Health plans - policy (BenefitsLink.com)Headlines re Health plans - policy, gathered by BenefitsLink.comImpacts of Health Care Reform in Massachusetts at One Year- (Found June 19, 2008 ) Excerpt: "In roughly the first year under reform, uninsurance among working-age adults was reduced by almost half among those surveyed, dropping from 13 percent in fall 2006 to 7 percent in fall 2007. At the same time, access to care improved, and the share of adults with high out-of-pocket costs and problems paying medical bills dropped." (Health Affairs)http://content.healthaffairs.org/cgi/content/abstract/hlthaff.27.4.w270 Covering the Uninsured in the U.S.- (Found June 19, 2008 ) Excerpt: "The U.S. is the only wealthy industrialized nation that does not guarantee universal health care for its citizens. Currently 47 million Americans, or 18 percent of the non-elderly population, lack health insurance. The problem of the uninsured has been a major concern for policy makers for years and is back in the spotlight this year due to the presidential election and a recent major health care reform in Massachusetts. In 'Covering the Uninsured in the U.S.' (NBER Working Paper.http://www.nber.org/aginghealth/2008no1/w13758.html New Jersey Lawmaker Touts Legislation That Would Deregulate Health Insurance in State- (Found June 19, 2008 ) Excerpt: "New Jersey Assembly member Jay Webber (R) said legislation he introduced that would deregulate health insurance in the state would be effective in reducing the number of uninsured U.S. residents, the Bergen Record reports. Last week, Webber introduced a bill to allow state residents to purchase health insurance across state lines." (Kaiser Family Foundation)http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?hint=3&DR_ID=52478 Health Insurer Lobby Releases Plan To Reduce U.S. Health Care Costs by $145B- (Found June 19, 2008 ) Excerpt: "Officials from America's Health Insurance Plans have proposed a plan they estimate could reduce U.S. health care spending by $145 billion by 2015, The Politico reports. The group plans to present its findings to congressional committee chairs and ranking members and to hold a policy briefing." (Kaiser Family Foundation)http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?DR_ID=52504 Rep. Walberg Touts Market-Based Health Care Legislation in Washington Times Op-Ed- (Found June 19, 2008 ) Excerpt: "The 'one-size-fits-all, Washington-based approach' to overhauling the U.S. health care system 'is wrong' and, instead, reform should focus on providing a 'patient-centered health care system that gives consumers direct control and choice over their health care decisions,' Rep. Tim Walberg (R-Mich.) writes in a Washington Times opinion piece." (Kaiser Family Foundation)http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/health2008dr.cfm?DR_ID=52508 Business Presents Health Care Reform Ideas in Proposal Called the New Benefit Platform for Life Security- (Found June 19, 2008 ) Excerpt: "ERIC thinks health care should be delivered through large, third-party benefit administrators, all of them competing for the business. A government-authorized entity would design three to five standard health plans, with input from all the stakeholders (medical, consumer, insurer, employer and regulator). Employers would have the option of keeping their current plan or -- as ERIC expects -- contracting for coverage through the new system." (Bloomberg)http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601212&sid=aLSprChj29bQ&refer=home Opinion Testimony: The Case for Keeping Quality on the Health Reform Agenda (PDF)- (Found June 19, 2008 ) 11 pages. Testimony presented before the Senate Committee on Finance on June 3, 2008. (RAND)http://www.rand.org/pubs/testimonies/2008/RAND_CT306.pdf Opinion McCain's Free-Market Health Plan Would Boost Role of High-Risk Pools- (Found June 19, 2008 ) Excerpt: "John McCain's plan for a health-care system built around consumers shopping for their own insurance comes with a significant downside: for people with a history of illness, it can be impossible to find coverage on their own. The Republican presidential candidate's main answer is to bolster the role of high-risk pools, which sell insurance to people with pre-existing conditions such as diabetes, cancer and AIDS." (The Wall Street Journal via California Nurses Association ...http://www.calnurses.org/media-center/in-the-news/2008/june/mccain-s-free-market-health-pl... Underinsured Trends Among U.S. Adults, 2003 And 2007- (Found June 19, 2008 ) Excerpt: "With health insurance moving toward greater patient cost sharing, this study finds a sharp increase in the number of underinsured people. Based on indicators of cost exposure relative to income, as of 2007 an estimated twenty-five million insured people ages 19-64 were underinsured--a 60 percent increase since 2003." (Health Affairs)http://content.healthaffairs.org/cgi/content/abstract/hlthaff.27.4.w298 Dubai Gets New Health Care Plan- (Found June 19, 2008 ) Excerpt: "From January 1, 2009, all residents of Dubai will compulsorily have to be part of a Health Funding System which will entitle them to affordable basic healthcare within the emirate. In a major announcement made by the Dubai Health Authority (DHA) yesterday, Director-General of DHA Qadhi Saeed Al Murooshid said the new system will be compulsory for everyone." (Khaleej Times)http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticleNew.asp?xfile=data/theuae/2008/June/theuae_June3... |