November 15th, 2009 by DrRich in Better Health Network, Health Policy, Opinion
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DrRich has not read the healthcare reform bill (HR 3962) passed by the US House of Representatives late Saturday night, and he does not plan to. He spent far too much time this summer wading through the prior version of the bill (HR 3200), only to conclude that it did not say anything in particular, but rather, was intentionally vague on most key points. The new bill, being nearly twice the length of HR 3200, must necessarily be twice as vague.
So that anyone hoping for DrRich’s analysis of the new bill won’t go away disappointed, he offers here an observation on the new bill, which, he asserts, you can take to the bank.
The observation originates from James Madison, the primary architect of the US Constitution (and ironically, a founder of the Democratic Party). It is an observation DrRich quoted this past summer in reference to HR 3200. It holds doubly well here:
“It will be of little avail to the people, that the laws are made by men of their own choice, if the laws be so voluminous that they cannot be read, or so incoherent that they cannot be understood…” – The Federalist #62 Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at The Covert Rationing Blog*
November 12th, 2009 by Jon LaPook, M.D. in Better Health Network, Health Policy, Opinion, Video
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President Obama has stressed the importance of “bending the cost curve” in order to put the brakes on galloping health care expenses that total 2.5 trillion dollars a year and are increasing at 6% a year. The fastest way to do this is shockingly simple: carefully explain to patients the known risks and benefits of procedures. Read more »
November 12th, 2009 by Dr. Val Jones in Health Policy, Opinion
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There hasn’t been much discussion about serious tort reform in the current healthcare reform debate. That’s probably because most policy experts don’t believe it will make a significant dent in healthcare costs. I happen to believe that tort reform would be a huge boon for healthcare (just ask Ob/Gyns in Texas) and save a lot in defensive medicine practices and unnecessary testing, but even if I’m wrong and it wouldn’t result in cost-savings, there’s another issue at play: access to primary care physicians.
We all agree that we’re in the midst of a major shortage in primary care physicians. Many different solutions have been proposed – everything from “let the nurses do it” to forgiving medical school loans to physicians who choose primary care as a career. However, solving the PCP shortage isn’t just about recruitment, it’s about retention. And with up to a half of PCPs saying that practice conditions are so unbearable they’re planning to quit in the next 2 years – Houston, we have a problem. Read more »
November 11th, 2009 by Richard Cooper, M.D. in Better Health Network, Health Policy, Opinion
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The Institute of Medicine (IOM) has addressed seven key health care reform questions and offered answers that capture today’s consensus. No surprises, but good clear analyses. But what if the underlying conceptual framework is not an excessive use of services by wrongly incentivized providers but the tragic over-use of services by the poor? Here are seven “what ifs” plus an eighth question.
1. Is health care too expensive?
What if health care is the economy, the major source of jobs and the basis for America’s worker productivity? And what if the problem is an unfair insurance system and inequitable distribution of fiscal responsibility?
2. How much too expensive is it?
What if regional variation is not a manifestation of excessive spending but of income inequality and the intersection of wealth and poverty? And what if differences in price and economic development, rather than waste and inefficiency, differentiate costs among countries? Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at PHYSICIANS and HEALTH CARE REFORM Commentaries and Controversies*
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*
