Kaiser Family Foundation Launches Revamped Site

Today the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) launched a revamped version of their health reform gateway, chock full of resources on the new health reform law.  Included on the site are new features that provide explanations of the basics of the law, in-depth analysis of policy issues in implementation, and quick and easy access to relevant data, studies, and developments.

One of the site's new features, The Scan, provides a daily feed of easily-digestible summaries of the latest research and studies from the Foundation and others, as well as official actions and other developments related to the health law. Other new elements include:

• A customizable implementation timeline,
• A series of video clips featuring experts answering specific questions about the law and on a variety of other health policy topics,
• An interactive state map with key state-specific information related to health coverage and the health law,
• A public opinion poll tracker,
• A health reform subsidy calculator, and
• An official document finder that provides quick access to federal regulations and studies related to the health law.

Click here to access the new site.

Obama to Use Recess Appointment for Berwick

The White House yesterday announced that President Obama, to the chagrin of many Congressional Republicans, will use a recess appointment to make Don Berwick the administrator of the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Mr. Berwick is touted as an expert in and advocate of quality improvement in health care and is also a renowned Harvard professor and pediatrician. His appointment will remain valid until the end of the 111th Congress in January, at which time he will be subject to another confirmation, and presumably a hearing.

Click here to read more from Politico.
Kaiser Health News has released a resource guide on Mr. Berwick.  Click here to access it.

High Risk Pool Programs & New Health Insurance Website

Today the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced the creation of a new government-run health insurance website - healthcare.gov - as well as the highly-anticipated high-risk pool program. 

The new website, mandated by the new health reform law, is an information clearinghouse meant to help consumers navigate what can sometimes be a complicated health insurance market.  Only in version 1.0, the site lists the insurers selling products in a given user's particular service area.  In the autumn, the site will be enhanced with the addition of insurance products' prices and benefits information. Users can also log-on to learn more about how the new health reform law may impact them.

Also launched today, a few days past its anticipated launch date, is the new state-based temporary high-risk pool program, now called the Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan (PCIP).  This temporary insurance program is designed to bridge the coverage gap for those with pre-existing conditions until state-run insurance exchanges are established in 2014.  Slightly more than half of the states (29 of them) decided to run their own high-risk pool program, with the remaining 21 states allowing the federal government to step-in and administer theirs.  Coverage for those who qualify is expected to kick-in August 1st for those who apply by July 15th.

To read more on these developments, visit the HHS press release, a Wall Street Journal story, or coverage from Kaiser Health News.  

What Does Health Reform Mean to You?

Kaiser Health News has compiled a number of "explainers" that examine how health reform will affect different populations. In addition to explaining the provisions of the new law, the site also includes the full text of both the reconciliation and Senate health bills.

Click here to access the stories.

COBRA Subsidy Extended and Medicare Doc Fix Delayed

On March 2, President Obama signed into law “Temporary Extension Act of 2010,” (H.R. 4961) staving off the expiration of federal COBRA subsidies for 30 days while also delaying a 21% cut in Medicare provider payments. After the House had approved this bill last week, Senator Jim Bunning (R-KY), voicing his objections to how the bill would be financed, initiated and wouldn't back down from a filibuster until late Tuesday night.

Aimed at extending COBRA and unemployment insurance even further, the Senate is set to begin debate on a $150 billion bill introduced by Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT). The bill would extend these benefits through December 31, 2010.

For more on these development, click here to access the Kaiser Health News story.

House Votes to Repeal Insurer Antitrust Exemption

While anxiously awaiting comprehensive health reform legislation to regain a foothold, today the House of Representatives passed a narrower bill that repeals health insurers antitrust exemption. By repealing the 1945 McCarran-Ferguson Act, insurers will be less able to "fix prices, collude with each other, and set their own markets without fear of being investigated", as asserted by the bill's co-sponsors, Reps. Tom Perriello (D-VA) and Betsy Markey (D-CO). Opponents of the measure claim that the legislation is essentially a moot point because state-based regulation already prohibits insurers from engaging in antitrust-related practices. The bill now heads to the Senate where its prospects are, at this point, uncertain.

For more on this story, click here.

GOP Brown Victorious in Massachusetts

In a special election to fill the late Senator Ted Kennedy's US Senate seat, Republican Scott Brown, formerly a little-known Massachusetts state senator, claimed victory in a tight, momentum-shifting race late Tuesday night. Claiming 52 percent of the vote, Mr. Brown now will head to Washington, DC to be sworn in as Massachusetts's junior Senator and will be faced with a number of issues pressing not only GOPs, but the entire Senate, most notably health care reform. Displacing Democrats' fillibuster-proof 60 votes, Mr. Brown now forces the White House and a Democrat-controlled Congress to figure out how and when they will pass what stands to be President Obama's signature domestic policy initiative, historic health reform legislation. As Washington anxiously, or soberly, awaits Mr. Brown's arrival into the Senate, news outlets are reporting that Democratic leaders are now scrambling to salvage health reform before it gets torn and tattered by GOPs, misguided by midterm election concerns, or other pressing policy issues.

To read more on Mr. Brown's landmark victory, click on the following major media outlet links:

The Hill - Brown Snags Massachusetts Senate Seat in Stunning Upset Win for Republicans
The New York Times - GOP Takes Massachusetts Senate Seat
The Wall Street Journal - GOP Victory Upends Senate
Kaiser Health News - Republican Brown Wins Senate Seat

Happy Holidays from NYBGH!

New York Business Group on Health wishes all of our followers, readers, supporters, colleagues, collaborators, friends, and family a very happy holiday season and a healthy 2010.

As we take a break from health reform debate and negotiations for a few weeks, check out, in the meantime, Kaiser Health News's article on commonly asked qeustions about health reform and you, an American consumer of health care.

First Wave of COBRA Subsidies Nearing End

Kaiser Health News reports on the soon-to-expire federal COBRA subsidy for workers involuntarily terminated between September, 2008 and December, 2009. As the end of the first wave of subsidies approaches, many workers face the challenge of paying for health insurance coverage, and perhaps forgoing important medical treatment. President Obama has stated that he thinks Congress should make extending the subsidy period a priority, but the issue has not been marked for consideration on the calendars of either chamber. There are, however, two proposed bills waiting to be debated.

Read the complete article by clicking here.

Further coverage, from the New York Times, can be found here.

Senate Begins Debate on Health Bill

Earlier this afternoon in the Capitol, the Senate began debate on and offering amendments to its landmark health reform bill. Among those offering amendments were Senators John McCain (R-AZ), Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), and Bob Casey (D-PA).

Just prior to that, Senate majority leader Harry Reid (D-NV) kicked off the debate with a dose of partisanship and baitsmanship. Asking for unanimous floor requests, Mr. Reid seemingly forced Republicans, specifically Mike Enzi (R-WY), into a trap by accusing them of blocking attempts at government transparency. Find the complete article at the New York Times Prescriptions blog.

This afternoon, just before Mr. Reid opened the debate, Sen. Evan Bayh (D-IN) received a letter from the CBO that discusses how the proposed bill will affect premium costs. They report that individuals who qualify for subsidies (those earning less than 400% FPL), not surprisingly, will experience a premium drop. But, those who don't receive subsidies will pay 10 to 13 percent more. Large employers are estimated to not see marked reductions in the number of employees they cover and premiums are expected to hold steady or drop 3 percent.

Read the complete Kaiser Health News article here.

A Consumers' Guide to Health Reform

Kaiser Health News today answers some of the most commonly asked questions about the proposed health reform bills in their A Consumers Guide to the Health Reform Bills. Among the topics addressed are taxes, mandates, out-of-pocket costs, and the public option.

Find the complete article by clicking here.

J and J's Corporate Wellness Efforts

Kaiser Health News today reports on Johnson and Johnson's corporate wellness efforts.

From KHN,

"Dr. Fikry Isaac, executive director of global health services at Johnson and Johnson, runs the company's wellness program. He spoke recently with KHN's Jenny Gold about Johnson and Johnson's program and how corporate wellness could be incorporated into the current effort to overhaul the nation's health system."

Read the complete story here.

Health Care Reform - Congressional Documents Reveal Health Costs

Kaiser Health News has obtained documents prepared by the House Ways and Means Committee that illustrate how the House Tri-Committee Health Reform Bill (America's Affordable Health Choices Act) will affect premium and cost-sharing maximums for low- and moderate-income families and individuals. Under this plan, premiums will be drastically reduced and out-of-pocket limits will decline. The documents only list families whose incomes are up to four times the federal poverty level: $88,200. These are the people who would be eligible for government subsidies.

The documents can be seen at: http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/Stories/2009/September/04/House-Bill-Premiums.aspx#Families