November 10th, 2009 by EvanFalchukJD in Better Health Network, Health Policy
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As I have been predicting for a long time, state insurance regulators were unlikely to remain silent for long in the face of efforts to federalize major parts of state insurance regulation. They’re talking now, and they’re mad.
Last week, Connecticut Insurance Commissioner Thomas Sullivan testified in Congress on behalf of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. He said that federal regulation must not displace the current system of state regulation. Calling the proposed legislation a “regime change,” he said it would result in “redundant, overlapping responsibilities will result in policyholder confusion, market uncertainty, regulatory arbitrage and a host of other unintended consequences.” Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at See First Blog*
November 2nd, 2009 by EvanFalchukJD in Better Health Network, Health Policy
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The battle between the states and federal government begins.
Yesterday, Illinois Insurance Director Michael McRaith told an audience that state insurance regulation is “under attack,” but that the states will prevail because they “do it better.”
Following a line of reasoning I highlighted last week, McRaith suggested adding federal regulation onto the existing state system would be duplicative, burdensome and fraught with the potential for conflict. McRaith said that insurance was such a uniquely local business that the states were best suited to regulate it. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at See First Blog*
October 26th, 2009 by EvanFalchukJD in Better Health Network, Health Policy, Opinion
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In my post yesterday about lessons we can learn from Israel’s health care system I wrote:
So, yes, the focus on health insurance reform will lead to many changes, and more complexity. And some day, years from now, someone will be explaining the American system to an audience, and people will wonder, how did anyone ever create a system such as this?
In response, a friend of mine challenged me: if the system is too complicated, how should we simplify it?
I wish more policy-makers were asking this question.
For me, the answer is clear: Primary care. Time was, your primary care doctor was able to serve as the hub of your medical activity. He or she could spend all the time needed to figure out what was wrong and to coordinate with your specialists. It’s not true anymore. Patients are left on their own trying to navigate the system. In many ways they end up acting almost as their own primary care doctors. Patients try to pick their specialists, find out what to do about their condition, decide on good treatment choices. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at See First Blog*
October 19th, 2009 by EvanFalchukJD in Better Health Network, Opinion
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Last night, I saw a commercial produced by the federal government. Called “Questions are the Answer,” it’s a call for patients to be engaged in their medical care, to ask questions of their doctors in order to be sure of their medical condition.
The commercial was excellent – it showed a man asking dozens of increasingly arcane questions about a cell phone he was thinking of buying. Then, it showed him in his doctor’s office, apparently after getting a diagnosis. “Do you have any questions?” the doctor asks. “Nope,” says the man.
The government agency that produced the commercial is the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. There are a series of other videos and tools that can help you be a better, more informed consumer if you get sick.
The only catch: it’s almost impossible to find any of this great material. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at See First Blog*
October 13th, 2009 by EvanFalchukJD in Better Health Network, Opinion
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Health care reform has become a deeply political subject. And like other subjects that have become political, wading into them can be perilous.
Take two recent examples from the world of business to see what can happen.
In August, John Mackey, the CEO of the Whole Foods supermarket wrote an editorial in the Wall Street Journal on against the proposed health care reforms. From a policy perspective his views were within the mainstream. But from a political perspective he was sharply to the right of his customer base. The result? Whole Foods was hit with organized protests and boycotts. Mackey had greatly tarnished his personal “brand,” if not that if his company.
Another CEO did something similar just a few days ago. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at See First Blog*
