Headlines about "Health plans - policy"
Gathered from the web by the editors at BenefitsLink.com.
[Opinion] Universal Health Care is Pro-Business (PDF)
Excerpt: "Everyone agrees that three fundamental areas -- access, quality and cost -- need to be addressed, but politicians on the campaign trail differ on how to achieve universal care. Historically, U.S. health policy has embraced a spectrum of options amid predictable partisan rhetoric, demonizing both 'big government' and excessive commercialization of health care. Employers pressured by globalized competition and economic uncertainty appear poised to assume a more active role in the reform debate, possibly by lobbying collaboratively in strategically aligned policy blocs." (Executive Counsel via Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP)
Small Businesses Could Gain Health Insurance Options with House Bill
Excerpt: "Called the Small Business Cooperative for Healthcare Options to Improve Coverage for Employees Act of 2008, the bill helps small businesses offer health insurance to employees through health insurance pools and a refundable tax credit of 65 percent." (The Wichita Eagle)
California Gov. Signs Law That Bans Insurers from Linking Employee Bonuses to Health Insurance Coverage Limits, Cancellations
Excerpt: "California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) on Tuesday signed legislation (AB 1150) that prohibits health insurance companies from rewarding employees who cancel or limit an enrollee's coverage, the Los Angeles Times reports." (Kaiser Family Foundation)
Health Plan to 'Bring Down Premiums by $2,500 for the Typical Family' from Obama Spurs Debate
Excerpt: "Whether Mr. Obama can deliver is a matter of considerable dispute among health analysts and economists. While there is consensus that the American health care system is bloated with waste, eliminating enough to save $2,500 per family would require simultaneous and synergistic solutions to a host of problems that have proved intractable for decades." (The New York Times; free registration required)
House Panel OKs Heath Coverage Extension for Ill College Students
Excerpt: "The measure, H.R. 2851, approved on a 40-0 vote, would allow college students to retain coverage for up to 12 months after they take a leave of absence. Coverage would continue on the same basis as prior to the student going on leave." (Workforce Management; free registration required)
[Opinion] Response to The New Republic's Jonathan Cohn Article on Health Care Policy
Excerpt: "The real debate over health care reform today centers over one fundamental choice. Are we going to continue to try to finance health care through private plans competing in the marketplace, a guarantee that access and equity problems would only grow worse, or are we going to use our own government resources to fix our financing system so that it works for everyone?" (Physicians for a National Health Program)
[Opinion] On the Presidential Candidates & Single-Payer in the 2008 Elections
Excerpt: "I believe the biggest impediment to our work over the last decade has not been the lack of a good program, because we know what a good single-payer program would look like. We have H.R. 676. We can look to Canada and places in northwestern Europe. So we have good models and we have a good program. The problem is the lack of hope - the lack of a sense of possibility. People hate the health insurance system and they know things need to change. But people don't believe things can change." (Dr. Steffie Woolhandler via Physicians for a National Health Program)
Hearing on State Coverage Initiatives
Excerpt: "The hearing [focused] on the health care reform lessons learned at the state level as well the need for a national solution on health care reform." (U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Ways and Means, Subcommittee on Health)
Many Massachusetts Firms and Insurers Oppose $100m Price Tag for Health Insurance Law
Excerpt: "Governor Deval Patrick's proposal to ask businesses, insurers, and hospitals to kick in about $100 million to close a gap in funding for the state's landmark health insurance law is threatening to fracture the fragile coalition whose support was instrumental in passing the measure." (The Boston Globe)
[Guidance Overview] Hewitt Federal Legislation Quick Guide Updated July 16, 2008, for Health and Welfare Plans (PDF)
9 pages. This Federal Legislation Quick Guide provides short updates on federal legislation that is currently under active consideration by Congress or has recently been enacted into law regarding health and welfare benefit plans. (Hewitt Associates)
[Opinion] Labor and the Bottom Line of National Health Insurance
Excerpt: "If we are to finally achieve a fair, affordable, and truly universal health care system, other economic considerations [than the economic competitiveness of U.S. business] need to frame the debate. These include: How efficient is the U.S. health system? How is the health care cost burden distributed between business, government, and the public? What are the trends in health care cost shifting? What is (and what should be) the role of insurance companies in the U.S. health system and the wider political economy?" (Dissent Magazine via Physicians for a National Health Program)
House Panel Votes To Extend Medical Leave Coverage for Students
Excerpt: "The House Energy and Commerce Committee on Wednesday voted 40-0 to approve a bill (HR 2851) that would allow college students who take medical leave to continue to receive health insurance under the policies of their parents, CQ Today reports." (Kaiser Family Foundation)
Employers Hear Details of McCain and Obama Health Plans
Excerpt: "Representatives of the presumptive Republican and Democratic presidential nominees met with employers on Tuesday, July 15, in Chicago to discuss each candidate's health care plan, exposing differences in how they would close the coverage gap, reduce health care costs and affect employers." (Workforce Management; free registration required)
After-Hours Clinic and Doctor House Calls Save Holland Money
Excerpt: "In the Netherlands, all citizens have access to 24/7 primary healthcare. The system is organized much like a health maintenance organization, so patients are required to get approval from their primary care provider before they can see a specialist or go to the hospital." (Morning Edition via National Public Radio)
Comprehensive Health Insurance for Low-Income Working Families (PDF)
19 pages. Excerpt: "In this essay, [the authors] propose comprehensive reform that ensures coverage for everyone at every income level, while still encouraging work. Their proposals include state purchasing pools, individual mandates, and strategies for reducing health care costs." (The Urban Institute)
Milliman's Monthly Benefit News and Developments, July 2008 (PDF)
2 pages. The newsletter provides a summary of the previous month's legislative, regulatory, and judicial information on employee benefits. (Milliman)
Dutch Rate Their Health Care System the Most Favorably of 10 Industrialized Nations
Excerpt: "International comparisons of health-care systems can be tricky to tease out, but the Dutch appear most satisfied with their system and Americans the least satisfied, according to a new survey of 10 industrialized countries. The Dutch system was most popular with its citizens while adults in the U.S. were itching for national reform the most, according to Harris Interactive, which cited three separate data sets." (MarketWatch via Physicians for a National Health Program)
Is Hawaii's Health Care System a Model for Other States?
Excerpt: "With Congress considering whether to make it easier for states to adopt comprehensive health insurance reform in the face of federal inertia, one such experiment that just officially marked its silver anniversary could very well provide a glimpse of things to come. Hawaii's Prepaid Health Care Act (PHCA) was enacted in June 1974, just three months before the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) was signed into law." (PLANSPONSOR.com; free registration required)
The 2008 Presidential Candidates on Health Care Reform, Updated June 4, 2008 (PDF)
Excerpt: "While it is still early in the campaign process and plan details are incomplete for most candidates, these summaries provide a snapshot of the candidates and their blueprint for reform. Our intent is to be thorough and accurate in compiling what they have said or indicated they want to do." (Councial for Affordable Health Insurance)
Sen. Sununu Outlines Six-Part Health Care Plan That Includes Small-Business Purchasing Pools
Excerpt: "New Hampshire Sen. John Sununu (R) on Thursday said that his six-part health care plan would make health coverage more affordable for uninsured individuals and small businesses, the Nashua Telegraph reports." (Kaiser Family Foundation)
[Guidance Overview] Hewitt Federal Legislation Quick Guide Updated July 9, 2008, for Health and Welfare Plans (PDF)
9 pages. This Federal Legislation Quick Guide provides short updates on federal legislation that is currently under active consideration by Congress or has recently been enacted into law regarding health and welfare benefit plans. (Hewitt Associates)
Sen. Barack Obama Proposes Tax Breaks for Small Business As Incentive to Provide Health Insurance
Excerpt: "The plan, which would cost $6 billion a year, would provide small businesses a refundable credit of up to 50 percent on premiums for employees." (The New York Times; free registration required)
House Panel Votes To Extend Health Coverage for College Students Who Take Medical Leave
Excerpt: "The House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee on Wednesday by voice vote approved to extend a bill (HR 2851, S 400) that would allow college students who are forced to leave school for a serious illness to continue to receive health care benefits under their parents' health insurance policies, CongressDaily reports." (Kaiser Family Foundation)
Audio and Text: France at Forefront of Free, Innovative Cancer Care
Excerpt: "Everyone in France gets health insurance. When someone has a difficult disease, such as cancer, the national health system steps in and pays for 100 percent of the care. Unlike in the United States, insurance in France is not linked to employment, nor is there a lifetime limit on how much treatment a long-term survivor like Hubert can get." (All Things Considered via National Public Radio)
Audio and Text: France's Model Health Care for New Mothers
Excerpt: "In France, [one finds] affordable health care that's easy to get and easy to use. Medications are provided free or at a deep discount by the national health insurance system. National insurance also reimburses 70 percent of the cost of a visit to a doctor. The rest gets picked up by supplemental insurance . . . . Almost 90 percent of people in France have supplemental insurance, and it's often paid in full or in part by one's employer." (Morning Edition via National Public Radio)
[Opinion] Five Good Reasons to Increase Health Coverage for Parents (PDF)
4 pages. Excerpt: "This fact sheet discusses five good reasons why states should strengthen the health and economic security of families by expanding health coverage for parents. As families cope with economic hardship and limited resources, states can use the proven strategy of parental coverage to ensure that every hard-working American family has access to the health services it needs." (Families USA)
Sen. Kennedy Wins Fight Against Creeping Privatization of Medicare
Excerpt: "[Ted Kennedy, who is fighting a brain tumor, made a dramatic appearance on the Senate floor, casting the decisive vote on the Medicare payment bill] amid cheers from his colleagues. . . . But the vote was bigger than the theatrics. It was the first major health care victory that Democrats have won in a long time. And it was enormously encouraging for advocates of universal health care." (The New York Times; free registration required)
NPR Series Examines Health Care Systems in Five European Nations
Excerpt: "NPR, in series titled 'Health Care for All,' recently examined the health care systems in five European nations, which have lower health care costs than the U.S. and provide a higher quality of care on several measures." (Kaiser Family Foundation)
House Members Introduce Companion to Universal Health Insurance Bill Sponsored by Sen. Wyden
Excerpt: "Reps. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) and Jo Ann Emerson (R-Mo.) on Wednesday introduced a companion bill (HR 6444) to Senate legislation (S 334) that would establish a universal health insurance system in the U.S. . . . . The Senate bill, sponsored by Sens. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Bob Bennett (R-Utah), would effectively replace the employer-sponsored health care system with a system in which individuals would purchase private health insurance through state-administered purchasing pools. The legislation would require all residents to obtain health insurance. Wyden in April modified the bill to allow employers to continue to provide health insurance . . . . The employer provision also was added to the House measure on Wednesday." (Kaiser Family Foundation)
Kaiser Issue Brief Addresses Tax Subsidies for Employer-Sponsored Health Insurance (PDF)
20 pages. Excerpt: "This issue brief by Kaiser Family Foundation researchers uses examples of workers with different wages earnings to illustrate how the current tax code affects families depending on whether they have health coverage, and whether that coverage is provided through their employer. By excluding the value of employer-sponsored health benefits from taxable income, the current law generally provides a larger subsidy to higher-income families, since higher-income workers pay federal and state income taxes at a higher marginal tax rate than lower-income workers." (Kaiser Family Foundation)
[Opinion] National Coalition on Benefits Comments on Healthy Americans Act (S. 334) (PDF)
3 pages. Excerpt: "We are writing as members of the National Coalition on Benefits (NCB) to express our opposition to the core provisions of the Healthy Americans Act, S. 334 (as amended). We believe that S. 334 would have a major adverse impact on employer-sponsored health coverage." (National Coalition on Benefits)
Small Business Is Latest Focus in Health Insurance Fight
Excerpt: "As the number of people without health insurance continues to rise, many states and Congress have begun to focus on one of the biggest causes: the growing number of small business owners and their workers who are unable to afford coverage. The states are taking a variety of approaches. To help ease the burden of insurance premiums that have roughly doubled since 2000, some, like Arizona, are extending tax credits to small employers that provide medical coverage." (The New York Times; free registration required)
Proposed Bipartisan Bill to Spur U.S. Health Care Reform Could 'Cause Large-Scale Disruption,' According to Business Coalition
Excerpt: "The legislation would effectively eliminate the employer-sponsored health care system and replace it with a system in which individuals would purchase private health coverage through state-run purchasing pools." (Kaiser Family Foundation)
[Opinion] What is 'Health Care for America Now' Doing?
Excerpt: "The private insurance industry, as it functions today, clearly must be replaced with a system that works. So what is the solution proposed by the HCAN coalition? Let's replace the private insurance industry with… the private insurance industry. Only let's regulate it by requiring the insurers to provide us with the comprehensive coverage that we need 'through the largest possible pools' - thus ensuring that their products will have premiums that only the very wealthiest of us can afford." (Physicians for a National Health Program)
McCain Plan to Aid States on Health Could Be Costly
Excerpt: "In late April, Mr. McCain, Republican of Arizona, announced that if elected president he would seek to [vastly expand] federal support for state high-risk pools like Maryland's, or by creating a structure modeled after them." (The New York Times; free registration required)
[Opinion] Dealing with the Original Sin Driving Health Costs (PDF)
Excerpt: "In budget policy, myths are progress's number one enemy. One silly fiction now making the rounds is that we don't know how to judge the relative value of different types of health care, so we can't control health care costs -- at least not for now. Like many myths, this one contains an element of truth -- there is a lot we don't know. So what? It's still a myth that we know too little to act." (C. Eugene Steuerle via Urban Institute)
[Opinion] The Delay in Major Changes in Health Care Policy
Excerpt: "HR leaders have a lot of issues on their plates as the economy becomes ever more unpredictable. The election outcome in November could bring major health-policy change, or more years of gridlock. And major change could present employers with major employee-relations issues if they implement substantial required health-plan changes." (Human Resource Executive Online)
American Academy of Actuaries Posts an 'Election 2008' Section
Excerpt: "A special election-year series from the Academy, offering short summaries of key issues from an actuarial perspective. [Key issues: Health care reform and Medicare reform; Social Security reform.]" (American Academy of Actuaries)
[Opinion] National Coalition on Benefits Writes in Opposition to Core Provisions of Healthy Americans Act, S. 334 (as Amended) (PDF)
Excerpt: "We believe that S. 334 would have a major adverse impact on employer-sponsored health coverage." (The National Coalition on Benefits via American Benefits Council)
Maryland Offers Small Employers a Subsidy for Health Plan Premiums
Excerpt: "Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley (D) unveiled on June 23 the Maryland Health Insurance Partnership, a health insurance premium subsidy program to help small businesses purchase coverage. Under the program, small businesses will apply for the subsidies through the Maryland Health Care Commission (MHCC)." (AISHealth.com)
[Guidance Overview] Hewitt Federal Legislation Quick Guide Updated July 2, 2008, for Health and Welfare Plans (PDF)
10 pages. This Federal Legislation Quick Guide provides short updates on federal legislation that is currently under active consideration by Congress or has recently been enacted into law regarding health and welfare benefit plans. (Hewitt Associates)
McCain's Health Plan - A Threat to Employer Plans?
Excerpt: "There's a great unknown about Sen. John McCain's health plan: How many employers would drop insurance coverage for their workers because of his tax policies? The Republican presidential nominee-in-waiting has proposed that everyone buying health insurance get a refundable tax credit, $2,500 for individuals and $5,000 for families. At the same time, he would treat employer contributions toward health insurance like income, meaning workers would have to pay income, but not payroll, taxes on it." (AP via The Detroit News)
Healthy San Francisco Still Working Out Program Kinks
Excerpt: "One year ago today, San Francisco became the first city in the nation to attempt to provide universal health care to its residents. Twelve months later, some city residents wonder why the program is billed as universal when they're still getting turned away." (San Francisco Chronicle)
[Opinion] Changes in Jobs, Benefits, Housing, Health Coverage, Retirement Savings Play Crucial Roles in Families' Economic Stability
Excerpt: "ERISA's congressional authors intended the law to protect employee benefits. We know this because they said so right in the law's preamble. But over the last generation, the Supreme Court and increasingly conservative federal appeals courts have rendered a series of decisions involving ERISA that have made it easier for employers and their agents to deny benefits to workers and their families." (Los Angeles Times)
New Law Helps Utah's Uninsured under Utah's Premium Partnership for Health Insurance
Excerpt: "As part of health system reform, the Utah Legislature has made it easier for Utah's uninsured to enroll in their work-sponsored health plan. As of July 1, uninsured individuals and families who qualify and sign up for Utah's Premium Partnership for Health Insurance (UPP) can enroll in their employer's health plan anytime during the year. Previously, employees could enroll or make changes to their insurance only during open enrollment or if they had a 'qualifying lifetime event' like marriage or the birth of a child." (PLANSPONSOR.com; free registration required)
Most Patients Happy With German Health Care
Excerpt: "Mention European health care to an American, and it probably conjures up a negative stereotype -- high taxes, long waiting lines, rationed care. It's not that way in Germany. Very little tax money goes into the system. The lion's share comes, as in America, from premiums paid by workers and employers to insurance companies." (Morning Edition via National Public Radio)
[Guidance Overview] Towers Perrin U.S. Legislative Tracking Charts -- Health and Welfare -- Updated July 2, 2008 (PDF)
23 pages. Excerpt: "These charts summarize selected federal legislation that would affect employee benefit programs. The bills included on the charts are based on judgments regarding the prominence of the issue, the likelihood of enactment, and the influence of the sponsors." (Towers Perrin)
Doctors Increasingly in Favor of Major Reforms to the U.S. Health Care System
Excerpt: "Doctors have historically been the watchdogs of the U.S. medical system, with the American Medical Association scaring New Dealers into dropping national health coverage from the Social Security Act and then the AMA shredding Harry Truman's reform efforts in the late 1940s. But a new poll and other significant indicators suggest that doctors are turning against the health-insurance firms that increasingly dominate American health care." (The American Prospect via Physicians for a National Health Program)
Sen. Kennedy Leads Renewed Effort on Universal Healthcare
Excerpt: "Senator Edward M. Kennedy's office has begun convening a series of meetings involving a wide array of healthcare specialists to begin laying the groundwork for a new attempt to provide universal healthcare, according to participants." (The Boston Globe)
Financing the U.S. Health System - Issues and Options for Change
Excerpt: "This report . . . examines the economic and policy implications of various options for restructuring the health care finance system, exploring the principle alternatives proposed by 2008 presidential candidates Senators John McCain and Barack Obama." (Bipartisan Policy Center via Robert Wood Johnson Foundation)
State and Federal Approaches to Health Reform: What Works for the Working Poor?
Excerpt: "We compare and contrast the labor market and distributional impact of three common approaches to state and federal health insurance expansion: public insurance expansions, refundable tax credits for low income people, and employer and individual mandates." (National Bureau of Economic Research; paid subscription or individual purchase required to retrieve fulltext)
2008 Presidential Election: Candidates Health Care Proposals (PDF)
9 pages. Excerpt: "After a long primary election season, Barack Obama (D) and John McCain (R) are the presumptive U.S. presidential nominees. Both candidates have articulated a position on health care reform, though some of their proposals are more detailed than others." (Hewitt Associates)
A Look at the Candidates' Stands on Health Care Reform and Retirement Savings
Excerpt: "What seems certain is that political change is not only in the air, it is likely to find its way into the workplace in a significant way over the next four years." (PLANSPONSOR.com; free registration required)
[Opinion] Tame Health-Care Gorilla With New Medical Plan
Excerpt: "When it comes to health care, we're heading into an economic cul-de-sac. Health care will become one of the most onerous personal- finance issues in coming years unless the system is changed to ensure universal access, cost control and long-term financing." (Bloomberg)
EBSA Seeks Nominations for ERISA Advisory Council
Excerpt: "The terms of five members of the Council expire on November 14, 2008. The groups or fields they represent are as follows: (1) Employee organizations; (2) employers; (3) corporate trust; (4) investment management; and (5) the general public. The Department of Labor is committed to equal opportunity in the workplace and seeks a broad-based and diverse ERISA Advisory Council." (Employee Benefits Security Administration, U.S. Department of Labor)
Massachusetts Health Insurance Experiment Still Faces a Huge Challenge — Costs
Excerpt: "Most of the newly insured are lower income residents who qualify for low- or no-cost coverage through the state and there were more uninsured than the state anticipated. Both factors pushed costs to $625 million the first year, up from estimates of $472 million, according to figures from the state agency overseeing the program." (USA TODAY)
[Guidance Overview] Hewitt Federal Legislation Quick Guide Updated June 25, 2008, for Health and Welfare Plans (PDF)
11 pages. This Federal Legislation Quick Guide provides short updates on federal legislation that is currently under active consideration by Congress or has recently been enacted into law regarding health and welfare benefit plans. (Hewitt Associates)
[Opinion] The Battle to Save Medicare
Excerpt: "Reader Jack Wajda, 69, of Orlando, a retired AT&T executive and financial planner, identifies the single greatest problem with the American health-care system as well as anyone. He writes: 'To allow private for-profit insurance companies to decide whether and what type of care we receive is incomprehensible to me.'" (Saul Friedman via Newsday)
A Discussion of International Health Systems for Single Payer Advocates
Excerpt: "Bottom line: The most important point for single payer advocates is that every country with universal coverage has a non-profit insurance system. No country uses for-profit, investor-owned insurance companies such as we have in the U.S. (although they do have a small role in selling 'gap' coverage)." (Physicians for a National Health Program)
The Dutch Health Care System
Excerpt: "Why should we care how they deliver health care in a tiny country most of us will never visit? Few European health care systems have garnered the kind of attention from Americans that the Dutch system has received. -- especially from folks not known for their Euro-philia, including the Bush Administration. In the fall, the White House sent a delegation to the Netherlands to learn more about the Dutch system. The Wall Street Journal also has praised the Dutch system for accomplishing 'what many in the U.S. hunger to achieve: health insurance for everyone, coupled with a tighter lid on costs.'" (The Century Foundation)
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