Headlines about "Health plans - policy"
Gathered from the web by the editors at BenefitsLink.com.
[Opinion] The Basics of Health Insurance (PDF)
2 pages. Excerpt: "Conclusion: Health insurance can help reduce the risk of paying unpredictably large sums for major medical care. But when policymakers try to turn insurance into something much closer to unlimited, on-demand medical services, it no longer works like insurance. The result is health coverage that becomes unsustainably costly for everyone, the sick and the healthy alike." (The Council for Affordable Health Insurance)
Connecticut Passes State Insurance Program Expansion
Excerpt: "Legislation approved by the Connecticut Legislature on Tuesday, May 6, would open up the health insurance program covering state employees to Connecticut municipalities, nonprofit organizations and employers in the state with fewer than 50 employees." (Workforce Management; free registration required)
Towers Perrin U.S. Legislative Tracking Charts -- Health and Welfare -- Updated May 2, 2008 (PDF)
21 pages. 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)
Senate Finance Committee Holds First in Series of Congressional Hearings on U.S. Health System Overhaul
Excerpt: "The Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday hold the first of at least eight congressional hearings focusing on strategies to reform the U.S. health care system, featuring testimony by former HHS secretaries Tommy Thompson and Donna Shalala, CQ HealthBeat reports." (Kaiser Family Foundation)
Tennessee Legislature Addresses Health Coverage for Small Business
Excerpt: "The Tennessee Legislature has passed a bill that would allow a larger number of businesses to get health insurance for employees. The House and Senate approved an expanded version of the Tennessee Small Employer Group Health Coverage Reform Act. The bill altered the state's definition of 'small employers' from 25 to 50 employees, which would make it easier for some businesses to get access to more insurance products." (Memphis Business Journal via bizjournals.com; free registration required)
Milliman's Monthly Benefit News and Developments, May 2008 (PDF)
2 pages. The newsletter provides a summary of the previous month's legislative, regulatory, and judicial information on employee benefits. (Milliman)
[Guidance Overview] Hewitt Federal Legislation Quick Guide Updated April 30, 2008, for Health and Welfare Plans (PDF)
14 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)
The Candidates' Health Care Proposals
The compiled information is presented in table form. (Detroit Free Press)
[Opinion] Obama's Health Care Voting Record
Excerpt: "By my count, during Mr. Obama's tenure in the state Senate, 18 different laws came up for a vote and passed that imposed new mandates on private health insurance. Mr. Obama voted for all of them." (Scott Gottlieb via The Wall Street Journal)
[Opinion] Debating the Road to Universal Coverage
Excerpt: "Can we reach a consensus on what we need to do to achieve meaningful health care reform in the U.S.?" (The Century Foundation)
Colorado House Approves Legislation That Would Bar Insurers from Providing Incentives for Prescribing Generic Drugs
Excerpt: " The Colorado House on Monday voted 62-3 to approve a bill (HB 1411) that would ban insurance companies from offering physicians cash incentives to switch patients to less-costly generic versions of prescription drugs, the Denver Post reports." (Kaiser Family Foundation)
Who Pays for Health Care When Workers Are Uninsured?
Excerpt: "[T]he lack of employer-based coverage generates public costs in the form of taxpayer bills to fund public insurance or uncompensated care programs for care that would otherwise be paid for through insurance. This report quantifies those costs, using data from the Medical Expenditure Panel Surveys to estimate public program spending and uncompensated care costs for uninsured workers and their dependents." (The Commonwealth Fund)
Presidential Candidates Vow to Make Health Care Better and Less Costly But Split Along Party Lines on How to Do It
Excerpt: "Despite their differences, all three candidates have proposed ways to level the playing field between workers whose insurance costs are subsidized by their employer and those who buy insurance on their own. They also have called for some form of a public program to make health care more affordable for the uninsured and those with pre-existing conditions." (CNNMoney.com)
[Opinion] The Cost of Health Care for Small Business
Excerpt: "As health care costs continue to rise, the competitiveness of American companies will continue to fall. Real health care reform must address the challenges facing the businesses that employ Americans as well as the costs facing individuals and families. The key to reform is to provide every American with access to quality, affordable care that protects the doctor-patient relationship. Here are four major principles that should form the basis for reform to help achieve the goal of having every American insured . . . ." (The Washington Times)
Some HR Executives and Healthcare Experts Believe It's Time for Employers to Get Out of the Business of Providing Health Benefits
Excerpt: "[C]ritics such as Alain C. Enthoven call the employer-based system 'a historical accident' that no longer works. The emeritus professor of management at the Stanford University Graduate School of Business says, 'Nobody could stand up today and defend it on a rational basis.' Some HR executives agree. 'We don't offer that much value in a macro sense,' says E. J. 'Ned' Holland Jr., senior vice president of HR at Embarq Corp. . . . He likens the employer's role in health insurance to a reseller, with administrative support thrown in." (Human Resource Executive Online)
New Congressional Report Says Wyden-Bennett Health Plan Would Pay for Itself
Excerpt: " A bipartisan plan for universal health care coverage would pay for itself and eventually could create modest budget surpluses, according to a congressional report released Thursday." (AP via Star Tribune)
A New Benefit Platform for Life Security (PDF)
62 pages. Excerpt: "The benefit security needs of all Americans is a troubling issue of increasing importance to employers and to society as a whole; as these issues began to be raised by our members, The ERISA Industry Committee (ERIC) asked a Task Force drawn from its membership and composed of experienced senior benefit professionals to address this issue. The Task Force's assessment and proposal has been reviewed and endorsed by ERIC's policy committees and its Board." (The ERISA Industry Committee via Human Resource Executive Online)
CBO Letter to Sen. Wyden and Bennett with Preliminary Analysis of a Proposal for Comprehensive Health Insurance (PDF)
17 pages. Excerpt: "At your request, the staffs of our two organizations have collaborated on a preliminary analysis of a modified proposal for comprehensive health insurance based on S. 334, the 'Healthy Americans Act,' which you introduced last year. That modified proposal includes various clarifications and changes that you have indicated you would like to examine as part of the consideration of that bill. Attachment A summarizes our understanding of your modified proposal." (U.S. Congressional Budget Office)
Report from Congressional Budget Office and Joint Committee on Taxation Boosts Bipartisan Health Plan
Excerpt: "A bipartisan plan for universal health care coverage would pay for itself and eventually could create modest budget surpluses, according to a congressional report released Thursday. The report by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office and Joint Committee on Taxation said the health care plan could be fully operational by 2012 and become 'budget-neutral' by 2014. That means the plan would bring in as much revenue as it costs to implement." (AP via The New York Times; free registration required)
[Opinion] Cities and States Usurping Federal Law with Health Insurance by Mandates
Excerpt: "If states really want to get into the health care reform battle, they should follow the ERISA example, which provides employers with a lot of flexibility to design good plans that are affordable. San Francisco and the states may think that what they are doing will decrease the number of uninsured. The truth is they will almost surely undermine employers' efforts to provide good comprehensive health coverage." (State Policy Blog)
McCain Offers Market-Based Health Plan
Excerpt: "Sen. John McCain on Tuesday rejected calls by his Democratic opponents for universal health coverage, instead offering a market-based solution with an approach similar to a proposal put forth by President Bush last year." (The Washington Post; free registration required)
[Opinion] Remarks by John McCain on Health Care on Day Two of the 'Call to Action Tour'
Excerpt: "We want a system of health care in which everyone can afford and acquire the treatment and preventative care they need, and the peace of mind that comes with knowing they are covered. Health care in America should be affordable by all, not just the wealthy. It should be available to all, and not limited by where you work or how much you make. It should be fair to all; providing help where the need is greatest, and protecting Americans from corporate abuses. And for all the strengths of our health-care system, we know that right now it falls short of this ideal." (www.JohnMcCain.com)
[Opinion] Let's Keep Health Care Reform Simple
Excerpt: "The status quo in American health care is indefensible -- an expensive regulatory and bureaucratic mess. What that calls for, however, is not more layers of regulation and complicated mandates. Nor should government take over health care completely and run it as part of a political spoils system." (Americans for Free Choice in Medicine)
[Opinion] The Viability of Employer-Sponsored Insurance in Its Current Form (PDF)
4 pages. Excerpt: "With mounting health care costs and the weight of the administrative burden, it would seem that employers would be racing to the exits, embracing alternatives to ESI. But large employers seem wary of relinquishing responsibility for providing health insurance." (Alliance for Health Reform)
Federal Money in Health Care Plan from McCain
Excerpt: "Senator John McCain detailed his plan to solve the nation's health care crisis in a speech here Tuesday, calling for the federal government to give some money to states to help them cover people with illnesses who have been denied health insurance." (The New York Times; free registration required)
Health Care Coverage in America: Understanding the Issues and Proposed Solutions (PDF)
24 pages. Excerpt: "The United States has an incredibly complex and convoluted system for financing and delivering health care. Americans get coverage through their jobs, the federal government, the military, state programs or on their own. At the same time, they pay for coverage through their employers, through state and federal taxes, and out of their own pocket." (Alliance for Health Reform)
[Guidance Overview] Health Plan Fears Eased in Genetic Nondiscrimination Bill
Excerpt: "Legislation that would ban genetic discrimination by employers, group health plans and insurers has been amended to address plan sponsors' concerns that health plans could face unusually severe penalties. The Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA, H.R. 493) passed the full Senate April 24 by a vote of 95-0." (Thompson Publishing Group Inc.)
[Opinion] Is the Tipping Point in Employment-Based Health Benefits Near?
Excerpt: "The nonpartisan Employee Benefit Research Institute has examined this question through a recent survey of large employers and a day-long policy forum in Washington, DC. We found that private-sector employers are still committed to playing the role of sponsor in the health benefits system. Why? Because they feel they can provide better control and results than the government would." (The Wall Street Journal)
Wall Street Journal Examines Presidential Candidate Proposals to Address Health Care Costs
Excerpt: "Presidential candidates Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.), John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Barack Obama (D-Ill.) each have announced proposals that seek to reduce health care costs, but 'it is unclear how many of the candidates' ideas could actually make a dent in the rising cost of care,' the Wall Street Journal reports." (Kaiser Family Foundation)
[Opinion] Providing Health Care for All Shouldn't Make Insurers Rich
Excerpt: "Government subsidies and outsourcing may be good for business without always being good for the public. Medicare outsources the administration of its prescription drug program, Medicare D, to private insurers. Medicare Advantage -- Medicare C -- subsidizes managed care insurance plans for seniors choosing them. Several current presidential aspirants -- Clinton and Obama -- would subsidize the purchase of insurance for the low-income uninsured. Each of these plans offers private insurers protection against a less wasteful plan, one that does without private insurers." (Herald Times via Physicians for a National Health Program)
Federal Banking Official Sees End of Pensions Within Years
Excerpt: "Speaking at the Association of BellTel Retirees annual meeting . . ., Thomas J. Mackell, Jr., chairman of the board of directors for the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, Va., warned that pension plans once taken for granted are evaporating and will disappear, along with affordable access to health insurance -- leaving tens of millions of retirees vulnerable, destitute, hungry, sick and willing to take matters into their own hands." (Worcester Telegram & Gazette Corp.)
Reinsurance: A Primer (PDF)
Excerpt: "In this issue brief, Families USA aims to help policymakers and advocates better understand what reinsurance is and how it operates in the health insurance market. We also identify some of the benefits of reinsurance to aid lawmakers as they design reinsurance programs to meet the needs of their states." (Families USA)
[Opinion] What the Massachusetts Experiment Teaches Us About Incremental Efforts to Increase Coverage by Expanding Private Insurance
Excerpt: "[T]he proposals for reform taken most seriously by Democrats -- including Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton -- would retain the central role of the investor-owned private insurance industry as well as the thousands of for-profit businesses it pays to deliver medical services. This is the industry, mind you, that has brought us to the predicament we're in now, so let's take a quick look at it." (The American Prospect)
[Guidance Overview] Hewitt Federal Legislation Quick Guide Updated April 23, 2008, for Health and Welfare Plans (PDF)
14 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] State Health Reform: Six Key Tests
Excerpt: "Every state regulates its own insurance industry and thus has its own unique health care infrastructure. Although one 'standard' health reform proposal cannot meet every state's needs, state-based reform proposals can and should be evaluated on the basis of whether they would move a state's health care system toward patient-centered health care, which would maximize value to the patient." (The Heritage Foundation)
Descriptions of Health Care Systems: Denmark, France, Germany, The Netherlands, Sweden, and the United Kingdom (PDF)
18 pages. Excerpt: "The work of the Commonwealth Fund's international program highlights the valuable lessons the U.S. can learn from the health care systems in other industrialized countries. These country profiles provide overviews of the health care systems of several countries, including Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, and the U.K. Each profile includes descriptions of how each country organizes, finances, and delivers health services and highlights quality, efficiency, and cost-controlling policy initiatives and reforms" (The Commonwealth Fund)
'The American Prospect' Special Report Focuses on U.S. Health Care System
Excerpt: "The May 2008 issue of The American Prospect features a special report on health care issues in the U.S. [Issues covered include state reform efforts; medical debt; and Medicare.]" (Kaiser Family Foundation)
Congressional Democrats Hedge on Health Care Reform Prospects
Excerpt: "For some senators, the promises made by Sens. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) and Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) outside of Washington may not match the political reality on Capitol Hill. 'We all know there is not enough money to do all this stuff,' said Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.), a Finance Committee member and an Obama supporter, referring to the presidential candidates' healthcare plans. 'What they are doing is … laying out their ambitions.'" (The Hill)
Employers Almost Universally Against Universal Health Care, According to Survey
Excerpt: "An overwhelming number of large corporations polled recently by Watson Wyatt and the National Business Group on Health said they have a strong preference for managing their own health-care issues, as opposed to moving toward a 'single-payer' solution, such as universal health care. Specifically, respondents at 380 of the 453 large employers -- or 84% -- said they don't support universal health-care coverage. Instead, they want to provide workers with their own health-care programs." (Financial Week; free registration required)
[Opinion] America's Health Insurance Plans's Lessons Learned from the Beginnings of Health Insurance
Excerpt: "We can learn much from the private insurance industry's professional organization, AHIP. In this instance, we learn its perception of the flaws of earlier insurance products. Those of us who contend that private insurance is an obsolete method of financing health care are not the least surprised by AHIP's statement that 'many companies accepted applications for insurance that they should have refused as bad risks.'" (Physicians for a National Health Program)
IRS Solicits 2008-2009 Guidance Priority List Recommendations
Excerpt: "In Notice 2008-47, the Department of Treasury and Internal Revenue Service invite public comment on recommendations for inclusion on the 2008-2009 Guidance Priority List. The list is used to identify and prioritize tax issues to be addressed, to focus resources on important tax admniistration items, to increase voluntary compliance and to clarify areas of tax law." (International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans)
Congressional Negotiations Close on Mental Health Parity
Excerpt: "U.S. Senate negotiators are in the midst of reviewing the latest House proposal to require parity between mental health coverage and traditional medical coverage, and could move toward a response 'in the next few days,' according to a senior legislative aide to Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass." (BestWire Services via NewsEdge via Human Resource Executive Online)
Demint Bill Gives Parity on Health Insurance Premium Tax Break
Excerpt: "A new proposal on Capitol Hill aims to help consumers without employer-backed health plans get health coverage in today's tough times by allowing them to deduct health care premiums from their taxes or use a Health Savings Account to pay insurance premiums. U.S. Sens. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., and Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., are working to pass the Health Care Equity Act." (Sun News, The (Myrtle Beach, SC) (KRT) via NewsEdge via Human Resource Executive Online)
Staying on the Job May Prevent Erosion of Health Benefits for Employees Aged 55 to 64
Excerpt: "One legislative proposal would help bridge the three-year coverage gap between age 62, a common retirement age, and age 65, the age of Medicare eligibility: The Health Care and Training for Older Workers Act (S. 708) would provide COBRA coverage for this 36-month period." (Wolters Kluwer)
Lessons Learned: The Health Reform Debate of 1993–1994 (PDF)
4 pages. Excerpt: "No matter who wins the White House and control of Congress in November, health reform legislation will likely be a front-burner issue for both the House and Senate in 2009. The debates about reform and the behind-the-scenes meetings of 1993 and 1994 produced a wealth of knowledge on what should be done differently the next time Congress and the White House take up this issue. This issue brief, funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, recounts nine lessons learned as recalled by veterans from both sides of the aisle and from the administration." (Alliance for Health Reform)
[Opinion] Evangelical from Conservative Background Not Your Typical Advocate for Single-Payer Healthcare
Excerpt: "While there are differences between the healthcare plans offered by Democratic presidential opponents Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, neither of them is proposing a single-payer system of national healthcare. That's despite the endorsement of precisely such a plan last December by the American College of Physicians, the largest medical specialty organization. We speak with Dr. Rocky White, a passionate, if unusual, advocate for a single-payer health insurance program." (NPR via Physicians for a National Health Program)
[Opinion] Health Care Reform: Systemic Change Will Focus on Returning Value
Excerpt: "As the political debate over the nation's healthcare crisis becomes increasingly polarized, it is tempting to believe that there are only two mutually exclusive paths before us. One proposal argues broadly for greater government involvement in order to ensure 'universal' coverage. The other depends on market forces or a 'consumer-driven' approach. But neither addresses the core challenge facing our healthcare system: providing quality and value." (Modern Healthcare Online; free registration required)
[Opinion] State Health Care Reform: Key Questions and Answers (PDF)
43 pages. Excerpt: "Simple logic dictates that it is nearly impossible to agree on a workable reform plan without agreement on a set of basic facts about what needs to be reformed. Many state reforms fail this test. This study poses some key questions the many state initiatives have failed to adequately address and makes some recommendations for successful evidence-based reforms." (National Center for Policy Analysis)
2008 ERISA Advisory Council Appointments Announced
Excerpt: "Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao has announced the appointment of new members and new leadership for the 2008 ERISA Advisory Council." (Wolters Kluwer)
CBO Chief Is Health Care Referee
Excerpt: "The CBO director, who started his four-year term in January 2007, is going beyond the traditional budget-Cassandra role, and analyzing causes and solutions. He has emphasized that the biggest driver of rising medical costs is the increasing use of new technology, not simply an aging population." (The Wall Street Journal)
A Closer Look at Candidates' Health Plans
Excerpt: "[Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama] would make more affordable health insurance available to the uninsured, require many businesses to offer coverage or contribute to its cost, and ensure that people could obtain coverage even if they have pre-existing health problems -- all significant changes to the current system. The key distinction between the two is that the Clinton plan would mandate coverage for all Americans. Mr. Obama would require coverage only for children, though he might consider a mandate for adults." (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
[Guidance Overview] 'Issueman' Tackles the New VEBAs: There is Much to Say
Benefits attorney Steven J. Sacher encounters his cynical old friend Issueman on a bench in D.C.; in this amusing and insightful 6-page account and transcript of their conversation, Issueman has a great deal to say and ask about the legal aspects of VEBAs for retiree healthcare liabilities. An excellent overview. (Reprinted from the BNA Pension & Benefits Reporter)
[Opinion] Are We Heading Toward Socialized Medicine?
Excerpt: "With health reform at the forefront of the national campaign, some charge that proposals to restructure our health care system represent dangerous steps moving the country towards government-run health care and socialized medicine. Similar rhetoric was heard last fall when President Bush vetoed legislation reauthorizing the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). We find this rhetoric inapplicable to both the SCHIP bill and proposals from most presidential candidates." (Urban Institute)
The 2008 Presidential Candidates on Health Care Reform, Updated April 16, 2008 (PDF)
7 pages. 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." (Council for Affordable Health Insurance)
House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee Hearing Intended To 'Lay the Groundwork' for U.S. Health System Overhaul
Excerpt: "Health experts and lawmakers discussed ways to overhaul the U.S. health care system at a House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Health hearing on Tuesday, CQ HealthBeat reports. Subcommittee Chair Pete Stark (D-Calif.) said the hearing was intended to 'lay the groundwork' for an expected attempt to overhaul the health insurance system next year. He noted that Congress has not seriously considered a broad health care overhaul since the Clinton administration health plan of 1993, adding, 'It's time to revisit it.'" (Kaiser Family Foundation)
Baker, Daschle, Dole, and Mitchell Launch Health Care Project
Excerpt: "Former U.S. Senate Majority Leaders Howard Baker, Tom Daschle, Bob Dole, and George Mitchell today announced the launch of the Bipartisan Policy Center's (BPC) Leaders' Project on the State of American Health Care. The Leaders' Project is an unprecedented effort that will produce politically viable policy recommendations to address the delivery, cost, coverage, and financing challenges facing the nation's health care system. 'All four of us have seen many legislative battles over health care in our careers. The time has come to put aside partisanship and put forward solutions,' said Senator Dole." (Bipartisan Policy Center)
[Opinion] BCBS Message to Capitol Hill: Changing Payment Incentives 'Crucial Step' in Health Care Reform
Excerpt: "'We need to change incentives in the healthcare delivery system to encourage and reward providers for delivering high-quality, coordinated care,' said Scott P. Serota, BCBSA president and CEO. 'As healthcare leaders for nearly 80 years, the Blues are committed to building a well-functioning and totally integrated healthcare system based on proven clinical outcomes and economic value that will better serve the needs of American consumers – safely, efficiently and consistently.'" (Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association)
Taiwan Takes Fast Track to Universal Health Care
Excerpt: "At the end of the 20th century, Taiwan became a rich country, almost overnight. But it still had a poor country's health care -- about half the population had no coverage at all. So Taiwan set out to design a national health care system from scratch. What makes Taiwan unique is the way the country figured out how to cover everyone." (All Things Considered via National Public Radio)
[Guidance Overview] The Inaugural Issue of Proskauer Rose's ERISA Litigation Newsletter (PDF)
Excerpt: "Our goal is a modest, but we hope, helpful one: To provide monthly an analysis of ERISA cases and developments that may be of interest, or that may reflect emerging trends, including how they can impact you as an employer, plan fiduciary, plan administrator, trustee or plan service provider. . . . This month's articles illustrate that ERISA litigation 'follows the money.'" (Proskauer Rose LLP)
[Opinion] ERISA Preemption and State/City Health Care Reform
Excerpt: "If states really want to get into the health care reform battle, they should follow the ERISA example, which provides employers with a lot of flexibility to design good plans that are affordable. San Francisco and the states may think that what they are doing will decrease the number of uninsured. The truth is they will almost surely undermine employers' efforts to provide good comprehensive health coverage." (The Washington Times)
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