Affordable Health Insurance

President Obama Strongville OH Full Speech Health Insurance Reform Right Now President Obama shares the story of Natoma Canfield, a cancer survivor who had to drop her health insurance due to excessive rate hikes only to be diagnosed with leukemia, and tells the crowd in Strongsville, OH that cases like Natomas make it clear that the time is now for health insurance reform.

[We are experiencing audio sync issues on YouTube; this speech can be viewed properly at www.vimeo.com The President takes his case for reform from the heart of Washington out on the road to Minneapolis, MN, where an enthusiastic crowd shows a snapshot of the hunger all over the country. September 12, 2009 (public domain)

JANUARY 29, 2010

This Week in Health Care Reform

Following the election of Republican Scott Brown to the Massachusetts State Senate last week and the resulting loss of Senate Democrats’ supermajority, lawmakers continue to pave the way for health care reform – with limited progress. In addition, polls indicate that the public would rather lawmakers focus more on the economy than on health care.

State of the Union Address

President Obama Gives State of the Union Address: On Wednesday evening, President Barack Obama delivered his first State of the Union address before a joint session of Congress. Having hoped to have a health care reform bill on his desk prior to his address, the President instead used his speech to encourage Congress to push forward on health care reform. Yet, he did not give specific guidance as to how to proceed with the legislation. Instead, he made it clear that his primary focus would be on jobs and the economy.

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Health Care Reform Negotiations

Democrats Still Seek Way Forward: While vowing not to give up, Democratic Senate leaders indicated Tuesday that they no longer felt pressure to move quickly on health care reform; and, in the wake of the Massachusetts election and in reaction to public opinion, they shifted focus to jobs and the economy. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) commented that there is “no rush” on health care and said that he and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) were working to map out a way to complete health care reform in the coming months. On Wednesday, Sen. Pelosi floated a two-pronged strategy to pass incremental changes now and pursue comprehensive reform later.

Some lawmakers have considered breaking up the legislation into smaller pieces that have bipartisan support. However, this option will prove challenging given the complexities and interdependencies of the measures. For example, lawmakers would like to include a measure that requires all insurance companies to insure those with pre-existing conditions; however, premiums will most likely increase unless there is an individual mandate.

Earlier this week, Democrats appeared to be coalescing around a different strategy through which Senate lawmakers would make changes to their bill to appease members of the House. The Senate would then pass the revised bill via reconciliation, which only requires 51 votes. Following that, the House would approve the revised bill, giving it to President Obama for his review. However, movement on this strategy stalled Tuesday when two centrist Senators, Sens. Evan Bayh (D-IN) and Blanche Lincoln (D-AK), indicated that they would oppose using reconciliation to bypass Republican support. Others, including Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) and Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), have suggested a “time out” on health care reform until there is a clear path forward.

In the GOP response to President Obama’s State of the Union address, Virginia Governor Robert McDonnell said that Republicans share the Democrats’ desire for health care reform, but do not agree with their proposed solutions. Republicans suggest that Democrats scrap the current proposals and start over with more Republican input on issues such as medical malpractice reform and selling insurance policies across state lines.

Republicans Call for Transparency: On Wednesday, the House Energy and Commerce Committee marked up a resolution presented by Rep. Michael Burgess (R-TX) which requested that the administration divulge documentation regarding the health care reform deals made with trade associations and a labor union. Committee Chairman Henry Waxman (D-CA) said that while details remained to be worked out, he would support a narrowed version of the Republican request for White House records.

President Obama to Speak with House Republicans: President Obama will meet with House Republicans on Friday in response to an invitation to speak at their annual retreat in Baltimore that begins Thursday and ends Saturday. The meeting comes just after the President’s State of the Union address, and members of the news media speculate that the meeting may spur more bipartisanship or potentially lead to even more tension between the two parties.

Interest Groups Call for Reform: With health care reform’s fate in jeopardy, interest groups have voiced their support, encouraging Democrats to push forward with legislation. The AARP, American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, Consumers Union, Families USA and Service employees International Union sent a joint letter last Thursday urging Congress not to abandon comprehensive health care reform. Further, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops also sent a letter to Congress urging a push for reform.

Public Opinion

Polls Show Concern with Health Care Reform; More Focus on Jobs and Economy: Several polls were released this week that highlight the public’s disenchantment with health care reform and anxiety around the struggling economy.

A new CNN/Opinion Research poll released Tuesday shows that only three in ten Americans say they want Congress to pass legislation similar to the bills currently being discussed in Congress. Forty-eight percent of Americans would like lawmakers to start again on a new bill, and 21 percent believe Congress should not work on bills that would change the current health care system. Further, a Wall Street Journal/NBC poll released Wednesday found that 51 percent of Americans believe President Obama has paid “too little attention” to the economy and that 44 percent feel he has paid “too much attention” to his proposed health care overall.

In addition, a new USA Today/Gallup poll released late last week finds that most Americans call for a more bipartisan effort in health reform. A 55 percent majority of Americans say that President Obama and Congressional Democrats should suspend movement on health care reform and consider alternatives that would increase Republican support.

A poll released last weekend by the Washington Post , Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation and Harvard University’s School of Public Health indicated that dissatisfaction with the direction of the country, including the Democrats’ health care reform proposals, drove the outcome of the Massachusetts election. The post-election survey of Massachusetts state voters showed that overall 43 percent say they support the health care reform proposals advanced by President Obama and Congressional Democrats, while 48 percent oppose them.

A new poll released Monday from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation found that fears regarding the health care reform package increased significantly in December as members of the Senate finalized their bill. Thirty-three percent of respondents said they believed their access to care would worsen if the legislation passed, up from 25 percent in November. Forty-two percent said the country’s finances would suffer under reform, compared with 34.6 percent in November.

Looking Ahead

Next week, the President will present his Budget to Congress (which includes health programs), after which Congressional hearings will commence. We expect health reform to be discussed in these sessions. While there remains no clear path forward for health care reform, Congressional leaders will continue to work to find a solution.

The President talks about how the chatter and ruckus around health insurance reform on television obscures the reality of what’s happening in America. He discusses how in most towns people and Members of Congress are having constructive conversations, and how people are learning how reform will help them and their families with the real problems they have faced with the insurance system. August 15, 2009. (Public Domain)

MARCH 26, 2010

This Week in Health Care Reform     

Health care reform legislation passed the House this week on a party-line vote. Late Sunday night, House Democrats approved the Senate health care reform package, sending the legislation to President Obama for his signature. On Tuesday, President Obama signed the underlying bill into law, yet the House has yet to finalize the package of “fixes” that will alter the final implications of the legislation.

Health Care Reform Negotiations

House Democrats Pass Health Care Reform Package: The House of Representatives approved the Senate health care reform bill Sunday night by a vote of 219 to 212. The vote marks the climactic finale to a year-long debate over health care reform. In the final vote, 34 Democrats joined all House Republicans in voting against the measure. Shortly thereafter, the House also passed a package of “fixes,” by a vote of 220-211, that was sent directly to the Senate for its approval through reconciliation. On Tuesday, President Obama signed into law the Senate health care reform bill, called the “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.”

Republicans Force Senate to Send the Reconciliation Bill Back to the House: Shortly after the President signed the Senate bill into law, Senators began deliberations on the reconciliation bill. Reconciliation protocol restricts Senators to 20 hours of debate on the measure, but it does not limit the number of amendments that can be filed. In an expression of opposition to the bill, Republicans filed 29 amendments to the reconciliation package.

After 10 hours of continuous debate, Republicans were successful in eliminating two provisions related to college financial aid in the non-health care portion of the bill. The Senate parliamentarian ruled early Thursday morning that those two provisions violated the chamber’s rules, sending the legislation back to the House for a new vote. As a result, on Thursday afternoon, the Senate voted on the reconciliation bill without those two provisions and sent the bill  back to the House for a vote on final passage. The House vote will likely come Thursday evening.

What Does This Health Care Reform Legislation Mean: While the health care reform bill extends insurance coverage to 32 million more Americans by 2019, the legislation has other far-reaching implications that will be phased in sooner, during a multi-year implementation period.

Several features of the new health care overhaul bill that would take effect in 2010 under the measure passed Sunday include:

* New product requirements beginning 6 months after enactment, including:
o Coverage for dependents up to age 26
o No lifetime maximum benefit limits
o And no cost sharing on preventive care for certain policyholders
* Temporary federal high risk pools;
* Tax credits for small employers; and
* Prohibition on pre-existing condition exclusions for children (beginning 6 months after enactment).

Most Americans will have until 2014 to purchase insurance or pay a penalty. Other elements of the bill that will not take effect until at least 2014 include insurance marketplaces called “exchanges”; rules requiring insurers to accept all applicants regardless of pre-existing conditions, and an expansion of state Medicaid programs.

A number of experts question whether health care reform will really drive down insurance premiums. America’s Health Insurance Plans ( AHIP), the trade group representing health insurers, outlines a series of concerns related to the legislation including a lack of provisions that address underlying health care costs, improve quality of care or ensure a stable risk pool. In addition, AHIP expressed concerns regarding new taxes on health coverage, which will likely increase premiums.

Additional Activities

Obama’s Executive Order on Abortion Funding: On Sunday afternoon, prior to the final House vote on health care reform, President Obama agreed to issue an Executive Order that would uphold the ban on federal funding for abortion . In so doing, he secured about a half-dozen votes from anti-abortion Democrats, led by Rep. Bart Stupak (D-MI), who previously opposed the legislation. On Wednesday, President Obama signed the Executive Order banning the government from spending federal money to pay for abortions through plans offered on the insurance exchanges created under the measure.

States Filing Lawsuit to Fight Provision of Health Care Reform Bill: In response to the new health care reform legislation, states across the country have filed lawsuits asking the courts to declare the law unconstitutional and to bar its enforcement. On Monday,Attorneys General in 13 states, led by Florida, filed a joint lawsuit claiming that the new health care reforms violate state government rights in the U.S. Constitution and will force massive new spending on hard-pressed state governments. Joining Florida in the suit are Alabama, Colorado, Idaho, Louisiana, Michigan, Nebraska, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah and Washington.

At the same time, the Attorney General in Virginia filed a separate suit contending that Congress has exceeded its power in mandating that people buy health insurance. Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli argues that the new law’s requirement clashes with Virginia law that exempts citizens from federal fines imposed for not having health insurance.

Senate Voting to Extend COBRA Until May 5:  Senate Democrats plan another short-term extension of unemployment aid this week, setting up a face-off with Republicans, who are vowing to fight the extension if the $10 billion cost isn’t offset with spending cuts. The bill, currently set to expire on April 5, would extend a series of emergency programs – including funding for unemployment insurance benefits and COBRA health coverage for the jobless  – and would hold off a deep cut in reimbursement rates for doctors who serve Medicare patients. The long-term extension has already passed in both the House and Senate, but the two measures are not expected to be reconciled and sent to the President’s desk until after the Easter recess.

President Obama Heads to Iowa to Speak on Health Care: President Obama headed to Iowa on Thursday to increase support for his health care legislation. This was President Obama’sfirst trip out ofWashington since signing health care reform legislation earlier this week. He spoke at the University of Iowa, in the city where he first announced his health care proposal during the Presidential campaign.

Public Opinion

Most Americans Want Republicans to Fight Health Care Reform Bill: In a recent CBS News poll, 62 percent of Americans said they want congressional Republicans to continue challenging the bill, while 33 percent said they should not. Disapproval of the bill has remained steady, with 46 percent saying they disapprove, including 32 percent who “strongly” disapprove. A majority of Americans continue to say that they find the bill to be confusing and do not understand what it means for them or their family.

American’s Split on Health Care Reform Passage: In a recent USA Today/Gallup poll, 42 percent of Americans said they were angry or disappointed with the recent passage of health care reform legislation. When asked to reveal party affiliation, 79 percent identified themselves as Republicans.

Polling Shows Support for State Lawsuits Against Government: National polling reveals significant opposition to the individual mandate. In a newly released Rasmussen report , 53 percent of those polled oppose the new mandate requiring every American to buy or obtain health insurance. Further, 49 percent of voters are in favor of their state suing the federal government to fight the mandate. Fifty-one percent say individual states should have the right to opt out of the health care plan entirely.

Looking Ahead

After this week’s final health care reform vote, President Obama plans to travel the country in the next few months to discuss the new law. Republicans have begun their own discussions of the law, with an eye towards the November elections.

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Federal

Owing to multiple blizzards in Washington, Congress started its President’s Day recess a full week early and conducted no official business last week. However, there was some legislative drama as Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid pulled the rug out from under Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus by scrapping the Baucus jobs bill (without warning), which contained many health insurance items, and replacing it with a stripped down, narrow jobs bill. Whether the health items Baucus originally inserted with Republican help will make it back to the table remains fuzzy. Among the health items that have been dropped are: the COBRA eligibility extension (to May 31); the “doc fix” (to October, 2010) of Medicare reimbursement rates; and the favorable statutory direction to CMS to calculate the 2011 Medicare Advantage rates “as if” the doc fix were in place.

States

California health insurance The Office of Patient Advocacy released a report card on the state’s HMOs last week. Aetna received 3 out of 4 stars. The goal of the report card is to allow consumers to compare how well health plans use personal medical records and help address conditions such as asthma, arthritis and diabetes.

COLORADO: Governor Bill Ritter held a press conference to announce what he calls “the next round of reforms that represent common sense.” His legislative package includes bills to preclude insurance companies from charging different rates due to a person’s gender, ensure that women have access to breast cancer screening, assure plain language is used in insurance forms, standardize insurance applications and explanations of benefits, and encourage greater use of online tools to enroll people in public programs. Apart from the Governor’s proposals, a bill that would establish a public option was also introduced.

CONNECTICUT: In a short legislative session of only three months, the Insurance & Real Estate Committee wasted no time in putting forth an agenda that includes many concept drafts for repeat legislation from previous sessions. These include prohibiting health insurance copayments for preventive care, limiting prescription drug copayments, prohibiting Social Security disability payment offsets, and exempting the Municipal Employees Health Insurance Plans from the premium tax on small group premiums. In addition, the committee reintroduced legislation that includes nearly a dozen new health benefit mandates. The Council for Affordable Health Insurance, an independent think-tank, says that health insurance mandates could increase premiums in Connecticut by more than 50 percent overall.

GEORGIA: A bill was proposed last week that would impose significant restrictions on insurers’ ability to rescind health insurance policies. Aetna, through the Georgia Association of Health Plans and AHIP, met with the legislator sponsoring the bill to express concerns with the bill.

INDIANA: The legislative session is at halftime, and the insurance agenda is now limited. Most insurance issue bills are officially dead, including a bill that would have prohibited health plan provisions requiring a contracted provider to accept more than a certain number of patients; coverage for dialysis treatment regardless of whether the facility is contracted or not and without certain benefit restrictions; and a bill that would have allowed out-of-network assignment of benefits. However, Aetna is expecting that a bill requiring insurer and HMO annual reporting of premium cost composition, including administrative costs, may be resurrected. A bill that restricts dental insurers and HMOs from establishing fee schedules for non-covered services passed the Senate, with our amendment to accommodate most of the key concerns expressed by opponents of the bill. As the bill stands, dental insurance plans may impose fee schedules for covered services, regardless of whether the plan actually pays for the services rendered.

KANSAS: An amended version of S.B. 389 related to dental services passed the Senate Financial Institutions and Insurance Committee on February 11. The amended bill prohibits any contract between a health insurer that offers a health benefit plan and a dentist from containing a provision that requires the dentist to accept a fee schedule for services unless the service is a covered service. Committee amendments added to the definition of a “health benefit plan” the following: any subscription agreement issued by a non-profit dental service corporation; any policy of health insurance purchased by an individual; the state children’s health insurance plan; and the state medical assistance program under Medicaid. We will continue to update you as this bill progresses and hope to make favorable changes as the bill moves through the House.

MASSACHUSETTS: Governor Deval Patrick filed a 40-page bill that proposes giving the insurance commissioner the power to hold public hearings on rate adjustments and essentially cap health care price increases. Rate increases for individuals would be held to the rate of medical inflation; those sold to employers with 50 or fewer workers could not exceed one and a half times the level of medical inflation. The legislation would also impose a two-year moratorium on any new health benefit mandates. Legislative leaders praised the intent of the governor’s plan but declined to promise support. Strong opposition is expected from medical provider groups. The Governor simultaneously announced emergency regulations to take immediate effect that will require health insurers to submit proposed small business rate increases for review by the state 30 days before they take effect. Several other proposed provisions include a requirement that insurers offer at least one coverage plan with a limited network of health care providers costing at least 10 percent less than health plans with access to more physicians. The Massachusetts Association of Health plans is lobbying in support of a bill introduced by Senate Insurance Chair Richard Moore that would create a cheaper health insurance product for small employers by capping payments to providers at just 10 percent above Medicare rates. The Massachusetts Medical Society is against that proposal.

MISSOURI: An autism coverage mandate bill was amended and “perfected” by the Senate and then sent to the Government Accountability and Fiscal Oversight Committee from which it must emerge before returning to the floor of the Senate. In addition to two mandate-related amendments, a third amendment to the bill allowing for limited cross border sales of health insurance also passed. In its current form, the bill contains a mandated offering of the coverage in the individual market. Coverage is limited to treatment ordered by a licensed physician or psychologist whose treatment plan the carrier is entitled to review every six months. Coverage for applied behavior analysis (ABA) is limited to $52,000 annually (down from the $72,000 as introduced) for persons under age 21. Meanwhile in the House, a bill containing significant language relating to the credentialing of autism service providers also passed. The bill also contains a mandate to offer coverage in the individual market and to groups of fewer than 25. Groups of 25 to 50 would be entitled to an exemption from the mandate if they could demonstrate an increase in premiums tied to the mandate. The bill limits annual coverage of ABA ($36,000 for children ages 3-9; $20,000 for children ages 9-21). Aetna will continue to monitor the status of these mandates, but it appears fairly clear at this point that something will pass on the issue of autism.

NEW JERSEY: Last week Governor Chris Christie declared a fiscal state of emergency calling a special session of the legislature to lay out his plan for dealing with state’s current $2.2 billion budget shortfall. His plan calls for significant cuts or eliminations across 375 state programs and withholding $500 million of state education aid. Of note on the program side is a $12.6 million reduction in Charity Care funding to hospitals, which pays for care to uninsured residents. In legislative action, the Assembly Financial Institutions and Insurance Committee held a three-hour public hearing on out-of-network reimbursement. Much of the hearing focused on the markedly higher billing practices of ambulatory surgery centers and one non-par hospital. Aetna presented testimony regarding its experience with the non-par hospital, citing their disparate year-over-year increase in charges compared to other similarly situated hospitals. Chairman Schaer indicated the committee will work over the next several months to craft a solution.

NEW YORK: With Democratic Senator Hiram Monserrate officially expelled from the Senate, the Democratic majority (31-30) now faces an uphill battle getting the 32 votes needed to pass legislation. However, both the Senate and the Assembly moved forward with a public hearing on the Executive Budget proposal for health, including the section mandating the prior approval of rate adjustments. The Health Plan Association testified on behalf of the industry. If enacted, Governor Paterson’s proposal for an 85 percent medical loss ratio and a prior approval hearing process for all rate adjustments would essentially amount to government control of health insurance, undermining the private health insurance market in New York. Price controls would weaken health plan solvency, hurt providers and virtually eliminate innovation and efficiency. At the same time, the proposal ignores the underlying cause of the increasing cost of health insurance — the increase in the actual costs of health care services.

OKLAHOMA: The second session of the 52nd Oklahoma Legislature convened in Oklahoma City on February 1. Legislators quickly turned to the state’s $1.3 billion budget deficit described by Governor Brad Henry (D) in his eighth and final state of the state address and FY 2011 executive budget. During his address, the Governor focused on his plans for resolving the $1.3 billion budget deficit through precise budget cuts. His only reference to health insurance was to encourage the expansion of Insure Oklahoma, a program developed by the state in partnership with small employers to provide affordable health coverage. The legislature is scheduled to adjourn on May 28 but only after addressing a range of legislation including several bills of interest to Aetna.

SOUTH DAKOTA: A dental fee schedule bill (S.B. 108) unanimously passed the Senate Commerce Committee and is expected to be taken up by the full Senate early this week. The bill prohibits any contract between a health insurer that offers a health benefit plan and a dentist from containing a provision that requires the dentist to accept a fee schedule for services unless the service is a covered service. Aetna will continue to follow the bill’s progress as it progresses.

TENNESSEE: Several bills have been proposed that would make changes to the state’s external review law. Aetna and other industry representatives will be meeting with the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance regarding its proposed changes to the external review law. The bill proposed by the TDCI most closely mirrors the model legislation proposed by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners.

UTAH: The Speaker of the House has introduced a health reform bill addressing health information technology, individual and small group market reforms and transparency. The overarching theme of the reforms is micromanagement of rates and rating factors, and a broadening of the Insurance Commissioner’s authority. The transparency provisions apply plan designs and benefit descriptions submitted by carriers, and would require providers to make available, upon request, a price list for services on both an inpatient and outpatient basis.

The prospects of a comprehensive healthcare reform bill passing are growing slimmer by the day. However, that does not mean that healthcare reform is dead altogether. After their bruising Senate loss in Massachusetts, Democrats are looking to scale back their proposals for reforming the health insurance industry. They are intent on ending this debate with something to show for a year of work. Previously, Democratic senators and representatives were mainly worried about satisfying the conservative, moderate, and liberal wings of the party. Most Republicans made a political calculation to oppose virtually any form of health care reform proposed by the Democrats. Meanwhile, the Democrats decided to go for broke and seek the most comprehensive reform their entire caucus could be convinced to vote for. As it turns out, Democrats clearly overreached. Now, they need to get at least a handful of Republicans on their side in order to pass legislation.

There were some brief flashes of bipartisanship shortly after Obama’s inaguration, but both parties quickly took sides. Republican Senator Olympia Snowe of Maine initially expressed some degree of support for healthcare reform. She was largely concerned with controlling costs, but so were centrist Democratic senators. In fact, she even supported the idea of a government-run health insurance public option under very limited circumstances–an idea that never gained traction among the entire Democratic caucus in the Senate. Snowe wanted to give the individual health insurance exchange markets, subsidies, and regulations time to work before resorting to further federal interventions. If the private health insurance companies were unable to cover a sufficient percentage of Americans, the public option would be “triggered”.

Over the past several months, increased partisan rancor appeared to have soured Snowe on the issue. Democrats shut her and fellow Republicans out of negotiations, while conservative “tea party” activists were running primary challenges against any legislator deemed insufficiently strong in their opposition to healthcare reform. Granted, there may have been concern that their involvement in committees reconciling the House of Representatives’ and Senate’s bills would not be in good faith–only one Republican in the entire Congress (Louisiana Rep. Joseph Cao) voted in favor. However, the process just managed to alienate potentially amenable legislators like Snowe.

With the election of Scott Brown changing the balance of the Senate, President Obama, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, and other Democratic leaders are acknowledging the need to slow down and cut the bill back to its most important, easily understandable elements. For her part, Snowe is waiting for Democrats to make the first move, to amend the bridges burned by the closed-door negotiations. Brown has also expressed his willingness to play a constructive role in reforming America’s current health insurance system. Other moderate Republicans, including Maine’s Susan Collins, may follow suit in crafting a new, more limited bill.

2008 Republican presidential candidate and Arizona Senator John McCain is also open to starting over. He has suggested that some elements of his election year healthcare proposal–such as allowing people to buy individual health insurance across state lines, tax credits for those buying individual or self employed health insurance, and medical malpractice tort reform–be considered. Similar ideas have also been touted by Snowe, as those with the potential of receiving bipartisan support. More gradual changes may also garner greater popularity among the general public than a substantial overhaul. In general, many politicians believe that the current bill is most likely unsalvageable; there is too much bad blood associated with its process.

(Image: Olympia Snowe’s official Senate website)

Yamileth Medina is an up and coming expert on Health Insurance and Healthcare Reform. She aims to help people realize that they can find quality individual health insurance right now. Yamileth lives in Miami, FL.

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Supporters of healthcare reform have claimed that increasing Americans’ access to health insurance plans will end up saving the nation money in the long run. Although they have acknowledged the need for nearly a trillion dollars in spending, most Democrats in Congress believe that it will result in savings due largely to an increase in preventative care that nips health problems in the bud, before they become more serious (and expensive). Initial estimates from the Congressional Budget Office appeared to bolster their surprising promises. However, those claims may have been too good to be true.

The Department of Health and Human Services recently released a report which states that when taking both public and private costs into account, the current healthcare reform proposals will cause spending on health insurance plans to rise over the next decade. Currently, medical spending makes up about 15% of the GDP: $2.5 trillion each year. Proponents of reform have promised that increased efficiency and the lack of a profit motive will drive health expenses down. HHS investigators compared that promise to Medicare, the government-sponsored health insurance coverage for those over the age of 65. Among this nation’s health insurance plans, Medicare is the closest parallel to the proposed (but now on the back burner) public option. Although part of the cost of reform is set to be paid for through $493 billion in cuts and modifications to Medicare, the HHS has found that whenever Congress significantly reduces the program’s funding in one year, at least a portion of it is usually restored in the next budget. Therefore, they advise that such cuts are unsustainable.

Actuaries working in the HSS further warned that as it currently stands, healthcare reform has the potential to endanger Medicare. According to their report, cuts in service are quite likely. Republicans have ran with the findings, stating that they bolster their claims of the Democrat-led reform of slashing Medicare funding, while raising the premiums of health insurance plans. An already politically risky plan has the potential to collapse for Democrats after the release of this report.

Another concern regarding governmental spending surrounds the proposed creation of the so-called Class Act. Such a program would provide long-term care health insurance plans for the disabled and others in need. The HSS found that the Class Act may be a financially ruinous “insurance death spiral” for the federal government: it will attract people in poorer health, and premiums will increase as the cycle repeats. This scenario may also be a concern for the guaranteed-issue health insurance plans mandated under reform, because the main legislation forbids health insurance companies from denying coverage to individuals with pre-existing conditions or over a certain age.

There is very little in the way of positive news for reform supporters in the report. It does fulfill the Democratic objective of reducing the uninsured population by 33 million. If the bill passes, 93% of the country’s residents would be covered under various health insurance plans. Moreover, prominent Democrats such as Chris Dodd claim that reports have shown that the programs will stay solvent for at least 75 years.

Yamileth Medina is an up and coming expert on Health Insurance and Healthcare Reform. She aims to help people realize that they can find quality health insurance plans right now while waiting for a public option, if it ever gets passed. Yamileth lives in Miami, FL.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/insurance-articles/health-insurance-plans-to-cost-more-after-reform-1584898.html

Regardless of how one feels about healthcare reform, people on both sides of the spectrum generally agree that it is a serious issue that requires careful consideration. It is also important for constituents to express their opinion to the politicians that represent them, whether or not they believe that the current bill is a step forward or worry about its impact on their existing health insurance plan. Therefore, it is unfortunate that some Internet marketers are running misleading advertisements that promise rewards–such as virtual currency for online games or real gift cards–while encouraging consumers to send Washington, D.C. an email opposing reform.

The firm responsible for these ads is Webclients Affilliate Network, and they have been working with a coalition of ten health insurance plan providers that includes Blue Cross Blue Shield. Admittedly, the banner ads for Get Health Reform Right do not explicitly require Web surfers to send a form letter in order to receive the reward. However, that disclaimer is buried in the fine print after pages of health-related survey questions that includes a question asking whether or not the survey taker wants to get health reform right. The user must answer “yes” in order for the anti-government-run insurance plan page to pop up, but the wording is vague. Different people have varying opinions of what ideal healthcare reform entails.

It isn’t just the public option opponents that have used this somewhat deceptive advertising. The American Medical Association had one that offered free gifts on a page that asked consumers to send a pre-written email to their congresspersons supporting the expansion of access to a health insurance plan. Such ads put a cloud over what should be genuine political speech. According to a representative of the Get Health Reform Right coalition, almost two million letters have been sent since the campaign began over the summer. While the vast majority of those letters were surely legitimate, this revelation casts doubt on their accuracy as a measure of general public sentiment. To their credit, the representative denies that such advertising was concocted by them: in fact, their advertising policy with Internet marketers specifically prohibits offering financial awards in exchange for such political action.

The phenomenon of reward advertising on the Internet is controversial. It has lured many unsuspecting users towards giving up personal information in exchange for gift cards or points that can be used to buy objects in popular Facebook games like Mafia Wars and FarmVille. Many consumers who click on these ads tend to be younger and lack the credit card information to buy things online outright. It is perfectly legal, but often preys on age groups that are impulsive and may falsely assume that sending the letter against healthcare reform is required to receive the offer. The practice of compensating people for their appearance of boosting support for a political cause, encouraged by lobbying groups such as America’s Health Insurance Plans, is known as astroturfing. Although it is legal, its ethicality is questionable. This instance has been likened to a new form of “virtual astroturfing”, which intends to deceive politicians into believing a government run health insurance plan has less public support than it may actually have. Such actions may have had a minor impact on the Senate choosing to drop the public option in the healthcare reform bill, due to their consideration of it as politically untenable.

In addition, if a significant percentage of those submitting the letters are teenagers, individuals who are not current voters may be steering senators and representatives in a way that is not truly representative of the population. There are unfortunately uninsured children, but most can acquire coverage; either through the health insurance plan with their parents’ job, or the state governments’ SCHIP programs. Most likely, the health insurers paid an amount for every letter submitted; the Web marketing firm then created the survey and campaign around it. Webclients denies that they never ran such ads, but media sources have confirmed proof. These campaigns appear to have stopped for now. Hopefully, debate and opinions about healthcare reform will come solely from the hearts and minds of the people, not advertisers and lobbyists on either side, in the future.

Yamileth Medina is an up and coming expert on Health Insurance and Healthcare Reform. She aims to help people realize that they can find a health insurance plan right now while waiting for a public option, if it ever gets passed. Yamileth lives in Miami, FL.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/insurance-articles/would-you-oppose-health-insurance-plan-reform-for-a-gift-card-1570614.html