House to urge them to keep their campaign promises and find a new healthcare approach.
"We're close. We're very close," Trump said at the start of the lunch meeting, a day after the seven-year Republican quest to repeal and replace Democratic former President Barack Obama's signature healthcare law collapsed in the Senate. Trump urged senators to stay in Washington and not leave town for a planned August recess until they reach agreement on a healthcare plan that can pass Congress.
"For seven years you promised the American people you would repeal Obamacare. People are hurting and frankly inaction is not an option," Trump told the senators. "We can repeal, but we should repeal and replace and we shouldn't leave town until this is complete."
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has vowed to go ahead with a vote early next week on a repeal of the Affordable Care Act, popularly known as Obamacare, despite indications it will fail after the defections on Tuesday of at least three Republican senators. Moderate Republican senators Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia have said they oppose McConnell's plan for a repeal that would take effect in two years, giving Congress time to develop a replacement.
With Democrats united in opposition to repeal, McConnell can only lose two votes from his 52-48 majority in the 100-seat Senate to pass healthcare legislation. Capito, speaking to reporters ahead of the meeting on Wednesday, expressed some doubts the Senate vote on a repeal-only healthcare bill would actually occur next week. "It's changing so quickly," she said. "I think we're probably going to air what our differences are again. The president has taken a lot of time to try to call us all individually," said Capito. "I don't think anyone's mind is going to get changed sitting right there, but it gives us a chance to frame it where we have our differences."
'HONOR OUR PROMISE'
Repealing and replacing Obamacare was a top campaign promise for Trump and Republicans in Congress, who say it is a costly intrusion into the healthcare system. But the reality has been difficult for a party divided between moderates concerned the Senate bill would eliminate insurance for millions of low-income Americans and conservatives who want to see even deeper cuts to Obamacare, which boosted the number of Americans with health insurance through mandates on individuals and employers, and income-based subsidies.
"We have to honor our promise," Republican Senator Ted Cruz told reporters. "For seven years Republicans have told the voters, if you elect us, we'll repeal Obamacare. I think we will look like fools if we can't deliver on that promise." Republican Senator Orrin Hatch said it was a tough issue for Trump, but "I suspect he could be a little bit more forceful and I hope he will be. I think he needs to." Democrats, clearly delighted with the turn of events, have welcomed the Republicans' failure to replace Obamacare as an opportunity to work together. Republicans conceded their other options may be exhausted.
The No. 2 Senate Republican, John Cornyn, told reporters it was "unfortunate" that he expected bipartisan talks to begin."Democrats are strongly committed to Obamacare and are unwilling to admit structural problems, which create the problems we are having in the individual market today," Cornyn said. "But we'll do the best we can with the hand we've been dealt." If senators try to shore up Obamacare, an initial hurdle in coming weeks will be boosting faltering state insurance markets by ensuring that insurers keep receiving subsidies that help lower the cost of insurance for low-income individuals.
The Trump administration will continue making the subsidy payments through August while a related Republican lawsuit is pending. The uncertainty beyond that has rattled insurers. Republican senators have acknowledged the need to address the unstable markets but resisted Democratic calls to fund the subsidies without accompanying reforms, calling it a "bailout" for insurance companies.
Funding for the Children's Health Insurance Program, a part of the Medicaid government health insurance program for the poor and disabled, known as CHIP, expires on Sept. 30 and will require reauthorization. Bills to address the subsidy payments and CHIP would likely require 60 votes for passage, acting as a barometer of how inclined Republicans and Democrats are to work together, industry lobbyists and experts said.
Trump suggested on Tuesday that Republicans should allow the insurance markets to fail before working with Democrats. But Republican Senator Lamar Alexander, the head of the Senate Committee on Health, Labor and Pensions, said he would begin holding hearings on the issue in the next few weeks.
ReportWorldReutersWashington
· Donald Trump
· Mitch McConnell
· Shelley Moore Capito
· Barack Obama
· John Cornyn
· Lamar Alexander
· West Virginia
· Lisa Murkowski
· Ted Cruz
· White House
· Susan Collins
· Orrin Hatch
Wed, 19 Jul 2017-11:45pm
Date updated:
Wednesday, 19 July 2017 - 11:45pm
Article Images:
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a lunch meeting with Senate Republicans to discuss healthcare at the White House in Washington, U.S., July 19, 2017. From left are U.S. Senators Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Dean Heller (R-NV), Tim Scott (R-SC) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK).
Reuters
Short URL:
dnai.in/eRuy
Embargo:
Syndicate:
Hide lead image:
Page views:
8
From Print Edition: Reported by DNA 4 hours ago.
"We're close. We're very close," Trump said at the start of the lunch meeting, a day after the seven-year Republican quest to repeal and replace Democratic former President Barack Obama's signature healthcare law collapsed in the Senate. Trump urged senators to stay in Washington and not leave town for a planned August recess until they reach agreement on a healthcare plan that can pass Congress.
"For seven years you promised the American people you would repeal Obamacare. People are hurting and frankly inaction is not an option," Trump told the senators. "We can repeal, but we should repeal and replace and we shouldn't leave town until this is complete."
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has vowed to go ahead with a vote early next week on a repeal of the Affordable Care Act, popularly known as Obamacare, despite indications it will fail after the defections on Tuesday of at least three Republican senators. Moderate Republican senators Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia have said they oppose McConnell's plan for a repeal that would take effect in two years, giving Congress time to develop a replacement.
With Democrats united in opposition to repeal, McConnell can only lose two votes from his 52-48 majority in the 100-seat Senate to pass healthcare legislation. Capito, speaking to reporters ahead of the meeting on Wednesday, expressed some doubts the Senate vote on a repeal-only healthcare bill would actually occur next week. "It's changing so quickly," she said. "I think we're probably going to air what our differences are again. The president has taken a lot of time to try to call us all individually," said Capito. "I don't think anyone's mind is going to get changed sitting right there, but it gives us a chance to frame it where we have our differences."
'HONOR OUR PROMISE'
Repealing and replacing Obamacare was a top campaign promise for Trump and Republicans in Congress, who say it is a costly intrusion into the healthcare system. But the reality has been difficult for a party divided between moderates concerned the Senate bill would eliminate insurance for millions of low-income Americans and conservatives who want to see even deeper cuts to Obamacare, which boosted the number of Americans with health insurance through mandates on individuals and employers, and income-based subsidies.
"We have to honor our promise," Republican Senator Ted Cruz told reporters. "For seven years Republicans have told the voters, if you elect us, we'll repeal Obamacare. I think we will look like fools if we can't deliver on that promise." Republican Senator Orrin Hatch said it was a tough issue for Trump, but "I suspect he could be a little bit more forceful and I hope he will be. I think he needs to." Democrats, clearly delighted with the turn of events, have welcomed the Republicans' failure to replace Obamacare as an opportunity to work together. Republicans conceded their other options may be exhausted.
The No. 2 Senate Republican, John Cornyn, told reporters it was "unfortunate" that he expected bipartisan talks to begin."Democrats are strongly committed to Obamacare and are unwilling to admit structural problems, which create the problems we are having in the individual market today," Cornyn said. "But we'll do the best we can with the hand we've been dealt." If senators try to shore up Obamacare, an initial hurdle in coming weeks will be boosting faltering state insurance markets by ensuring that insurers keep receiving subsidies that help lower the cost of insurance for low-income individuals.
The Trump administration will continue making the subsidy payments through August while a related Republican lawsuit is pending. The uncertainty beyond that has rattled insurers. Republican senators have acknowledged the need to address the unstable markets but resisted Democratic calls to fund the subsidies without accompanying reforms, calling it a "bailout" for insurance companies.
Funding for the Children's Health Insurance Program, a part of the Medicaid government health insurance program for the poor and disabled, known as CHIP, expires on Sept. 30 and will require reauthorization. Bills to address the subsidy payments and CHIP would likely require 60 votes for passage, acting as a barometer of how inclined Republicans and Democrats are to work together, industry lobbyists and experts said.
Trump suggested on Tuesday that Republicans should allow the insurance markets to fail before working with Democrats. But Republican Senator Lamar Alexander, the head of the Senate Committee on Health, Labor and Pensions, said he would begin holding hearings on the issue in the next few weeks.
ReportWorldReutersWashington
· Donald Trump
· Mitch McConnell
· Shelley Moore Capito
· Barack Obama
· John Cornyn
· Lamar Alexander
· West Virginia
· Lisa Murkowski
· Ted Cruz
· White House
· Susan Collins
· Orrin Hatch
Wed, 19 Jul 2017-11:45pm
Date updated:
Wednesday, 19 July 2017 - 11:45pm
Article Images:
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a lunch meeting with Senate Republicans to discuss healthcare at the White House in Washington, U.S., July 19, 2017. From left are U.S. Senators Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Dean Heller (R-NV), Tim Scott (R-SC) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK).
Reuters
Short URL:
dnai.in/eRuy
Embargo:
Syndicate:
Hide lead image:
Page views:
8
From Print Edition: Reported by DNA 4 hours ago.
↧
↧
Rural hospitals face uncertainty with health care proposals
Because Holbrook has Medicaid, the hospital got paid for its services, helping it keep its doors open and preventing Holbrook from a more perilous drive to the next nearest hospital more than 30 miles away. Millions of Americans got health insurance through the expansion of Medicaid programs in 31 states under the Affordable Care Act, and they are watching nervously as Republican lawmakers in Congress consider various proposals to repeal or phase out that expansion. Just two years ago, 15 of Kentucky's 65 rural hospitals were in danger of closing. [...] more than 440,000 Kentuckians — nearly 10 percent of the state's population — got health coverage through Medicaid after the state chose to expand the program under the Affordable Care Act. An analysis by The Commonwealth Fund, a health care advocacy group, showed the uncompensated care costs could rise 123 percent for those hospitals by 2026. While a closed hospital would be bad for doctors and patients, it would also do disproportionate damage to delicate rural economies where the local hospital is often one of the largest employers along with the public school system. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, noted that rural hospitals "are in trouble already," adding to the challenges of crafting a health care bill. The Medicaid expansion is expected to cost Kentucky nearly $300 million by 2020, adding pressure to a state budget already stressed by a multi-billion public pension debt.
Reported by SeattlePI.com 5 hours ago.
↧
Show this devastating list to Trump supporters who think their candidate is sticking to his promises
So after six months, has he delivered what he promised you? 1. He told you he’d repeal Obamacare and replace it with something “beautiful.” You bought it. But he didn’t repeal and he didn’t replace. (Just as well: His plan would have knocked at least 22 million off health insurance, including many o...
Reported by Raw Story 4 hours ago.
↧
To Fix Healthcare, We Need To Repeal A Lot More Than Obamacare
Authored by Ryan McMaken via The Mises Institute,I've always been willing to accept a repeal of Obamacare that was less than perfect, and I've never subscribed to the idea that only a total and complete repeal of Obamacare should warrant my support.
*Even a small tax cut is better than no tax cut, and even a partial repeal of Obamacare is better than no repeal. *
But, there's been little reason to celebrate the GOP's effort at an Obamacare repeal. And now that the effort appears doomed, there seems to be little reason for prolonged lamentation.
*Indeed, right up until the apparent failure of the repeal effort this week, the whole affair has been marked by confusion, muddled messaging, and a clear lack of any direction beyond scoring some political points against the supporters of Barack Obama. *
The Senate version, for example, only partially repealed the Obamacare tax while leaving much of the rest of the law untouched. Worse yet, the Senate version added bailout provisions for insurance companies.
-Looking Beyond Obamacare -
*If actually improving the lives of taxpayers and constituents were the goal, the GOP could have focused less on specifically repudiating the Obama agenda, and instead looking for ways to undo decades of government meddling in healthcare — which has produced the expensive, inflexible, and monopolistic healthcare system we have today. *
Instead, the focus has been only on Obamacare itself — the repeal of which would only return us to the bad old days of 2013 when the healthcare sector was already long over-regulated, distorted, subsidized, and made far more expensive than would be the case in a functioning marketplace.
Even worse, the rhetoric surrounding the Obamacare-repeal effort has tended to send the message that things were more or less fine before Obamacare was passed, and this once it was repealed, things would improve. In truth, healthcare was already headed toward disastrous price increases and problems of falling quality even before Obomacare was passed. Given how government has come to dominate the industry, this should surprise no one.
-Decades of Government Control and Subsidy-
The pre-Obamacare world was one in which the United States spent more government money on healthcare than almost any other nation. *That's government spending, not total spending overall. *
This data is from the world Health Organizations 2014 report on healthcare spending. The data pre-dates the implementation of Obamacare. *Specifically, per capita government spending in the US comes in at $4,047 behind Norway ($5,198), Luxembourg (5,061), and the Netherlands ($4,070), and is also quite comparable to Denmark ($3,801). *
Indeed, by the time Obamacare was passed, the US had already been piling on regulations and subsidies in the healthcare sector for more than 70 years.
However,* it wasn't until the 1960s that a real crisis began to appear on the horizon. *As noted in Mike Holly's article "How Government Regulations Made Healthcare So Expensive":
The U.S. “health care cost crisis” didn’t start until 1965. The government increased demand with the passage of Medicare and Medicaid while restricting the supply of doctors and hospitals. Health care prices responded at twice the rate of inflation. Now, the U.S. is repeating the same mistakes with the unveiling of Obamacare (a.k.a. “Medicare and Medicaid for the middle class”).
This *artificially inflated demand was then heaped on top of efforts that were already in place to restrict supply.* Holly continues:
Since the early 1900s, medical special interests have been lobbying politicians to reduce competition. By the 1980s, the U.S. was restricting the supply of physicians, hospitals, insurance and pharmaceuticals, while subsidizing demand. Since then, the U.S. has been trying to control high costs by moving toward something perhaps best described by the House Budget Committee: “In too many areas of the economy — especially energy, housing, finance, and health care — free enterprise has given way to government control in “partnership” with a few large or politically well-connected companies”
*So, we have for many years faced a situation in which the government works to subsidize healthcare — thus increasing demand — while simultaneously reducing supply.* And yet, these efforts at regulating the industry, picking winners and losers, and enhancing monopoly powers have become to entrenched in the industry, we don't even notice them anymore. They now seem natural. Some might even conclude they're the result of natural market behavior.
The Overuse of Health Insurance
*One of the most important aspects of the healthcare industry — something most now wrongly assume is a product of unhampered market forces — has been the use of health insurance as the mainstay in allocating healthcare resources. *This over-reliance on insurance has produced not a few unfortunate side effects. For example, the use of insurance to pay for common procedures has created moral hazard and thus over-utilization of healthcare services.
Moreover, *by inserting a third party between the consumer and the healthcare providers — a third party that obscures prices from the end user — consumers cannot make informed choices on the true costs of services and which are most prudent to use*. This in turn drives up prices for all users, including cash-only customers and anyone who doesn't fit into the inflexible and government-created employer-based insurance system.
Dr. Michel Accad discusses the origins of the health insurance system that got us where we are today:
[During the 1930s and 40s the] main boost to the health insurance industry ... came from new legislation and administrative rulings.
State-level legislations were passed to allow pre-payment plans, such as Blue Cross and Blue Shield programs, to obtain non-profit, tax-exempt status and to offer insurance coverage without the reserve requirements imposed on commercial insurance companies...
More importantly, insurance programs benefited greatly from the federal Stabilization Act of 1942 which allowed companies facing scarce labor (during a time of price and wage control) to compete for this labor by offering health insurance benefits and by making those benefits exempt from payroll taxes.
There were also rulings preventing employers from canceling or modifying group insurance during the contract period, and rulings that established health benefits as wages, allowing labor unions to negotiate for the provision of health insurance on behalf of employees.
With successive legislation and rulings, commercial insurance entered the health care market more willingly and employers began to offer health insurance to employees on a very large scale. Between 1940 and 1950, the number of people with health insurance grew from less than 10 million to over 80 million Americans.
Holly notes some other developments as well:
· In 1945, buyer monopolization begun after the McCarran-Ferguson Act led by the Roosevelt Administration exempted the business of medical insurance from most federal regulation, including antitrust laws. (States have also more recently contributed to the monopolization by requiring health care plans to meet standards for coverage.)
· In 1946, institutional provider monopolization begun after favored hospitals received federal subsidies (matching grants and loans) provided under the Hospital Survey and Construction Act passed during the Truman Administration. (States have also been exempting non-profit hospitals from antitrust laws.)
· In 1951, employers started to become the dominant third-party insurance buyer during the Truman Administration after the Internal Revenue Service declared group premiums tax-deductible.
This isn't to say that reductions in taxes or regulations are a bad things in themselves. The problem lies not in that the insurance industry benefited from tax reductions and lowered regulatory barriers. The problem lies in the fact that other healthcare arrangements — industries and options that competed with the insurance model — were still subject to the usual taxes and regulations. Thus, the insurance industry enjoyed a relative advantage over the competition. This caused immense amounts of wealth to flow into the insurance industry — and this has burdened us with the insurance-centric system we have today.
*In a less interventionist economy, market factors and competition had worked to restrain the use of health insurance. However, as new legislation worked to give insurance an advantage over cash-for-service healthcare, large insurance agencies came to dominate the industry. *Over time, large providers like BlueCross/BlueShield would major major interest groups that worked to that insurance would assume a larger and larger role in the provision of healthcare.
Supply Is Restricted
*Thus it is no accident that today's tax law provides incentives to have health insurance while doing far less to incentivize health savings accounts and the purchase of healthcare services outside the insurance system. *Cash-only and membership-based medical services function at a competitive disadvantage because governments have picked who the winners and losers should be. And insurance companies have already been declared the winners.
Meanwhile, *a variety of government and quasi-government licensing laws and regulations restrict the production of healthcare services. *Kel Kelly noted just how restrictive these regulations can be:
[Since the American Medical Association began restricting medical education], the US population has increased by 284 percent, while the number of medical schools has declined by 26 percent to 123. In 1996, the peak year for applications, only 16,500 candidates were accepted out of 47,000. While high rejection rates can be common in many schools, applicants to medical schools are usually among the brightest and highest-quality students and have put themselves through a very costly admissions process.... The medical monopoly also marginalizes or outlaws alternative or slightly alternative (i.e., competing) medical practices, along with nurses and midwives, who could perform many of the tasks doctors do today.
*Fewer training facilities for medical personnel means higher tuition, fewer spots for students, fewer doctors, and higher prices for consumers. *
Meanwhile, in many jurisdictions, new hospitals cannot be built without permission of governments through a "certificate of need" process.
Obamacare Was Just More of the Same
*The result of all this, of course, has been more expensive healthcare that is less competitive, less accessible, more restricted, and more geared toward the benefit of a few large special interests. *
None of this is new to the world of Obamacare, and little of the problem will be undone by repealing Obamacare. In fact, Obamacare was really just a doubling down on a broken healthcare system that had been created decades earlier. Obamacare represents more of same, not a break from an imagined "free-market" past.
*If repealing Obamacare is really the goal, the GOP should instead focus on repealing and undermining the edifice on which Obamacare was built: the highly regulated, subsidized, and manipulated healthcare markets that dominate today. * Reported by Zero Hedge 3 hours ago.
↧
Illinois stays mum on health insurance rates, plans for next year's exchange
Illinois residents will not know until Aug. 1 which health insurers intend to offer plans on the state's Obamacare exchange next year — and at what prices — though that information is already available in more than a dozen other states.
Consumer advocates say it's information that could help Illinois... Reported by ChicagoTribune 3 hours ago.
Consumer advocates say it's information that could help Illinois... Reported by ChicagoTribune 3 hours ago.
↧
↧
Uncertainty Over Obamacare Leaves Next Year's Rates In Limbo
While Washington ponders the future of the Affordable Care Act, health insurers need to decide right now what to charge people for health insurance in 2018. "It's insane," says one CEO.
Reported by NPR 3 hours ago.
↧
Health care: learning the lesson
The Trump administration has begun with a major legislative failure to reconfigure the health-insurance system. So, in 1993, did the Clinton administration. The difference? In Clinton’s case, the effort was to extend coverage, while in Trump’s case it was to squeeze coverage. The needle has moved. Most Americans now regard health insurance as a right […]
Reported by Seattle Times 1 hour ago.
↧
32 million people lose insurance under U.S. Senate Obamacare repeal plan: CBO
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Thirty-two million Americans would lose their health insurance by 2026 under a U.S. Senate plan to repeal Obamacare without providing a replacement, the Congressional Budget Office reported on Wednesday.
Reported by Reuters 29 minutes ago.
↧
ObamaCare repeal would leave 32 million more without insurance, CBO says
Repealing ObamaCare without a replacement would leave 32 million more Americans without health insurance by 2026, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said Wednesday.
Reported by FOXNews.com 32 minutes ago.
↧
↧
Repealing Obamacare would see 32m lose health insurance
Thirty-two million Americans would lose their health insurance by 2026 under a US Senate plan to repeal Obamacare without providing a replacement, the Congressional Budget Office has said.
Reported by RTE.ie 36 minutes ago.
↧
Q&A: How Trump could help sink Obama health law
Health insurance markets created by the Affordable Care Act may not be on the verge of collapse, but President Donald Trump could nudge them in that direction by following through on his plan to let the Obama-era law fail. On Wednesday White House officials announced it would pay the subsidies this month, a relief to some who feared the administration would try to subvert the insurance market after the Republican push to dismantle the Affordable Care Act and replace it fell apart this week in the Senate. [...] spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said the status of those payments is "undetermined beyond that"— which preserves an important bargaining tool for the administration and also keeps the cloud of uncertainty above the insurance market. Customers looking to buy insurance in the Affordable Care Act's marketplaces have seen prices rise and choices dwindle in recent years, and that trend looks set to continue. Money paid to insurers by the federal government to help consumers with low incomes cover out-of-pocket expenses like deductibles and copayments. Insurance companies would still be forced to keep customer out-of-pocket costs like deductibles at the same level whether they get a subsidy from the federal government to help offset that or not. "[...] inaction at the federal level will lead to higher premiums, fewer consumer options, and, in some places, collapsing markets," leaders of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners said in a letter sent Wednesday to Senate leaders.
Reported by SeattlePI.com 41 minutes ago.
↧
Obamacare Repeal to Push 32Mln Americans to Lose Health Insurance Coverage
Reported by RIA Nov. 30 minutes ago.
↧
More Pages to Explore .....
