Tag:
universal healthcare
Latest Headlines
Latest Headlines
Primary care shortage blocks healthcare reform
By the year 2020, the nation will need 140,000 family physicians--a 40 percent increase over what was needed two years ago--according to the American Academy of Family Physician's 2006 Physician
ALSO NOTED: The future of "retainer medicine" worth considering; Hospitalists are here to stay; and much more...
> An academic medical center dean explains why putting primary care physicians on retainer can be more cost-effective than fee for service.
ALSO NOTED: Ex-surgeon general challenges White House; Dems propose Massachusetts model for reform; and much more...
> Former Surgeon General Dr. Richard Carmona told Congress this week he felt Administration officials prevented from accurately reporting scientific and medical information. Article > When it comes to universal healthcare, Democratic presidential candidates seem to be sticking to practical approaches modeled on recent Massachusetts reforms. …
SPOTLIGHT: Candidates should push treatment effectiveness
It's all well and good to advocate for universal healthcare coverage, but unless we trim costs universal coverage is not sustainable, suggests New York Times columnist David Leonhardt. If they really want to fix the U.S. health system, presidential candidates should encourage the industry to focus on which treatments really work, he says. Article
Calif. considers fines for uninsured
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) is considering some aggressive steps to push all citizens into health insurance plans. Under this proposal--one of several being considered by the administration--the state would track down people who refuse to buy health insurance, force-enrolled in a plan and fined until they pay the premiums. Schwarzenegger has also proposed attaching the wages of people who don't buy into a health plan, or boosting their state income tax debt. To find the …
Stark files universal coverage measure
Rep. Pete Stark (D-CA), already a high-profile figure in the industry thanks to the self-referral rules bearing his name, has taken a stance on the universal health coverage issue. Stark, who serves as chairman of the House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee, has introduced a bill creating a universal health plan. Under the AmeriCare Health Care Act, all U.S. citizens would be covered either …
ALSO NOTED: Clinton promises universal health; AR seeks trauma network; and much more...
> Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) has vowed to establish a universal healthcare system if elected president. Article > Arkansas state officials are attempting to build the state's first trauma network, but aren't sure how they'll pay for it. Article > Physician rating site HealthGrades …
SPOTLIGHT: Site collects health system horror stories
Hoping to generate support for health reform, an organization affiliated with the AFL-CIO has launched a site collecting consumer stories of frustration with the healthcare system. The site, which is published by Working America, is part of a larger effort by labor to advocate for universal healthcare. Article
MA mulls changes to insurance requirements
Facing loud complaints from citizens whose health coverage doesn't measure up, Massachusetts state officials are looking at dropping a core rule defining on what coverage qualifies under its new insurance mandate. Officials are now proposing that the state allow health plans that have lifetime payout caps to qualify for the mandate. Right now, plans don't meet the law's requirements if a lifetime cap is in place. However, the officials still intend to leave in place other benefit …
Group: MA health coverage is too expensive
While it's all well and good that Massachusetts has negotiated a low monthly premium for its new bare-bones health plan, the initial numbers publicized by state officials are deceptive, according to the nonprofit Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights (FTCR). The group, which describes itself as nonpartisan, says that the low monthly premiums touted by state officials seriously understate the actual costs patients will face. While the state's basic plan comes in at a modest …
