Health plans - policy (BenefitsLink.com)Headlines re Health plans - policy, gathered by BenefitsLink.comGAO Testimony: Long-Term Federal Fiscal Challenge Driven Primarily by Health Care (PDF)- (Found June 19, 2008 ) 21 pages. Excerpt: "GAO was asked to provide its views on the long-term fiscal outlook. This statement addresses four key points: (1) the federal government's long-term fiscal outlook is a matter of utmost concern; (2) this challenge is driven primarily by health care cost growth; (3) reform of health care is essential but other areas also need attention which requires a multipronged solution; and (4) the federal government faces increasing pressures yet a shrinking window of opportunity...http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d08912t.pdf CBO Testimony: The Long-Term Budget Outlook and Options for Slowing the Growth of Health Care Costs (PDF)- (Found June 19, 2008 ) 14 pages. Statement of Peter R. Orszag, Director, on The Long-Term Budget Outlook and Options for Slowing the Growth of Health Care Costs before the Committee on Finance, United States Senate, June 17, 2008. (U.S. Congressional Budget Office)http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/93xx/doc9385/06-17-LTBO_Testimony.pdf Sen. Baucus and CBO Director Orszag Discuss Independent Health Policy Board- (Found June 19, 2008 ) Excerpt: "Senate Finance Committee Chair Max Baucus (D-Mont.) at a hearing on Tuesday expressed interest in a federal health board that could make controversial health policy decisions without interference from special interests, CQ HealthBeat reports." (Kaiser Family Foundation)http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?DR_ID=52811 Prepare for Launch: Health Reform Summit 2008 to Be Held June 16- (Found June 19, 2008 ) Excerpt: "On June 16, 2008, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus and Ranking Member Chuck Grassley are co-hosting a bipartisan summit at the Library of Congress to discuss options for health care reform in 2009. 'Prepare for Launch: Health Reform Summit 2008' is part of the Finance Committee's year-long series of hearings, roundtables, and events to prepare for congressional action on health reform." (U.S. Senate Committee on Finance)http://finance.senate.gov/healthsummit2008/index.html Employers Wary of New Role Embodied in Presidential Candidates' Health Care Platforms- (Found June 19, 2008 ) Excerpt: "'Rather then focusing on how the proposals will affect their benefit designs, employers are asking broader questions about how the proposals will redefine their role, and whether the Employee Retirement Income Security Act will change,' says Steven Wojcik, vice president of public policy at NBGH." (Employee Benefit News; free registration required)http://ebn.benefitnews.com/asset/article/603331/staying-current/employers-wary-new-role-em... Opinion Massachusetts's Pioneering Plan to Provide Universal Health Coverage Off to Good Start- (Found June 19, 2008 ) Excerpt: "The state requires that all residents take out health insurance or suffer tax penalties if they don't. It also requires employers to offer coverage to their workers or make alternative payments if they don't. As it enters what could be a critical year in determining its viability, the plan can claim some substantial successes." (The New York Times; free registration required)http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/16/opinion/16mon1.html The Politico Examines Prospects for U.S. Health Care System Overhaul- (Found June 19, 2008 ) Excerpt: "The Politico on Tuesday examined how 'the skyrocketing cost of health care is putting everyone in a much more chatty and cooperative mood' about overhauling the U.S. health care system. According to The Politico, different stakeholders in the past 'have opposed policy proposals that weren't ideal, instead choosing to do nothing.' However, the 'status quo is a policy choice in itself that has major consequences . . . ." (Kaiser Family Foundation)http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?DR_ID=52641 Many People Base Life Choices on Ability to Retain, Obtain Health Insurance- (Found June 19, 2008 ) Excerpt: "Anxiety over becoming uninsured or paying higher premiums is causing some people -- 'especially those with health problems' -- to go to 'great lengths to get or keep job-based health coverage,' the Wall Street Journal reports." (Kaiser Family Foundation)http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?DR_ID=52642 Highlights of Recent News About Small-Business Health Coverage- (Found June 19, 2008 ) Excerpt: "Summaries of recent news about two efforts to contain health care costs for small businesses and their employees . . . ." (Kaiser Family Foundation)http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?DR_ID=52648 Aetna Proposes Health Insurance Reform That Would Preserve Employment-Based System- (Found June 19, 2008 ) Excerpt: "Reform is needed to fix the crisis of the uninsured, but it requires a joint effort of government and the private sector and should preserve the nation's employer-based health insurance system, Aetna Chief Executive Ronald A. Williams told a congressional panel Tuesday." (The Hartford Courant)http://www.courant.com/business/hc-aetna0611.artjun11,0,3474559.story |